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

WisdomTree

As geopolitical tensions persist, WisdomTree, a New York-headquartered global financial innovator, has continued its run of exchange-traded funds (ETF) with the launch of the WisdomTree Asia Defence UCITS ETF (WDAF) and the WisdomTree Global Defence UCITS ETF (WDGF).

The ETFs aim to track the price and yield performance, before fees and expenses, of the WisdomTree Asia Defence UCITS Index and the WisdomTree Global Defence UCITS Index, respectively. WDAF has a Total Expense Ratio (TER) of 0.50 per cent, while WDGF has a TER of 0.40 per cent.

Both ETFs were listed this week on Börse Xetra, Borsa Italiana, Euronext Paris and SIX Swiss Exchange, and will list on the London Stock Exchange on 1 April 2026.

The firm said its defence spending has shifted to a longer-term policy priority across multiple regions. Governments are strengthening military capabilities, rebuilding stockpiles, modernising equipment and investing in advanced technologies ranging from cyber capabilities and space systems to unmanned platforms and artificial intelligence.

The WisdomTree Asia Defence UCITS ETF targets defence companies throughout the Asia-Pacific region (excluding China). The strategy aims to capture a rising defence investment cycle in that territory as governments expand budgets, strengthen domestic supply chains and prioritise strategic autonomy amid rising geopolitical tensions and a renewed US focus.

The WisdomTree Global Defence UCITS ETF provides focused exposure to companies globally that derive a portion of their revenues from defence activities. By focusing on firms directly involved in defence manufacturing, systems and technologies, the strategy aims to avoid dilution from broader industrial or civil aerospace revenues often present in traditional sector classifications.

Both ETFs prioritise companies with significant defence revenues, applying a revenue-based exposure scoring and weighting methodology and thoughtful investability criteria to maintain thematic purity while ensuring diversification and liquidity.

“Defence has become a structural investment theme rather than a short-term reaction to geopolitical events. Governments are embedding defence spending into long-term security strategies, creating sustained procurement pipelines and industrial investment cycles,” Pierre Debru, head of research, Europe, WisdomTree, said. “With these new ETFs, investors can access the theme through both a global strategy that captures multiple rearmament cycles and a dedicated Asia strategy focused on a region where defence spending is accelerating rapidly.”

The firm has been making a number of ETF launches, most recently with the launch of the WisdomTree Tech Megatrends UCITS ETF (TMGT). US-headquartered investment managers Franklin Templeton and Invesc have also been boosting their range of ETFs recently.

Brown Advisory

Brown Advisory, a global investment management firm with $168.8 billion in client assets, has launched its Global Value Select UCITS Fund. The new fund provides investors with access to the firm’s Global Value Select strategy led by Nick Kirrage, supported by associate portfolio manager Michael Heap and two analysts.

This UCITS fund, which will be available for investors in the UK, Europe, Middle East and APAC, follows the end-February launch of the team’s International Value Select ETF for US-based investors which has amassed over $60 million since inception.

Sitting in London as part of Brown Advisory’s global equity research team, Kirrage aims to capitalise on contrarian ideas across the globe that can deliver long-term returns for their clients. “Dislocations in global markets mean there are many companies trading below their intrinsic value, which is why we believe the opportunity set for value investors today is so compelling and why we are very excited to bring this differentiated portfolio to Brown Advisory’s client base,” Kirrage said.