Invesco, Franklin Templeton, HANetf and Lazard Asset Management have launched investment products offering exposure to factor-based equities, global stocks, sterling- and euro-hedged Bitcoin, and European equities excluding the UK.
Invesco has added four funds to its Enhanced Equity UCITS ETF range: Invesco Global ex USA Enhanced Equity UCITS ETF, Invesco Global Small Cap Enhanced Equity UCITS ETF, Invesco UK Enhanced Equity UCITS ETF and Invesco Japan Enhanced Equity UCITS ETF. The Invesco All Country World Enhanced Equity UCITS ETF joined the range in August.
Each ETF aims to outperform its index over the long term, after fees, using factor-based active management. Invesco’s quantitative strategies team optimises the ETFs’ allocations based on the value, quality and momentum investment factors.
Erhard Radatz, co-chief investment officer at Invesco Quantitative Strategies, said: “While these ETFs do not track a benchmark, we set maximum active positions for individual stocks, industries, sectors and countries, which is intended to deliver an ‘index-like experience’ for investors.”
The ETFs charge 0.24%, except the Invesco Global Small Cap Enhanced Equity UCITS ETF, which charges 0.39%.
These launches more than double the number of funds in Invesco’s Enhanced Equity UCITS ETF range, which has assets under management (AUM) of $2bn. Invesco now offers 19 actively managed equity and fixed income UCITS ETFs with $8.4bn in AUM.
Meanwhile, Franklin Templeton has launched the FTGF Putnam Global Research fund in the UK. The fund seeks long-term capital appreciation through a diversified global equity portfolio built from the team's highest-conviction stock ideas. It is sector- and region-neutral relative to the MSCI World index and is expected to hold 150 to 200 stocks where earnings expectations differ materially from market consensus.
The portfolio is divided into 11 sleeves run by portfolio managers and analysts from Putnam's equity research team. Boston-based Kate Lakin, Matt LaPlant, CFA, Vivek Gandhi and London-based David Morgan will co-manage the fund.
Kate Lakin, portfolio manager at Putnam Investments, said: “The fund is designed for investors seeking global equity exposure that aims to generate excess returns through high-conviction stock selection, while controlling factor exposures to drive performance from idiosyncratic risk.”
Franklin Templeton said the FTGF Putnam US Research fund has raised more than $5bn since it was introduced to investors in Europe and the UK in April 2025.
Elsewhere, HANetf has launched the Arrow Bitcoin GBP Hedged ETC (GBTC) and the Arrow Bitcoin EUR Hedged ETC (EBTC), which aim to reduce the effect of GBP/USD and EUR/USD exchange rate moves on Bitcoin returns. HANetf said they are the world's first sterling and euro-hedged crypto ETCs.
The sterling ETC is listed on the London Stock Exchange and the euro ETC on Xetra and Euronext Paris. Both have a total expense ratio of 0.49%.
Bitcoin trades in US dollars, so a weaker dollar can reduce sterling and euro returns even when the cryptocurrency rises in dollar terms. HANetf noted that currency-hedged gold ETCs account for about $23bn, or 13%, of European gold ETC assets.
Hector McNeil, co-founder and co-chief executive at HANetf, said: “With this launch, we are bringing the established logic of euro-hedged ETFs to the crypto market. Investors have long understood that currency movements can have a meaningful impact on returns on different asset classes, for example gold.
“The launch reflects the continued maturation and mainstreaming of the crypto ETP market. As crypto adoption grows, investors are likely to focus more closely on how their exposure is structured, including currency risk. These products are designed to give investors a more precise way to access Bitcoin. Crypto exposure should not have to mean taking an unintended dollar view.”
Finally, Lazard Asset Management has launched the Lazard Europe ex-UK Equity Advantage fund, a quantitatively managed UCITS fund on its Equity Advantage platform.
The fund will be managed by the group’s Equity Advantage team, which has been at Lazard since 2007 and oversees $50.9bn in quantitative strategies.
The fund uses bottom-up security selection and quantitatively assesses companies on growth potential, valuation, market sentiment and financial quality. A portfolio manager validates every suggested trade before it enters the portfolio, which Lazard said is an approach designed for transparency rather than ‘black box’ investment.
Tony Maddock, head of UK third party distribution at Lazard Asset Management, said: “For portfolio builders and model portfolio service providers, our Equity Advantage funds are designed to target three outcomes: consistency of relative returns, controlled risk and a predictable style profile.”