FTSE Russell Convenes

Private equity has long been associated with institutional investors, but growing demand and new investment structures are helping broaden access to private market opportunities. 

In this episode of FTSE Russell Convenes, Indrani De speaks with Sean O'Hara, President of Pacer ETF Distributors, about the appeal of private equity and venture capital, the impact of companies remaining private for longer, and the increasing interest from retail investors. The conversation explores how innovative ETF and index-based approaches can provide exposure to private equity return characteristics through liquid, publicly traded investments, potentially reducing some of the traditional barriers to entry. 

In this FTSE Russell Convenes discussion, Alyson Shupe, Managing Director and Head of Global Product Strategy at Goldman Sachs Asset Management, and Ravi Goutam, Managing Director and Head of US & Canada Institutional iShares at BlackRock, explore the forces driving the next phase of ETF growth. 

The conversation examines the expanding role of ETFs in model portfolios, the rise of active and derivatives-based strategies, and how investors are increasingly using ETFs to achieve specific outcomes such as income generation, downside protection and alpha opportunities. The panel also shares insights on global adoption trends, product innovation, and the future role of alternatives and private markets in portfolio construction. 

The FTSE Russell Convenes series brings independent and unvarnished insights and opinions from experts at our World Investment Forum, including practitioners, investors, academics and LSEG colleagues.

In this episode of FTSE Russell Convenes, Ryan Sullivan speaks with Russell Barlow, CEO of 21Shares, and Stephen Coltman, VP and Head of Macro at 21Shares, about the evolution of digital assets and their growing role in investment portfolios. 

The conversation explores how increased regulatory clarity, market maturity and product innovation are helping drive broader adoption of digital assets. The speakers also discuss the potential of tokenization, the importance of investor education, and why digital assets are increasingly being considered alongside traditional asset classes as part of long-term portfolio construction.

In this episode of FTSE Russell Convenes, Indrani De, CFA, PRM, Head of Global Investment Research at FTSE Russell, speaks with Dan Muzzarelli, Global Head of ETF Distribution at Franklin Templeton, about the importance of global diversification. They discuss the impact of home-country bias, the role of international ETFs in portfolio construction, and opportunities across global markets, including India, South Korea, Japan, and Europe. The conversation offers practical insights on building resilient portfolios and navigating an increasingly interconnected investment landscape. 

Fixed income markets are undergoing rapid transformation as technology, data and automation drive greater transparency, liquidity and efficiency. In this episode of FTSE Russell Convenes, Marina Mets speaks with Troy Dixon, Head of Global Markets at Tradeweb, about the future of fixed income trading, the growth of electronification, and how innovations such as tokenisation, workflow automation and prediction markets are reshaping market structure and investment outcomes. 

In this episode of FTSE Convenes, Gerald Toledano speaks with Mike McCabe, Head of Strategy at StepStone, about the evolving private markets landscape. They discuss the growing demand for transparency, improved risk measurement, liquidity management and the increasing role of data, analytics and indices in helping investors better understand and manage private market exposure. As access to private markets expands, investor education remains a key priority.The FTSE Russell Convenes series brings independent and unvarnished insights and opinions from experts at our World Investment Forum, including practitioners, investors, academics and LSEG colleagues.

In this episode of FTSE Russell Convenes, Funds & ETFs, FTSE Russell's Lakshmi Thurai speaks with Fernando Morrett, Senior Product Manager at Vanguard, about how investors can use Russell Index-based ETFs to gain targeted exposure across market capitalisation and investment styles. 

In the latest episode of FTSE Russell Convenes Funds & ETFs, Arne Noack, Head of Equity and Multi-Asset Product at FTSE Russell Americas, is joined by Andrey Kotlyarenko, Senior Product Manager at Vanguard, to explore why the underlying index plays a critical role in shaping investment outcomes.  As ETF adoption continues to grow, investors are increasingly looking beyond expense ratios to better understand the index methodologies that drive portfolio exposures. 

U.S. equity continues to play an important role in diversified portfolios. To provide concise insights on this topic, FTSE Russell partnered with Vanguard to create a video series exploring how Russell U.S. Index-based ETFs can help investors gain diversified exposure and navigate changing market conditions.  

Watch the first episode as part of the FTSE Russell Convenes Funds & ETF Series and discover how Russell US Index-based ETFs can help investors build diversified US equity exposure and position portfolios across size, style, and changing market conditions. 

As global markets evolve, investors are reassessing traditional fixed income allocations and expanding their search for diversification opportunities beyond domestic markets.  

In this episode, Joyce Choi, Head of Institutional Product Strategy, Fixed Income ETFs at BlackRock, explores the key trends shaping fixed income today, including the growing influence of thematic investment drivers such as artificial intelligence and commodities, rising interest in international and emerging market debt, and the increasing role of currency management in portfolio construction.