HSBC Global Asset Management (Gam) will launch new products and create 15 new roles this year.

HSBC Gam plans to launch eight new environmental, social, and governance (ESG) ETF’s in the first half of 2020. Also planned are a fixed-income ETF platform and a passive platform for precious metals later in the year reported Expert Investor.

ESG the new flavor of the season

Investors have been pouring in money into ESG products. Money managers across the world have, therefore, been quick to offer various investment vehicles to meet this demand.

“We are planning to launch a new family of ESG ETFs which will provide investors with a core building block for their portfolios,” a spokesperson of HSBC Gam said.

The ESG ETFs will focus on Europe, the US, Japan, developed markets, emerging markets, Asia, UK, and Europe ex-UK.

Nicolas Moreau, the global CEO of HSBC GAM, commented: “ETFs are still one of the fastest-growing investment products in Europe and Asia, and we are seeing increased demand from our clients for ESG-focused ETFs.”

“Combining our responsible investment and ETF expertise is a natural next step for us,” he added. “These launches will also provide our distribution partners with the right products to cater to the demand they see from their clients.”

HSBC currently manages $49.3 billion in passive strategies and $8.5 billion in ETF strategies. HSBC Gam has offered passive strategies for nearly three decades. It has added focus on ESG principles from 2001 onwards.

HSBC Gam manager beefs up manning

It will create 15 new roles to support its new business initiatives. These executives will have functions across product development, sales, operations, marketing, capital markets, and ETF strategists.

Global ESG and ETP assets

Meanwhile, ETFGI reported this week that total assets invested in global ESG ETFs and ETPs increased by 7.40% from US$48.75 billion at the end of October to a record US$52.35 billion at the end of November, on the back of net inflows of USD2.66 billion during the month.

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