Think ETFs, a Dutch provider of exchange-traded funds, has launched the Think Morningstar North America Equity UCITS ETF (TNAE) on the NYSE Euronext Amsterdam. The fund tracks Morningstar’s proprietary North America 100 Equal Weight Index, offering equal-weighted exposure to the 100 largest and most liquid stocks trading on North American exchanges. Recent research from Cass Business School showed that strategies which deviate from traditional market cap-weighted approaches, such as equal-weighting, have historically produced superior risk-adjusted returns.

Smart beta exchange-traded funds have attracted considerable attention, and assets, in recent years, sparking a great deal of debate. Much of this debate has been centred on the term itself, “smart beta”. Some argue that it implies market capitalisation-weighted ETFs are therefore “dumb beta” and that this inference can be misleading for investors. While the term smart beta may be open to misinterpretation, it has undeniably become part of the financial lexicon and, semantics aside, is now the most widely adopted term to describe rules-based non market cap-weighted and strategy-based investing. So let’s all move on from discussions over the term itself and, instead, focus on what’s important.

iShares, the exchange-traded fund division of asset manager BlackRock, has launched the iShares International Aggregate Bond ETF (IAGG) on the BATS ETF Marketplace. The new offering tracks the performance of the Barclays Global Aggregate ex USD 10% Issuer Capped (Hedged) Index. The fund provides low cost, efficient access to a broadly diversified range of international investment grade bonds while reducing the effects of currency volatility on returns by entering into hedging strategies.

ZyFin, a Singapore-headquartered asset manager with advisory operations based in India, has announced the imminent listing of the world’s first Indian fixed income exchange-traded fund, the LAM Sun Global ZyFin India Sovereign Enterprise Bond UCITS ETF (CURY LN), on the London Stock Exchange. Sanjay Sachdev, Executive Chairman at ZyFin, commented: “This is the first time global investors will have access to AAA rated government-owned Indian companies through an ETF, and with the Indian government keen to stimulate outside investment, this is a very exciting time to be investing in the country.”

BATS Global Markets (BATS), a leading electronic stock exchange group, has welcomed another WisdomTree ETF to its US ETF platform. The WisdomTree Global SmallCap Dividend Fund (BATS: GSD) is the fourth ETF to be listed by WisdomTree on the exchange after three fund launches on 29 October 2015. Laura Morrison, Senior Vice President, Global Head of Exchange-Traded Products at BATS, said: “We’re pleased to add another WisdomTree ETF to the BATS ETF Marketplace. We are excited to expand our partnership and will continue to work hard to deliver solid market quality for every product that lists on BATS.”

WisdomTree, a leading global exchange-traded fund provider, has unveiled the WisdomTree Global SmallCap Dividend Fund (BATS: GSD). The fund tracks the performance of small-capitalisation, dividend-paying firms across developed and emerging markets. Jeremy Schwartz, WisdomTree Director of Research, commented: “Small-caps are a compelling asset class because they are typically the most sensitive to incremental changes in economic growth expectations. Many small-cap companies have proven business models with relatively stable earnings, and have the ability to pay out dividends to shareholders and grow them over time.”

FTSE Russell, a global index provider, has partnered with State Bank of India, India’s largest bank, to develop a new index tracking Indian fixed income securities. “Despite investor appetite to access India’s ongoing growth story, at present Indian issuers’ bonds do not have a credible global benchmark for passive investment funds that captures the Indian growth story,” said Smt. Arundhati Bhattacharya,

Financial data vendor Thomson Reuters, who has over $2bn in exchange-traded fund assets linked to its indices, has launched the Islamic Asia Pacific Ex-Japan Islamic Agribusiness Index. The index covers 30 Shariah-compliant companies in the Asia Pacific region with revenues derived directly from agricultural products. It will be tracked by the MyETF Thomson Reuters Asia Pacific ex-Japan Islamic Agribusiness ETF (METAGR), launched on the Malaysian Stock Exchange by provider i-VCAP Management.

Nikko Asset Management has launched an exchange-traded fund offering exposure to a customised MSCI index tracking highly liquid Japanese firms that provide significant dividend levels. Furthermore, the index weightings have been optimised to provide the lowest possible volatility exposure while maintaining suitable diversification. The Listed Index MSCI Japan Equity High Dividend Low Volatility ETF has been listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange.

BlackRock, Euroclear and Clearstream have partnered to migrate 20 iShares ETFs to an international issuance and settlement structure. Under this structure, the issuance and settlement of the ETFs are carried out by an international central securities depository (ICSD), such as Euroclear and Clearstream. Issuing and settling in a single pan-European location simplifies the post-trade process of ETFs, enabling market makers to offer more competitive trading spreads to investors, and also boost overall liquidity. BlackRock issued the first ETF with an international security structure in 2013.