Charles Stanley, the UK-based stockbroker and investment manager, has agreed to acquire the entire issued share capital of Evercore Pan Asset, the specialist ETF portfolio manager co-founded by Conservative MP, John Redwood. The terms of the deal have not been disclosed. Founded in 2007, Pan Asset offers asset allocation advice across an extensive range of global asset classes and specialises in the use of index-tracking investments, particularly ETFs. Its clients include pension funds, charities, universities and family wealth.

State Street Global Advisors (SSgA) has unveiled the SPDR MSCI World Small Cap UCITS ETF (ZPRS), the first ever exchange-traded fund to track the MSCI World Small Cap Index. Listed on the Deutsche Börse, the new UCITS-compliant ETF offers exposure to small-cap companies across 24 developed market countries globally, capturing approximately 14% of the free float-adjusted market capitalization in each country. The growth bias inherent in small-cap stocks means the fund can be used to tilt a portfolio towards growth.

ProShares, a US-based provider of exchange-traded funds, best known for its leveraged long and short line-up, has announced the launch of the ProShares Short Term USD Emerging Markets Bond ETF (EMSH) on the BATS Exchange. The ETF is the first short-term emerging markets bond ETF in the United States and is designed to offer attractive yield potential with reduced interest rate sensitivity.

Global X Funds, a New York-based provider of exchange-traded funds, has announced the listing of three ETFs on Bolsa de Valores de Colombia, the Colombian stock exchange. This marks the first time that a foreign ETF has been listed on the Colombian exchange. The three ETFs are the Global X FTSE Colombia 20 ETF (GXG), the Global X Guru Index ETF (GURU), and the Global X SuperDividend ETF (SDIV).

IndexUniverse, a leading provider of exchange-traded fund analytics, and Index Strategy Advisors, a registered investment advisor, both headquartered in the US, have announced the launch of a partnership to build and deliver ETF portfolios to clients. Under the terms of the agreement, Index Strategy Advisors will leverage IndexUniverse’s ETF Analytics and due diligence platform to select ETFs for clients, based on its own in-house proprietary asset allocation models.

By Adriano Pace, head of the ETF marketplace at Tradeweb. In recent years, exchange-traded products have seen consistent growth in assets. In the US, they are well-established investment vehicles, with combined assets now totalling $1,641 billion. In the relatively nascent European market, assets have steadily increased in recent years, but at around $408 billion the potential for further growth remains high. There are, however, unique challenges to the European environment that may be limiting its growth.

Horizons USA has announced the launch of the Horizons S&P Financial Select Sector Covered Call ETF (HFIN) on the NYSE Arca. The ETF uses an innovative covered call strategy designed to generate additional income from the constituents of the S&P Financial Select Sector Index. Howard Atkinson, Managing Director of Horizons USA, said: “A covered call strategy can keep you invested in equities and potentially lower the volatility of returns of those equities while attempting to generate additional income, which can mitigate losses, during certain market conditions.”

Shenzhen-headquartered Bosera Asset Management, one of the longest-established fund management companies in China, has launched the first ever exchange-traded fund (ETF) listed in Mainland China to be linked to the S&P 500 Index. The new fund is Bosera’s fifth ETF and its first to offer exposure to non-China markets. By offering access to an overseas market, the launch represents a material acceleration of the development and sophistication of the ETF market in Mainland China.

ETF Issuer Solutions (ETFis), a New York-based financial technology firm, has introduced a comprehensive exchange-traded fund services platform designed specifically to build and operate ETFs in partnership with third-party investment managers. Founded by seasoned ETF professionals including William Smalley, Matthew Brown, both previously of FactorShares, and Brinton Frith, the firm has the operational infrastructure, regulatory permissions and product expertise to help external managers of all sizes build, list and manage white labelled ETFs.

Ossiam, a leading provider of smart beta exchange-traded funds, has announced that assets under management have surpassed €1 billion. The Paris-based firm, which is an affiliate of French giant Natixis, is on track to double assets under management this year, having started 2013 with €557m. Bruno Poulin, CEO of Ossiam, said: “We are delighted to have passed the significant €1 billion milestone. Achieving it confirms our leadership position in developing ‘smart beta’ investment funds for investors.”