Alabama-based investment advisor OneAscent Investments has launched two new actively managed ETFs targeting firms making a positive impact on society.
The ETFs invest in firms that serve to advance the flourishing of society.
The OneAscent International Equity ETF (OAIM US) and OneAscent Emerging Markets ETF (OAEM US) have been listed on NYSE Arca, coming to market with $50 million and $20m in initial assets, respectively.
OAIM and OAEM consist of large and mid-cap companies from global ex-US and emerging market equity universes, respectively.
OneAscent combines its ‘Elevate’ screening methodology with its quantitative ‘Life Cycle’ investment approach to construct each portfolio.
The Elevate methodology takes a deep dive into a company’s business model, stakeholder policies, and overall community impact to identify firms that serve to advance the flourishing of society. Eligible companies include those that are addressing underserved needs in the marketplace, providing purposeful vocations, fostering vibrant communities, embracing a partnership and a spirit of collaboration, cultivating natural resources, and enhancing corporate cultures.
The Life Cycle approach is based on the notion that companies go through a natural corporate lifecycle and understanding where each company lies along that spectrum is important to understanding its fundamental attributes. OneAscent utilizes a combination of quantitative analysis and fundamental, “bottom-up” research to identify companies that it believes have the ability to generate sustainable returns on investment.
OAIM and OAEM have expense ratios of 1.29% and 2.12%, respectively.