Invesco Expands Innovation Range With The First Nasdaq ETF In Europe Offering Enhanced ESG Characteristics

Invesco is excited to announce the launch of Invesco Nasdaq-100 ESG UCITS ETF (“NESG”), the only ETF in Europe providing access to an ESG-enhanced version of Nasdaq’s leading benchmark. Companies are evaluated and weighted on the basis of their business activities, controversies and ESG Risk Ratings from Sustainalytics, a Morningstar company with over 25 years’ experience in ESG research and ratings.

Anna Paglia, Global Head of ETFs and Indexed Strategies at Invesco, said: “Invesco has been fortunate to work in lockstep with Nasdaq for over two decades, finding beneficial ways to bring investors all over the globe access to Nasdaq-listed companies. Today’s launch celebrates 15 years since we began working with Nasdaq on ESG products. We are confident that the new Invesco NESG will bridge innovation and ESG to help investors meet their investment outcomes.”

The launch of NESG gives investors access to the largest non-financial companies on the Nasdaq exchange with investment exposure tilted to fundamental values. While the Nasdaq-100 Index is already predisposed to companies with favourable ESG profiles, the Nasdaq-100 ESG Index adds another parameter. Constituents are filtered through an integrated Sustainalytics ESG model that weights companies based on how effectively they are managing ESG risk, rewarding those with a lower risk. Only six stocks were removed from the parent index in the latest reconstruction, but the weighting methodology improved the already low ESG Risk Rating by 10%^[i].

The index is constructed by first excluding securities that: (1) are involved in adult entertainment, alcohol, arctic oil and gas exploration, recreational cannabis, controversial weapons, gambling, military weapons, nuclear power, oil and gas, oil sands, riot control, shale energy, small arms, thermal coal or tobacco; (2) do not comply with the principles of the UN Global Compact or have a high controversy score; or (3) have a high ESG Risk Rating. Each eligible security is then reweighted by a factor of its market capitalisation and Sustainalytics ESG Risk Rating Score. The index is reconstructed and rebalanced quarterly.

Gary Buxton, Head of EMEA ETFs and Indexed Strategies at Invesco, said: “As investors continue searching for ways to align their portfolios more closely with their personal values, we believe they should also consider the financial impacts of ESG, in terms of managing risks and uncovering opportunities. Sustainalytics provides that ESG-focused research at the company level, which Nasdaq applies to its index. Investors can then gain exposure via our efficient ETF structure while also benefitting from the active engagement led by Invesco’s global ESG team.”

Lauren Dillard, Executive Vice President and Head of Investment Intelligence at Nasdaq, said: “The interest in integrating ESG considerations into investment portfolios is on the rise globally. We are pleased to work with Invesco to introduce a refined and ESG-friendly version of one of the world's most preeminent benchmarks. The strength of the Nasdaq-100 Index underscores the innovation and transformative changes of the companies within their respective industries, our partnership with Invesco continues to expand the suite of Nasdaq-100 and other Nasdaq index-based products to provide investors with optionality that can meet their preferences and help achieve investment goals.”

Since its inception over 35 years ago, the Nasdaq-100 has become one of the world’s preeminent large-cap growth indices. The Nasdaq-100 ESG index aims to offer a similar performance profile to the parent index, but with significant improvements in ESG characteristics. Due to the exclusion of utility stocks and reduction of companies exposed to climate-related risks, the Nasdaq-100 ESG index also has a lower carbon intensity score compared to the parent index.   

Chris Mellor, Head of EMEA ETF Equity and Commodity Product Management at Invesco, said: “One common thread running through Nasdaq-listed companies is higher spending on research and development compared to many of their peers. For this reason, Nasdaq companies are well positioned to capitalise on transformative, long-term themes in the marketplace. NESG continues to offer that innovative exposure but with ethical guardrails and meaningful ESG improvement.”

NESG is the third ETF launched by Invesco this year offering investors access to Nasdaq’s innovation-led indices. In March 2021, Invesco launched its Nasdaq Next Generation 100 UCITS ETF and a swaps-based version of the flagship EQQQ Nasdaq-100 UCITS ETF, which was launched in 2002 and now has $6.3 billion of assets under management.

Invesco Nasdaq-100 ESG UCITS ETF details

* GBP share class is also available on the LSE and EUR share class on Xetra and Borsa Italiana. The ETF will also be available in USD on the SIX Swiss Exchange.