ETF Issuer Solutions (ETFis), a New York-based financial technology firm, has introduced a comprehensive exchange-traded fund services platform designed specifically to build and operate ETFs in partnership with third-party investment managers.

ETF Issuer Solutions offers the expertise to help third-party fund managers build, list, and manage white labelled ETFs.

Founded by seasoned ETF professionals including William Smalley, Matthew Brown, both previously of FactorShares, and Brinton Frith, the firm has the operational infrastructure, regulatory permissions and product expertise to help external investment managers of all sizes build, list, and manage white labelled ETFs, including derivatives-based strategies.

The firm’s technology-driven ETF services model includes the all-important Securities & Exchange Commission “exemptive relief” and series trust framework required to launch new ETFs and a next-generation fund distributor to manage sales, marketing, and compliance.

Commenting on the launch, William Smalley, President of ETFis, said: “The one-stop ETFis platform reduces barriers to entry for both emerging and established managers, minimizes operating inefficiencies, and allows our investment manager clients to focus on what they do best – generating alpha.”

The core of the platform is the firm’s wholly-owned subsidiary, ETF Distributors, the first fund distributor designed specifically to support ETFs. ETF Distributors has developed patent-pending intermediary attribution technology that will allow the firm to precisely identify shareholders.

Smalley added: “In an increasingly crowded ETF marketplace, effective distribution is just as important as a sound investment thesis. We believe our approach to sales and marketing, along with our attribution technology, has the makings of a true game-changer for ETF distribution.”

The firm will likely compete against companies such as Exchange Traded Concepts, which has already rolled out a number of white-label ETFs, active ETF platform AdvisorShares, fund solutions group ALPS Portfolio Solutions, and Atlantic Fund Services/Forum Investment Advisors, which recently unveiled the Forum ETF Trust.

In Europe, the leading players in the white labelling ETF space include Source and ETF Securities’ Canavas service.