Two Trillion by 2022
According to Index Universe, BlackRock iShares’ CEO Mark Weidman stated at a recent press event in London that the total assets in European exchange-traded products (ETP) could reach $2 trillion (£1.28 trillion) by 2022. Currently, European ETP assets stand at approximately $367 billion (£235 billion) meaning that annualised asset growth would need to meet or exceed an average rate of 20% per year.
Weidman cited a variety of factors underlying his projection. In the UK, the adoption of the Retail Distribution Review (RDR) and the resulting move towards fee-based advice create a favourable environment for more widespread use of ETPs. And this is not strictly a UK phenomenon. RDR-like reforms are currently being mulled over in the Netherlands as well. Elsewhere on the continent, market forces are encouraging the development of fee-based models in places like Germany and Italy. Some countries, like Switzerland, already have well-developed fee-based advisory models.
The shift towards fee-based advice is a tailwind for the ETP industry. Charging clients based on the amount of assets managed means that advisers will reap greater benefits when their clients’ asset base gets larger rather than incentivising them to recommend those funds that pay the highest commissions. By better aligning adviser incentives with client outcomes, financial advisers will naturally migrate towards selecting lower-cost investments for their clients. Since many of the lowest-cost funds on the market today are ETPs, ETP asset growth should benefit as fee-based advice becomes common practice.
This growth potential has certainly not been overlooked by other market participants. Asset managers big and small from all corners of the globe have been positioning themselves in an effort to ride this wave over the coming decade.