Amundi ETF and Indexing continued to show strong growth in 2014, with the company attributing growth to ‘innovation and competitive pricing”.
“We have collected USD10 billion of new assets and reached USD55 billion of assets under passive management in 2014. In this high growth segment our goal is to satisfy our clients’ needs, whether they are looking for tailor-made index solutions or for simple, effective and low cost products”, says Valérie Baudson, Global Head of ETF and Indexing at Amundi.
Within a very supportive environment for ETFs, in 2014 Amundi grew faster than the market for the fifth consecutive year. With net inflows of USD3.1 billion, Amundi ETF’s assets under management rose by 33% to more than USD18 billion, compared to an increase in the market of 25%2.
On equity ETFs, Amundi expanded its Japanese range with the cheapest available exposure to the JPX-Nikkei 4002, pioneered the first ETF in the global luxury sector, and launched an innovative multi-smart beta ETF. In bonds, Amundi launched the first European ETF exposed to floating rate notes, and completed its offering on government bonds. Additionally, in April 2014 Amundi halved the cost of its emerging equity ETFs, thus offering the cheapest products in Europe in emerging equities. Against a landscape of falling costs in the ETF industry, Amundi’s range remains on average 25% cheaper4 than the European market.
“Our primary challenge for 2015 is to consolidate Amundi’s position as the fifth ETF provider in Europe, and to build on the three pillars that have made it so successful: competitive prices, quality and innovation. The second goal for 2015 is to expand the group’s business in Asia, starting with Hong Kong”, adds Valérie Baudson.
Inflows in index management amounted to close to USD7 billion. Amundi’s two main strengths remain its exceptional pricing power and its ability to create customised solutions for French and international institutional and sovereign clients.
In 2014 two strategic partnerships were established with index providers, the first of which with the EDHEC Risk Institute Scientific Beta to strengthen Amundi’s capabilities in index smart beta management. The second, with MSCI, led to the deployment of index solutions centred on low carbon intensity. These developments demonstrate the group’s commitment to effectively meet the investment needs of its clients.
