Former WisdomTree executive Michael Barrer has joined Matthews Asia as vice president and head of ETF capital markets. In this new role, Barrer serves as the primary relationship manager for all capital markets relationships and partners with the firm’s portfolio management, portfolio strategy, operations, and distribution teams to support the firm’s ETF initiatives.
The hiring of Barrer follows the announcement in April that Matthews Asia plans to offer its first actively managed ETFs. The company filed an initial registration statement with the SEC on April 15 to introduce three transparent active ETF strategies focused on global emerging markets, Asia, and China.
“I am thrilled to join Matthews Asia, a highly respected expert in the emerging markets,” said Barrer in a news release. “The launch of these new active ETFs will provide investors with greater access to the Firm’s capabilities.”
Added Barrer: “We are excited to be offering our strategies to investors in this ETF wrapper that combines the benefits of an active investment approach with the transparency, daily trading, and potential tax efficiency of ETFs. I believe this combination will enhance the ETF experience for our clients. While active ETFs are still relatively new for many investors, I believe that as awareness grows, this vehicle represents a significant long-term growth opportunity in the industry.”
Barrer joins Matthews Asia after a decade-long career with WisdomTree Investments, where he was most recently director of capital markets, responsible for managing relationships with market makers in support of WisdomTree’s global suite of ETFs.
“The launch of our active ETFs comes at an opportune time, as investors begin to reconsider emerging markets, including China, as core portfolio allocations capable of delivering growth and diversification to their portfolios,” said Cooper Abbott, CEO of Matthews Asia, in the release. “I am therefore particularly pleased to have Michael join Matthews Asia and have our clients benefit from his extensive experience in bringing our new ETFs to market and leverage his deep knowledge of trading and execution strategies.”
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