BetaShares has continued to grow its range of thematic exchange-traded funds (ETF) with a new product targeting online retail and e-commerce following a boom in that sector during the coronavirus pandemic.
The ETF provider said the BetaShares Online Retail and E-Commerce ETF (IBUY) has been designed to provide exposure to nearly 100 leading global e-commerce companies that have significant positions as online retail businesses.
IBUY’s index will cover large-scale e-commerce firms, including Amazon, PayPal, eBay, Tencent and Alibaba, and specialist firms such as Airbnb, Spotify and Hello Fresh, which are all required to derive at least 65 per cent of revenues from online travel, retail or marketplaces to remain on the index.
BetaShares chief executive Alex Vynokur said consumers have altered how they buy goods and services following the progress within the e-commerce industry.
“IBUY will offer investors convenient access to a diversified portfolio of global online retailing leaders that are revolutionising the way consumers shop for goods and services,” Vynokur said.
“Even as the global economy reopens, more consumers than ever before are buying their goods and services online. This trend is set to continue as people seek out more convenient ways to access the latest goods and services from around the world.
“IBUY is the latest addition to our market-leading suite of thematic ETFs that offer investors exposure to high-conviction megatrends that are changing the world around us. We are proud to offer the most extensive range of thematic ETFs in the Australian market and are well advanced in our plans to expand our offering in this growing space throughout 2022.”
Subject to regulatory approvals, IBUY is expected to begin trading on the Australian Securities Exchange on 16 February and will join 10 thematic ETFs already offered by BetaShares that collectively hold $2.2 billion in assets.
In December, BetaShares announced the release of three thematic ETFs based around electric vehicles, e-payments and video gaming and e-sports companies, and in October released a fund focused on crypto-assets.
