European ETF industry turns 20 years old

he European ETF industry is set to turn 20 years old this year following the launch of the first exchange-traded funds this side of the pond in 2000.

The first ETFs were launched by Merrill Lynch on the Deutsche Börse on 11 April that year, the Dow Jones Euro STOXX 50 and Dow Jones Euro STOXX 50 LDRS ETFs. The iShares FTSE 100 ETF was subsequently listed on the London Stock Exchange on 28 April, then under the Barclays Global Investors brand.

Much has changed since these ETFs first hit the market 20 years ago including BlackRock’s purchase of iShares in 2009, labelled by some as the “deal of the decade”.