The chief of an ETF shop with more than $10 billion in AUM has his eye on two growth areas in particular.

Luis Berruga Global X Management Company LLC CEO

Luis Berruga, CEO of Global X, tells ETF.com that the firm is now "very focused on international distribution" and that model portfolios, too, are of particular interest. He puts the former opportunity in the context of Global X's new ownership; 18 months ago, Seoul-based Mirae Asset Global Investments [profile] bought Global X.

"Before the transaction with Mirae, we were very U.S. focused from a distribution standpoint," Berruga tells the trade publication. "But being part of a big global firm such as Mirae definitely opens up critical opportunities for us from an international distribution standpoint."

"We see a ton of opportunity outside the U.S., specifically in Asia, because clients in Asia seem to be very interested in thematic investing. They like our story. They like our products. They like how we build our products," Berruga adds. "And if you take that interest with Mirae Asset's very strong presence in the region, we do think the opportunity is [significant]."

As for the model portfolio business, Berruga says that the Global X folks "feel strongly" about it. That effort, he adds, is led by "arguably one of the most reputable names in this space": Jon Maier.

"It did take time to build up the business, but now we've been fully up and running for quite some time, and I think we have an interesting story, because our products allow us to build different shared model portfolios that no one else is doing," Berruga says. "We are in multiple platforms like Envestnet, GoWealth, TD and Interactive Brokers. In Asia, we're already in the process of establishing a few partnerships with local asset management in the region." 

Edited by: Neil Anderson, Managing Editor


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