Product & Service Launches

Vanguard Launches 3 ETFs Focused on U.S. Government Bonds

Vanguard has launched the Vanguard Government Securities Active ETF (VGT), an actively managed ETF; and two index ETFs, Vanguard Total Treasury ETF (VTG) and Vanguard Total Inflation-Protected Securities ETF (VTP); all managed by the company’s fixed-income group.

VGVT has an expense ratio of 0.10% and seeks to outperform the Treasury market while maintaining diversification. VGT offers a low-cost comprehensive index solution for broad exposure to the Treasury market and simplified all-curve exposure at a ratio of 0.03%. VTP has a ratio of 0.05% and serves as a tool to protect portfolios from inflation risk, offering a broader investment universe with a longer duration profile.

BlackRock Acquires ElmTree Funds

BlackRock announced Monday an agreement to acquire ElmTree Funds, a net-lease real estate investment firm with $7.3 billion in assets under management, as of March 31.

ElmTree will be integrated into Private Financing Solutions, a new platform created through BlackRock’s combination with HPS Investment Partners. The ElmTree acquisition will allow PFS to scale its real estate offering, while expanding into new markets as an owner-operator. BlackRock expects ElmTree will help accelerate the growth of the PFS platform and deliver clients risk-adjusted returns with favorable structures.

“Structural shifts in the real estate sector are creating new opportunities for private capital,” said Scott Kapnick, CEO of HPS Investment Partners and chairman of the Private Financing Solutions executive office, in a statement. “The combination of a premier triple-net investor with our leading private financing solutions platform will position us to capture these opportunities for our clients.”

Acuity Launches RFP Pulse to Help Asset Managers With RFPs, DDQs

Acuity Knowledge Partners launched RFP Pulse, a managed digital solution designed to help asset and wealth managers respond to requests for proposals and due diligence questionnaires.

The product combines generative artificial intelligence, semantic search and a structured content repository with Acquity’s domain expertise and service layer. A “format-agnostic solution,” according to the announcement, RFP Pulse automates and accelerates document ingestion, content retrieval, draft generation and formatting across Excel, Word and digital DDQ tools.

Already live with some clients, RFP Pulse has so far resulted in efficiency gains ranging from 25 to 30%, according to the announcement, including a 70% reduction in time to retrieve responses and accuracy exceeding 80% in initial drafts.

Horizon Announces 2 More ETFs

Horizon announced the launch of two actively managed exchange-traded funds, concluding a three-week debut of seven ETFs in total.

The firm launched the Horizon Nasdaq 100 Defined Risk ETF and Horizon Digital Frontier ETF, with ticker symbols QGRD and YNOT, respectively.

According to Horizon, QGRD seeks to provide exposure to the Nasdaq 100 Index while managing downside risk through a disciplined options overlay. The ETF aims to provide capital appreciation and capital preservation. YNOT aims to achieve long-term capital appreciation by investing mainly in equity securities of companies operating in the digital and technology sectors.

ISS STOXX Launches Sovereign Climate Impact Report

ISS STOXX released its new Sovereign Climate Impact Report. The offering enables investors to understand, measure, report and act on climate transition-related risks and impacts of their sovereign portfolios. ISS STOXX owns PLANSPONSOR.

The report aligns sovereign and sub-sovereign exposures to the latest Partnership for Carbon Accounting Financials methodology and guidance. It also helps investors fulfill internal and external reporting climate-related disclosure requirements, including International Sustainability Standards Board IFRS S1 and the Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures.

“As a leading provider of climate research, data and analytics, and a trusted partner to the global institutional investor community, we are pleased to launch the Sovereign Climate Impact Report, the latest new offering in our comprehensive suite of climate solutions, with further innovations planned in 2025,” said Till Jung, head of ISS STOXX’s sustainability business, in a statement.