Korean Robo Advisor Debuts 2 US ETFs

Fount opens ETFs for subscription services and the metaverse.

A robo advisor provider in South Korea made its debut on the U.S. ETF markets with two thematic offerings.

The Fount Subscription Economy ETF (SUBS) and the Fount Metaverse ETF (MTVR) debuted on the NYSE Arca Thursday, each charging an expense ratio of 0.70%.

Fount has operated a robo advisor platform in South Korea since 2018, and claimed more than $730 million in assets under management as of March 2021. It uses artificial intelligence to generate portfolios for customers based on their goals.

That AI is put to use in developing an index of 50 U.S. and foreign companies that are expected to generate at least half of their revenues from subscriptions in the case of SUBS, or 50 companies engaged in creating a metaverse in the case of MTVR.

The metaverse is the concept of combining multiple computer-generated 3D spaces with the physical world. The concept already exists through virtual reality headsets and augmented-reality apps like Snapchat and Pokemon GO that superimpose animations over live images from a camera, and Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg said earlier this year he wants to transition his firm into a metaverse company over the next five years.

MTVR will go up directly against the Roundhill Ball Metaverse ETF (META), another passive ETF, which launched in late June and has gained $122.4 million in assets. There is no existing ETF that specifically targets companies using a subscription model. It is likely that SUBS’ constituent companies will overlap heavily with consumer discretionary ETFs and funds investing in content streaming firms.

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