Lloyds Bank teams up with BlackRock to offer ETF ‘quicklist’

Lloyds Bank has picked BlackRock’s iShares arm for the launch of an exchange traded fund service designed to attract do-it-yourself investors.

The UK-based lender’s new ETF Quicklist gives retail investors access to 16 UK-listed ETFs run by the world’s largest asset manager that invest in “common themes and markets”, according to Lloyds Bank’s website.

The selection narrows the choices faced by customers who have over 600 ETFs to choose from on the bank’s platform. “We know finding the right investment can be daunting,” the bank said.

BlackRock will review the ETF Quicklist every quarter to ensure the ETFs continue to meet the lender’s criteria. Customers will not pay any trading fees if they invest in the ETFs through a regular investment plan which they can do for as little as £20 per month.

This article was previously published by Ignites Europe, a title owned by the FT Group.

“Alongside the ETF Quicklist, there will be easily digestible information to help educate investors on ETFs and the benefits of regular investing,” the bank said.

Jane Sloan, head of iShares and index investing for Europe, the Middle East and Africa at BlackRock, said “delivering investments online and through mobile banking brings the simplicity and affordability of ETFs to more people”.

Manuel Pardavila-Gonzalez, managing director at Lloyds Bank Investments, added: “Investing should be hassle-free, affordable and accessible to all customers and our new ETF Quicklist will provide an easy way to get started on their investment journey.”

News of the launch of the lender’s ETF service with BlackRock comes shortly after the asset manager agreed a partnership with UK challenger bank Monzo that will see the digital-only lender offer clients three multi-asset BlackRock funds.

Ignites Europe reported last month that over 200,000 Monzo customers had joined a waiting list to use the BlackRock investment offering when it launches in the “coming weeks”.

*Ignites Europe is a news service published by FT Specialist for professionals working in the asset management industry. Trials and subscriptions are available at igniteseurope.com.