Iowa-headquartered insurance company Transamerica has launched three new investment options that have underlying portfolios invested in iShares smart beta exchange-traded funds. The TA BlackRock Equity Smart Beta 100, TA BlackRock Smart Beta 75, and TA BlackRock Smart Beta 50 are now available in Transamerica’s variable annuities investment line-ups.

Tom Wald, Transamerica Asset Management’s Chief Investment Officer.

Transamerica will be the investment manager of the underlying investment options, but all three variable annuity investment options will be sub-advised by BlackRock, the asset manager behind the iShares range of ETFs.

“We are excited to be offering these variable annuity investment options emphasising smart beta ETFs as underlying holdings,” said Tom Wald, Transamerica Asset Management’s Chief Investment Officer. “These are new solutions that present the opportunity to have an interest in equity portfolios possessing a high degree of investment rationale.”

Raman Suri, Head of iShares Insurance, added: “We’ve worked closely with Transamerica to incorporate our smart beta ETFs into their variable annuity line-up. As insurers continue to seek new investment options, we’re committed to delivering next generation solutions that make a real difference to their customers.”

Each of the three underlying investment options emphasizes different weightings of iShares smart beta ETFs, including, among others, iShares MSCI USA Minimum Volatility ETF (USMV), iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Minimum Volatility ETF (EEMV) and iShares MSCI USA Quality Factor ETF (QUAL).