John Hancock Investments has launched the John Hancock Multifactor Small Cap ETF (JHSC US) on NYSE Arca. Andrew G. Arnott, president and CEO of John Hancock, commented: “Our firm’s momentum in the ETF space has been strong, and we now have $1 billion in ETF assets under management.”

John Hancock Investments has built out its suite of multifactor ETFs with the launch of the John Hancock Multifactor Developed International ETF (NYSE: JHMD). Harnessing research from smart beta pioneer Dimensional Fund Advisors’, the ETF offers access to international equities with low size, low relative prices, high profitability, and positive price momentum. Andrew G. Arnott, CEO of John Hancock Investments, said: “We are pleased to be able to bring Dimensional’s proven multifactor approach to investors seeking to invest in international markets.”

John Hancock Investments, a Boston-based asset manager who launched its first raft of exchange-traded funds in September last year, has expanded its product line-up with five new sector multifactor ETFs. The new additions build upon the firm’s existing partnership with Dimensional Fund Advisors, a smart beta pioneer. The two began their collaboration in 2006, offering strategies as both individual John Hancock mutual funds and through John Hancock asset allocation portfolios. Andrew G. Arnott, president and CEO of John Hancock Investments, said: “Investors are increasingly looking for a better way to achieve equity market beta than relying solely on traditional capitalization-weighted indices.”

Californian asset manager Franklin Templeton Investments has filed papers with regulators signifying its intention to launch four equity exchange-traded funds with smart beta investment themes. Details within the filings indicate that the new funds, which will be part of the firm’s ‘LibertyQ’ range, will track rules-based indices calculated by MSCI.

Broker and exchange traded fund provider Charles Schwab has added 14 new ETFs to Schwab ETF OneSource, its commission-free ETF platform. The new funds broaden the range of products within categories such as smart beta and currency-hedged funds. They include funds provided by Deutsche Asset Management and John Hancock.

John Hancock Investments, the Boston-based mutual fund business, has listed six smart beta exchange-traded funds designed to generate attractive relative performance through a multi-factor investment strategy. “Investors are facing a proliferation of ETF strategies today, and many investors are looking for more than just low-cost access to markets. For those reasons, it was important to us to develop an ETF product that seeks to address investor needs for performance potential, backed by an investment approach rooted in decades of academic research,” said Andrew G. Arnott, president and CEO of John Hancock Investments.

Research from ETFGI, a leading London-based exchange-traded fund consultant, shows a record number of new product providers entering the US market in 2015. The trend highlights the effect that strong growth rates in recent years have had in attracting new entrants to the ETF industry. Between 1 January and 30 September, 19 new ETF/ETP providers launched products in the US, already surpassing the full year records of 15 new entrants recorded in 2009 and 2014.