Roger Balch

ETPLink, the next generation Exchange Traded Product (ETP) primary market order management platform, has announced a new partnership agreement with Betashares, a leading Australian financial services business.

Betashares is one of Australia’s leading investment managers, offering the largest range of ETFs in Australia covering all major asset classes including equities, cash, fixed income and commodities. Founded in 2009, Betashares manages over AUD 75 billion in assets under management across ETFs, managed accounts and superannuation, with a strong focus on delivering cost-effective and innovative investment solutions to financial advisers and retail investors in Australia.

This collaboration will leverage ETPLink’s innovative automation and DLT capabilities to streamline Betashares’ ETF creation and redemption processes. By integrating Betashares onto the ETPLink platform, both firms aim to enhance operational efficiencies and support scalability in the expanding ETP ecosystem. The partnership heralds another milestone in ETPLink’s growth story and will support the business expanding its Authorised Participant network in the Australian and wider APAC ETP marketplace.

Commenting on the appointment, Roger Balch, Chief Commercial Officer at ETPLink, said: “Our partnership with Betashares highlights why ETPLink is such a truly global product. Its flexible, distributed ledger technology allows seamless integration with a wide range of issuers and custodians across multiple jurisdictions, making it uniquely positioned to meet the evolving demands of the global ETF market.

“This alliance reinforces our commitment to delivering secure, scalable and cost-effective primary market order management to leading ETP issuers worldwide.”

Debbie Bennett, Chief Operations Officer at Betashares, added: “We are excited to partner with ETPLink to bring cutting-edge automation to our primary market process. This collaboration will improve our operational agility and provide greater flexibility allowing us to better serve our investors while supporting our ambitions to help more Australians progress on their financial goals.”

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The strategic partnership comes at a time of exponential growth for BetaShares, who manage the broadest range of exchange traded funds (ETFs) in the Australian market.

“We are thrilled to partner with BetaShares, one of Australia’s largest and most innovative ETF managers. With over $21 billion in assets under management, they are a leader in the category and we look forward to working with them as they expand their market presence and grow their product suite for investors,” said Luke Randell, Head of Markets and Securities Services for Citi Australia.

ETF providers have a unique set of needs, different to that of other fund managers. ETF ownership has evolved in recent years, broadening beyond the retail and self-managed super fund segment to include increased participation by institutional clients, and greater ownership through self managed accounts and model portfolios. Citi has been growing its ETF management suite across markets globally to meet this demand.

“It is Citi’s goal to support ETF providers through their entire lifecycle, from market-making to execution, administration to reporting. We have designed a fully integrated front to back office service model to support BetaShares,” added Mr Randell.

Continuing to expand its ETF offering, BetaShares launched its Crypto Innovators ETF (ASX:CRYP) to the ASX on Thursday last week, providing investors exposure to a portfolio of global companies that are at the forefront of the crypto economy.

“Citi is uniquely placed to assist us to execute on our plans to expand our suite of investment solutions for our growing investor base. We are confident in Citi’s ability to provide the required operational support towards our efforts to continually improve the experience for our investors,” said BetaShares CEO, Alex Vynokur.

“We are delighted to be partnering with Citi for custody and investment administration services as we continue to grow our business across a wide range of asset classes and investment exposures,” added BetaShares Chief Operating Officer, Debbie Bennett.

The announcement comes as Citi’s Custody and Fund Services business continues a strong growth trajectory across Asia Pacific. Citi Australia recently welcomed 24 new clients in the past 18 months. These clients are primarily transitioning to Citi following a client transfer agreement with Royal Bank of Canada (RBC) in 2020.

With over $30 trillion^[1] of assets under custody and administration and the industry-leading proprietary network spanning over 60 markets, Citi Securities Services provides clients with extensive on-the ground local market expertise, innovative post-trade technologies, customised data solutions, and a wide range of custody and fund services that can be tailored to meet clients’ needs.

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[1] As of Q2 2021. AUC/A figure separately represents gross assets for which Citi provides Global Custody and sub-custodian services via its Direct Custody and Clearing business and includes Issuer Services. Citi previously reported AUC/A numbers on a net basis, therefore discounting assets serviced by both businesses.

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