WisdomTree: ETF Forum unveils dates for 2017 events after successful first year
The ETF Forum, the independent partnership of leading exchange-traded product providers created in 2016, will be running a new wave of nationwide roadshows as part of its drive to enhance the adviser and wealth management community’s collective understanding of ETFs.
Featuring exchange-traded product (ETP) and exchange-traded fund (ETF) issuers BMO Global Asset Management, ETF Securities and WisdomTree, along with the London Stock Exchange, The ETF Forum will host the first seminar in Exeter, before moving across the UK to locations including Glasgow, Jersey and Manchester.
The free, CPD-accredited workshops will feature leading speakers from the ETF industry and will once again provide an educational overview of ETFs, but will also discuss a wider variety of topics including access to ETFs via platforms, and how to understand and assess ETF liquidity. The workshops will also look at how ETFs can be used most effectively within client portfolios.
The launch of further events by The ETF Forum in the coming months follows the success of last year’s roadshows. Feedback from attendees found 95% of advisers felt the Forum helped improve their understanding of ETFs, while 88% said it had given them an understanding of how ETFs could provide solutions for their clients.
Meanwhile, nearly three-quarters of attendees (72%) said the Forum had changed their desire to include ETFs in client portfolios, and almost 90% said they anticipate using lower cost funds for their clients in the next two years.
Rob Thorpe, Head of UK Intermediary at BMO Global Asset Management, said: “We are using the feedback from previous Forum roadshows to adapt our approach to educating the UK advisory market. We are also using the feedback from advisers to act as a voice to address a number of hurdles they currently face in the use of ETFs, including their accessibility through platforms and availability of objective research.”
Liz Wright, Head of UK Wealth & Intermediary Distribution, Sales at ETF Securities, expects the demand for ETFs to continue to grow, particularly given the focus on active fund fees. “The FCA’s recent interim findings into the asset management industry highlighted the opacity of many active funds and the fees they charge, and will accelerate the trend of advisers looking for lower cost solutions to preserve capital in their clients’ portfolios. The transparency of ETFs has been highlighted as a key benefit by many intermediaries but we want to continue help the adviser community to understand ETFs and how they can be used more fully,” she says.
Nizam Hamid, WisdomTree’s head of ETF strategy in Europe, said: “The Forum will remain committed to promoting awareness of ETFs and educating the adviser and wealth management community. However, following the success of the first two nationwide roadshows, we have taken feedback into consideration and are looking to introduce new topics we feel will take attendee’s knowledge of ETFs to the next level. By continuing to focus on educating users about these products, we hope to see a stronger overall understanding of these products and their exposures.”
As part of the ongoing initiative, ETF Forum roadshows will be hosted twice a year, with new speakers and an evolving range of educational content. In addition to the series of roadshows, the ETF Forum also has dedicated a website to provide ongoing information to advisers, which can be found at www.etf-forum.co.uk.
Upcoming events
Exeter 06/06/2017 09:00 AM
Bristol 06/06/2017 03:00 PM
Birmingham 07/06/2017 09:00 AM
London 07/06/2017 02:30 PM
Jersey 08/06/2017 10:00 AM
Glasgow 13/06/2017 09:00 AM
Edinburgh 13/06/2017 03:00 PM
York 14/06/2017 09:00 AM
Manchester 14/06/2017 03:00 PM
Liverpool 15/06/2017 09:30 AM