Anchor launched an offshore equity AMETF as well as a local AMETF. The Anchor EasyETFs Aspirant Global Equity AMETF (AAGEET) and the Anchor EasyETFs Aspirant SA Equity AMETF (AASAET) combine the flexibility of active portfolio management with the liquidity and accessibility of an ETF.
EasyETFs, a wholly–owned subsidiary of the EasyGroup, which in turn is majority owned by Purple Group, will serve as the ManCo for both ETFs. The launch forms part of a broader partnership between Anchor Capital and EasyEquities, combining Anchor Capital’s investment management expertise with EasyEquities’ retail distribution platform, as both companies expand further into the ETF market.
“The next generation of investors is more fee sensitive, and there is clear demand for lower cost, more transparent products that provide access to active investment strategies. We believe we are still early to the party here and that lots of active managers will continue releasing AMETFs of their own,” said Keiran Witthuhn, Portfolio Manager at Anchor Capital.
The Funds
The Anchor EasyETFs Aspirant Global Equity AMETF (AAGEET) provides investors with exposure to a concentrated portfolio of global equities selected through Anchor Capital’s pragmatic growth-at-a-reasonable-price (GARP) investment philosophy. This entails investing in global companies that are market leaders with high earnings growth potential, have high cash generation with a quality earnings profile, and that are trading at attractive valuations. The strategy will be invested in companies such as Alphabet, Ferrari, Fortinet and Uber.
“This strategy reflects Anchor’s highest–conviction global equity ideas, delivered through a vehicle easily accessible to the South African retail market. The fund provides a rand-denominated entry point into our best global equity ideas with the potential to introduce a US dollar-denominated version should there be sufficient appetite in future,” said Reko Nare, Portfolio Manager at Anchor Capital.
The Anchor EasyETFs Aspirant SA Equity AMETF (AASAET) is a full discretionary local equity AMETF listed on the JSE that does not use any factor strategies. It will follow Anchor’s local equity house strategy and provide investors with a quick access point into its investment process that has performed consistently since inception.
Since the 2008 global financial crisis (GFC), ETFs have attracted significant global inflows. In South Africa, key regulatory reforms introduced in 2022 enabled the first AMETF listing on the JSE, and the segment has since become one of the JSE’s fastest-growing product categories. Through the EasyEquities platform, South African investors can access and trade ETFs with no minimums, materially lowering the barrier to entry for retail investors.
Closing
This launch is underpinned by the belief that professionally managed, high-conviction investment strategies need not be reserved only for high-net-worth investors.
“AMETFs are a fast-growing segment of the investment market as investors look for actively managed strategies in lower-cost, more transparent structures. Investors can now access Anchor’s flagship local and offshore high-conviction equity strategies in a structure that they can buy and sell on the JSE in seconds.” – Adele Hattingh, Business Development and Exchange Traded Products Manager, JSE.
