Stockholm (HedgeNordic) – At a round table discussion that took place in Stockholm on October 17, asset managers and ETF providers discussed and answered questions such as how and why (hedge) fund managers use ETFs, whether they are doing it “the right way” and how the managers work with the ETF industry to evolve the space to meet their needs. Representing ETF providers in the round were Hannah Smith from State Street SPDR ETFs, Florian Cisana from UBS, and Fredrik Nilsson from Invesco.

Asset managers joining the discussion were Anna Svahn from Antiloop Hedge, Thomas Nygaard from NorQuant, Jonas Thulin from Erik Penser Bank, Vincent Dilling Larsen of Othania, and Karl Oscar Strøm from Paleo Capital.

Topics discussed included the evolution of how asset managers and hedge fund managers alike have been using ETFs and innovation and transformation in the ETF space. The Nordic asset managers that participated in the October roundtable discussion also explained their use of ETFs in running their investment strategies, as well as pinpointed their main considerations when choosing ETFs.

The ETF providers around the round table discussed their role as consultants and drivers of innovation, particularly in the universe of ESG solutions. The asset managers also highlighted some areas for development in the ETF arena, especially in the commodity ETF space where the slicing and dicing of commodities into ETFs is still in the nascent stages.

Lastly, both managers and ETF providers concluded the discussion by agreeing that a lot more can be done in the ETF space and beyond in achieving ESG transformation.