Tokyo-based Daiwa Asset Management is planning to launch three new ETFs in Japan – the Daiwa MSCI Japan ESG ETF, Daiwa Japan Empowering Women ETF, and Daiwa FTSE Blossom Japan ETF. Each fund will provide exposure to locally listed equities while utilizing an environmental, social and governance (ESG) stock screening process. They are due to begin trading on Tuesday 26 September 2017.

China Post has cross-listed its Market Access iSTOXX MUTB Japan Quality 150 Index UCITS ETF (MAJQ) to SIX Swiss Exchange (SIX). The smart beta equity fund will now be available to trade in yen on SIX, in addition to the existing listing in euros on Deutsche Börse (Ticker: M9SQ).

Escalating tensions relating to North Korea’s increasingly prominent nuclear ambitions have caused ETFs tracking risk assets in the Asia Pacific region to fall on Monday 4 September. The market slump followed an earthquake in North Korea on the previous day, later confirmed as being triggered by a successful nuclear weapons test.

BNP Paribas Easy has reported that its European, Japan and emerging market ‘ex-Controversial Weapons’ ETFs have seen strong inflows this year, attracting €259m, €349m and $304m of net inflows respectively year-to-date. Isabelle Bourcier, head of ETF & Index solutions within BNP Paribas Easy, commented: “BNP Paribas Easy ex-Controversial Weapons range offers a unique answer, straightforward to explain, as it reflects the most common sense criteria for investing in a responsible manner including at the retail level.”

By Jesper Koll, WisdomTree’s head of Japan.

The April-June GDP report suggests that the Japanese economy has entered into a sweet spot, with growth accelerating and broadening into all components of domestic demand. While the 4% annualised GDP growth rate marks peak slingshot acceleration, the details of the report fully verify our thesis that Japan has entered a self-sustaining domestic demand-led up-cycle.

ETFs/ETPs listed in Japan have gathered $4.3 billion in net inflows during July, bringing total assets invested in Japan-listed ETFs/ETPs to a new record high of $225bn, according to ETF industry consultant ETFGI.

WisdomTree has cross-listed three UCITS-compliant ETFs into Mexico. The new listings, which include two broad equity funds and one broad commodity fund, bring the total number of WisdomTree ETFs listed on Bolsa Mexicana de Valores (BMV) to 42, made up of 32 US-listed ETFs and ten UCITS ETFs.

Nikko Asset Management has bought a 15% minority stake in ARK Investment Management, a New York-based boutique provider of thematic ETFs targeting disruptive technologies. As part of the deal, Nikko AM will obtain exclusivity to offer ARK products and investment strategies in Japan and Asia Pacific. Catherine D. Wood, CEO and CIO of ARK, commented: “An entirely new market of investor will benefit now from Nikko AM’s ability to deliver disruptive innovation, which is transforming both industries and the global economy, through ARK’s investment strategies.”

UBS has cross-listed six ETFs on SIX Swiss Exchange, providing currency-hedged exposure to the performance of equities listed in the US, the eurozone or Japan. The ETFs track broad-market indices created by MSCI and offer either accumulating or distributing treatment of income generated within their portfolios.

Assets invested in Japan-listed exchange-traded funds and exchange-traded products grew by 26.7% in the first half of 2017, from $173.3 billion to reach a new record of $219.6bn, according to research from ETF industry consultancy ETFGI.