The latest news in investment offerings, financial products and other services relevant to wealth advisors and their clients.

Ardian, iCaptial
Ardian, a Paris-headquartered private investment firm, and iCapital, a New York and Greenwich-based fintech company, have expanded their partnership with the broader availability of the Ardian Access SICAV suite of evergreen private markets strategies through global fund platforms, including Allfunds, Clearstream and Euroclear Fundsplace.

Building on a partnership that began in 2022, Ardian and iCapital have worked to design, structure, service and distribute evergreen investment solutions that support long-term portfolio construction for wealth investors. The latest expansion reflects a shared ambition to expand access to private markets while maintaining operational efficiency, scalability and enhanced investor experience across distribution channels.

Available on Allfunds, Clearstream and Euroclear Fundsplace, the Ardian Access strategies, which can be accessed via platform workflows and custody environments, they are already used by wealth managers and advisors globally. This approach allows Ardian and iCapital to meet demand from the wealth channel while reducing operational friction and integration complexity for distributors and end investors.

Launched in partnership with iCapital, Ardian Access provides evergreen exposure to Ardian’s private equity and infrastructure capabilities, the firm said in a statement. iCapital structures and services the strategies and provides end-to-end lifecycle support, leveraging its integrated technology and operating capabilities to streamline onboarding, administration and the investor experience for wealth managers and advisors.

With investment from leading alternative asset managers, wealth managers, and service providers globally, iCapital provides broad access, data connectivity, education, and research programs to advisors and their clients. Leveraging AI and machine learning for digital identity (KYC/AML), iCapital supports compliant and secure investment lifecycle processes.

Franklin Templeton
Franklin Templeton, a California-based asset manager, has launched four new UCITS exxchange-traded funds (ETF) designed to provide investors with targeted access to key sectors within the US equity market:

-- Franklin S&P 500 Information Technology UCITS ETF;

-- Franklin S&P 500 Financials UCITS ETF;

-- Franklin S&P 500 Consumer Discretionary UCITS ETF; and

-- Franklin S&P 500 Communication Services UCITS ETF.

All four ETFs have been listed this week on the Deutsche Börse Xetra, Borsa Italiana and the London Stock Exchange (LSE). They will be registered for distribution in Austria, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland (country of domicile), Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Spain, Sweden and the UK.

“Investors are increasingly looking beyond broad market exposure toward more targeted allocation decisions. These sector ETFs provide precise, transparent and cost-efficient access to key areas of the US equity market,” Matthew Harrison, head of EMEA and Americas (ex-US), said. “The S&P 500 Capped 35/20 sector indices help manage concentration risk by applying clear limits to the largest constituents, supporting more deliberate portfolio construction and risk management.”

About the ETFs and corresponding sectors:

The Franklin S&P 500 Information Technology UCITS ETF, which tracks the S&P 500 Capped 35/20 Information Technology Sector Index (Net Return), provides exposure to US companies operating across software, hardware, semiconductors and digital infrastructure, reflecting the role of technology as a key driver of innovation and productivity in the economy.

The Franklin S&P 500 Financials UCITS ETF, which tracks the S&P 500 Capped 35/20 Financials Sector Index (Net Return), offers access to banks, insurers and diversified financial services firms that are central to credit creation, payments and capital markets activity.

The Franklin S&P 500 Consumer Discretionary UCITS ETF, which tracks the S&P 500 Capped 35/20 Consumer Discretionary Sector Index (Net Return), targets companies linked to consumer spending and economic growth, including retailers, automobile manufacturers and leisure-related businesses.

The Franklin S&P 500 Communication Services UCITS ETF, which tracks the S&P 500 Capped 35/20 Communication Services Sector Index (Net Return), provides exposure to companies involved in media, telecommunications and digital communication platforms, spanning traditional networks and newer, technology-enabled services.

The new ETFs will be managed by Dina Ting, head of global index portfolio management, Lorenzo Crosato, ETF portfolio manager, and Dave McGown, ETF portfolio manager, who have more than three decades of combined experience in the asset management industry and proven track records in managing ETF strategies.

Fidelity International
Fidelity International, a global asset manager and retirement savings business, has launched two new global equity funds, the Fidelity Funds (FF) – Global Smaller Companies Fund and the FF – Global Founders Fund.

Both funds provide Fidelity International investors with access to investment approaches developed by Fidelity Investments, a separate US-based company. Fidelity International acts as the management company for the funds, while a subsidiary of Fidelity Investments serves as sub-investment manager and is responsible for the investment strategy and underlying research.

The FF Global Smaller Companies Fund aims to achieve capital growth over the long term by focusing on opportunities across the global small-cap universe, an area of the market that is often less researched and can therefore offer a broad opportunity set for active investors.

Drawing on Fidelity Investments’ global research platform, supported by nearly 500 research professionals worldwide, the fund combines qualitative stock selection with quantitative risk management to identify opportunities across the global small-cap universe. The fund typically holds around 125 companies and is managed by Shah Badkoubei.

The FF Global Founders Fund aims to achieve capital growth over the long term by investing in companies where a founder, their family or foundation are closely involved in leadership or governance. The strategy is based on the philosophy that significant ownership of a business confers a positive impact on both corporate and stock market performance. Managed by portfolio manager Thomas Williams, the portfolio invests in about 40 to 60 attractive businesses captured in Fidelity Investments’ proprietary global database of founder-led companies.