Fidelity Investments has filed an application with the US Securities and Exchange Commission in a bid to have a greater presence in the exchange-traded funds market.

The application was filed in December. A spokesperson said if approved it would give the firm greater flexibility than that given by the existing order granted in 2003.

The new order would allow Fidelity to offer a variety of index ETFs which would be available to third party investors. The ETFs will be based on a broader range of securities market indices and operate in a master-feeder structure.

In other related news, Fidelity Worldwide Investment appointed Jeremy Podger as a senior portfolio manager in its global equity team in December. He reports to Dominic Rossi, global chief investment officer for equities, and works with Richard Lewis, who was appointed head of global equities in September last year.