An ETF is a basket of securities such as stocks and/or bonds that are held in a single fund that is bought or sold on an exchange. The market has surged in recent years as investors and advisors have sought lower-cost ways of obtaining market exposure.

The new ETFs include the New York listed Putnam International Stock ETF (PGRI) and the New York listed Franklin International Insights ETF (TINS).

“These launches represent the continued evolution of Franklin Templeton’s active ETF platform and our commitment to offering investors access to high-conviction strategies in a modern, efficient structure,” David Mann, global head of ETFs and capital markets at Franklin Templeton, said. “PGRI and TINS showcase the diversity of our specialist investment managers, giving investors two differentiated paths to international exposure; one rooted in Putnam’s deep fundamental research, and the other powered by Templeton’s proprietary global insights.”

The firm has been launching a number of ETFs recently, including the Franklin Future of Food UCITS ETF to help create investment into new technologies in order to produce more food using fewer resources. It has also launched the Franklin Future of Health and Wellness UCITS ETF, to respond to growing demand for more frequent medical care and health support, as populations live longer. See here and here.

At an event in London this autumn to celebrate its 25 Years of ETFs in the UK, attended by this news service, Caroline Baron, head of ETF Distribution EMEA at Franklin Templeton, said ETFs are among the best financial tools for enabling investors to be nimble.

“It’ an exciting time. We are on course for another record year amidst volatile markets,” Jason Xavier (pictured left), head of EMEA and Asia ETF capital markets, added.

Lotfi Ladjemi (pictured right), vice president of ETF distribution, also emphasised how the ETF market is growing. He believes that ETFs work well in a volatile market and he sees continued demand in future.

“We are cost conscious. ETFs are a fundamental part of the story,” Terry McGivern, senior research analyst, responsible for passive fund research and selection at AJ Bell Investments, said at the event. “We use ETFs where the innovation is. We have seen an increase in active ETFs in Europe recently and we expect this trend to continue. There are also big tax advantages for active ETFs in the US though it is not the same in the UK and Europe.”

“ETFs allow us to be razor sharp on costs,” McGivern continued. “Retail investors like ETFs, although advisors have not been as quick to see the advantages of ETFs.”  

Franklin Templeton's suite of over 70 ETFs spans equity, fixed income, multi-asset, single-country, and digital asset strategies, representing more than $50 billion in global ETF assets under management.

A number of firms have been launching ETFs recently, for instance US-headquartered investment manager . It has designed an ETF to track (minus fees) a version of the S&P 500 index, aligned with meeting a 1.5°C limit on climate warming, using a forward-looking transition pathway model. Invesco has also launched three thematic ETFs to provide investors access to the long-term trends of artificial intelligence, cybersecurity and defence. See here and here.

US-based published its 2025 EMEA Wealth Manager Survey this month, showing that ETFs remain dominant, with rising demand for both index and active strategies. In a time of macroeconomic uncertainty and industry change, the survey shows that 88 per cent of wealth managers expect to use ETFs more frequently in client portfolios.