CIBC’s exchange-traded funds (ETF) begin selling on the Toronto Stock Exchange today. Scotiabank started offering its own ETFs last year while the National Bank of Canada filed with regulators last year for its own funds. RBC recently partnered with BlackRock, the world’s largest ETF provider, to bring a combined $60 billion in assets under management. (Bloomberg)
Talking point: Canada’s banks have been late to the ETF space compared to the U.S. They’ve been leaving money on the table—Canadian ETFs saw $20 billion of inflows last year lifting assets in the industry to $156.6 billion and outselling mutual funds for the first time since 2009, the Financial Post reports. The banks are following the lead of fintech startups: Coinsquare launched two ETFs last year, and Wealthsimple offers access to third-party ETFs within its portfolios.