Bruce Bond, the founder and CEO of PowerShares, one of the fastest-growing exchange traded fund (ETF) providers, gave an interview recently about how he sees the ETF marketplace.  In his interview with Heather Bell for Index Universe, Bond says he feels that the new frontier of competition will be the actively-managed ETFs, creating an entirely new marketplace for all types of investors. PowerShares has recently filed to launch four actively managed ETFs.

He remembers when the company first came to market and naysayers were skeptical mostly because they were up against two of the largest providers in the industry- Barclays and State Street. The key ingredient was the idea that PowerShares product was different than the others. They covered the same market segments, but sought to bring more value and a more intellectual approach to them.

PowerShares is expanding its offerings into Europe and even possibly Asia. A global phenomenon is taking place within the ETF industry and with the U.S. leading the charge, tremendous growth is going to occur overseas.