Last month, Pictet Asset Management launched its first ETFs in the U.S. It is a well-known name for European investors, but it is working to raise awareness about their capabilities to an American audience. I spent some time with Elizabeth Dillon, CEO of Pictet Asset Management (USA), this week to learn more about the firm and its ETFs.
In addition, I’m excited Pictet will be speaking at the VettaFi 2026 Market Outlook Symposium on December 9. Registration is open.
VettaFi: Pictet recently entered the U.S. ETF market but has a long heritage of active management. Would you tell us about the firm?
Dillion: Pictet may be a new name in the U.S. ETF space, but we are definitely not new to investing. We were founded in 1805 in Geneva (when Thomas Jefferson was president!). And we’ve been innovating ever since. We’re privately held, so we can take the long view and stay focused on what matters most: our clients. Today, we manage more than $800 billion globally, with deep expertise in thematic and emerging markets investing.
We are the largest manager of thematic strategies globally, with over $70 billion. And Pictet has been in thematics since long before it became trendy, launching one of the first water funds over 20 years ago. We followed that with early moves into robotics and other structural themes that have become household names today.
Our entry into U.S. ETFs is simply the next step in that long journey — bringing world-class strategies to American investors in the format they’ve asked for most.
A Look at Thematic & International ETFs
VettaFi: Two of the first ETFs are thematic strategies. What should make them interesting to advisors?
Dillon: We like to think Pictet thematics aren’t about chasing headlines. They’re about capturing enduring structural change. Take PBOT, our AI & Automation ETF, which builds on Pictet’s experience from our robotics fund back in 2015 — well before ChatGPT was in the lexicon. It’s designed to give investors holistic exposure to the entire AI value chain, not just the obvious megacaps.
Then there’s PCLN, our Cleaner Planet ETF. It draws on Pictet’s decades-long leadership in environmental investing. It goes way beyond just solar and wind. Think water, waste, energy efficiency — the whole ecosystem of solutions that not only make a sustainable future possible, but also represent real opportunities for profit and growth.
Advisors appreciate that our thematics are backed by real research and real track records, not marketing buzz. These are strategies that have stood the test of time.
VettaFi: Another ETF, PQNT, provides an AI approach to international equities. How is this different from an index-based approach?
Dillon: PQNT is where AI meets active management. It’s powered by a proprietary machine-learning engine built on 400 different data signals, designed by our quant team from the ground up. The goal isn’t to mimic an index. It’s to find opportunities the index misses, and do it with consistency and factor neutrality.
Think of it as the next evolution of active investing: human insight plus machine precision. For clients, it means access to a proven AI-driven strategy that’s already managing billions overseas — now finally available in the U.S. ETF format.
For more news, information, and analysis, visit VettaFi | ETF Trends.
