Latest news with #UCITS
Mint
3 days ago
- Business
- Mint
Planning post-grad abroad? Put strategy over sentiment to make the right choice.
For thousands of Indian students considering postgraduate (PG) education abroad, the dream often comes with a hefty price tag and a complicated set of decisions. Whether you're aiming for a STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) degree in the US or a management course in Germany, understanding the total cost of education—including tuition, living expenses, and other less obvious factors—is essential for making a smart financial and academic choice. Here's how to go about it. US is the most expensive The United States remains one of the most expensive destinations for a PG education. A two-year STEM degree in the US averages $100,000, factoring in tuition ($32,000 a year) and living expenses ($18,000 a year). Management courses are even pricier at about $116,000 for the same duration. Students heading to the United Kingdom can expect to pay around $58,500 for a an 18-month PG course in either STEM or management, while in Australia the total cost ranges from $58,500 for STEM to $63,000 for management degrees of a similar duration. Germany is the most budget-friendly option. With near-zero tuition (around $600 a year) and modest living costs of $12,200 a year, a two-year PG course costs roughly $25,600. Singapore offers one-year programs, with costs ranging from $33,500 for STEM to $38,500 for management. Also read | Should you fund your child's foreign education with savings, a loan, or both? 'Families need to think beyond just tuition," said Mayuresh Kini, co-founder of Zinc Money, a fintech company focused on providing financial solutions for families planning overseas education for their children. 'You have to account for living costs, travel, visa, insurance, and potential exchange-rate fluctuations. That's where smart financial planning—like investing in USD assets or UCITS funds—can help hedge against rupee depreciation." UCITS funds are mutual funds that adhere to the European Union's Undertakings for Collective Investment in Transferable Securities framework. How to choose the right college Choosing the right college involves more than just where you want to live. 'Don't choose a country first; that's often misguided," said Dr Christopher Abraham, professor and head of campus at SP Jain Global School of Management. 'Start by identifying your field of interest, then evaluate the academic fit. Dive into course content, faculty profiles, and research outputs. Reputation alone isn't enough." Abraham emphasised evaluating the potential return on investment (ROI)—not just through tuition and living expenses, but through job placement opportunities, expected starting salaries, internship support, and alumni success. 'ROI isn't just about cost; it's about the financial and career trajectory your degree offers," he said. Kini agreed, saying, 'Start with your field of study, then shortlist top institutions globally. From there, weigh in location preferences, visa rules, job prospects, and overall costs." Oft-overlooked factors An often-overlooked factor is the strength of the local industry. A country that supports your chosen field with a vibrant job market, internships, and potential startup opportunities can drastically influence post-graduate outcomes. 'Studying in Germany for engineering or biotech makes sense because their industry supports it," said Abraham. 'Likewise, Dubai offers excellent opportunities in business and fintech, and is significantly cheaper than Singapore or the US when it comes to daily living expenses." Abraham also highlighted the importance of checking immigration rules and work rights. 'Visa policies can change quickly. The US may seem attractive, but it's legally unpredictable. Countries in Europe and Asia often offer clearer, more achievable paths to long-term residency." Also read: Studying abroad? How prepaid forex cards help manage student expenses Cultural compatibility is another key factor. 'You may love the idea of studying in Germany, but not speaking German could limit integration and even job prospects," said Abraham. 'Understanding social norms such as punctuality, and having access to psychological counselling or cultural integration programmes is crucial." Many Indian families default to US institutions because of a relative's past success, Abraham noted. 'The global education landscape is changing rapidly," Kini said. 'Regulations, costs and job markets evolve. Flexibility and research are your best allies. Planning your finances with the mindset of investing—perhaps even creating a non-rupee portfolio early—can be more effective than scrambling for last-minute education loans." How to compare costs Abraham recommended comparing the cost of a McDonald's burger or Coca-Cola across cities to evaluate affordability. 'It's a surprisingly accurate way to gauge daily living costs," he said. Abraham also cautioned students not to be swayed by higher salaries in countries such as the United States. 'While US salaries might appear more attractive on paper, you need to account for deductions such as taxes, healthcare premiums, and rent," he said. 'Someone earning 20,000 dirhams (about $5,500) tax-free in Dubai—which is common for our MBA graduates—can actually save more than someone earning $10,000 in the US." He added that employers in Dubai often cover essential costs such as health insurance, visa fees, and sometimes even accommodation and transportation. This reduces the individual's financial burden and allows for higher savings—something that's often overlooked in the rush to pursue the 'American dream'. Also read | Study abroad: How to prepare your class 9 kid for Harvard and Yale 'Many people underestimate the hidden costs that come with studying and working in the US," said Abraham. 'It's important to compare the complete picture, not just salaries or university rankings. A more affordable city with better financial support and job prospects may offer a higher return on investment in the long run." Bottom line Studying abroad isn't just an academic decision—it's a strategic life choice that blends personal goals with financial planning. Start by matching your field of study with a country's strengths. Choose courses which offer skills that will remain relevant long in the future, and plan your finances early to manage currency risks and rising costs. Also, avoid picking a country before choosing your field study. Don't blindly chase prestige or follow someone else's path – focus on what aligns with your own goals and strengths.
Bloomberg
28-05-2025
- Business
- Bloomberg
May Global Regulatory Brief: Risk, capital and financial stability
FCA proposes further changes to UK retail investor disclosure framework The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has published further proposed changes to the UK's retail investment disclosure regime under a new framework known as the Consumer Composite Investments (CCIs). Context: The FCA has already consulted on certain aspects of the CCI regime as it looks to replace the current PRIIPs and UCITS regimes with a more tailored, UK-specific disclosure model. This second consultation covers draft transitional provisions and amendments to the transaction costs methodology. Key Changes: The proposals set out specific details on several components of the CCI framework, including: Alignment with MiFID Org Regulation: Updates to cost disclosure requirements to ensure consistency across regimes. Revised Transaction Cost Calculations: Removal of 'implicit' costs from the methodology, with a focus on retaining only 'explicit' costs to reduce complexity and improve clarity. Transitional Arrangements: Rules to support firms transitioning from existing requirements to the new CCI regime. Handbook Amendments: Consequential updates across relevant areas of the FCA Handbook to reflect the introduction of the CCI framework. Complaints Handling: Basic requirements introduced for certain unauthorised CCI manufacturers to ensure consumer protections remain in place. Transaction costs in focus: The FCA proposes to retain transaction cost disclosures but simplify their calculation by: Removing implicit transaction costs, which are complex and often misunderstood, Focusing solely on explicit costs, which are more transparent and easier for consumers to understand. Looking ahead: The FCA is consulting on these changes until 28 May 2025 and a Policy Statement consolidating this and earlier consultations is expected in late-2025. Regulatory framework for Digital Insurers in Taiwan Taiwan's Financial Supervisory Commission (FSC) has proposed new rules to lower entry barriers and encourage innovation in the digital insurance industry. Key changes include reduced capital requirements and a broader approach to business models. In more detail: FSC aims to accelerate the digital insurance industry's growth with proposed amendments to seven key insurance regulations. The changes are designed to attract a more diverse range of market participants, including foreign insurers. The term 'pure internet insurance company' will be replaced by 'digital insurer,' allowing for more flexible business models. Capital requirements will be reduced to TWD 500 million for non-life insurers and TWD 1 billion for life insurers. The minimum shareholding requirement for shareholders to report their source of funds will be reduced from 15% to 10%, and the existing requirement that founding shareholders must include financial institutions or fintech professionals will be removed. Additionally, digital insurers will be allowed to operate through both online and physical service locations. What's next: The FSC will establish regular 'Supervisory Clinics' to assist with the establishment of digital insurers. Following public comment on the draft amendments, digital insurers developing innovative products will receive temporary exclusivity to encourage innovation. Foreign insurers will have new provisions to establish digital branches in Taiwan, with specific qualifications and documentation required. The draft amendments are open for public comment for 60 days. SEC Chair sets out plans to improve retail access to private funds The US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) Chair Paul Atkins set out his ambition to improve retail investor access to private funds assets through changes to the rules for closed-end funds. In more detail: Atkins is looking to reconsider the current requirements that closed-end funds investing over 15% of their assets in private funds should impose a minimum initial investment requirement of $25,000 and restrict sales to investors that satisfy the accredited investor standard. In its place, Atkins is looking to achieve a 'common sense approach' that gives all investors the ability to gain exposure to private assets while maintaining the necessary investor protections, such as conflicts of interest, illiquidity, and fees. Atkins states that this initiative comes against the backdrop of significant growth in private fund assets and enhanced reporting by both private fund advisers and registered funds.
Yahoo
21-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
U.S. Global Investors Lists Its GoGold ETF, Ticker GOAU, on the Colombia Securities Exchange Amid Growing Demand for Gold Exposure
San Antonio, TX, May 21, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- U.S. Global Investors, Inc. (NASDAQ: GROW) (the 'Company'), a boutique investment firm specializing in precious metals and emerging markets, is pleased to announce that its gold-focused ETF, the U.S. Global GO GOLD and Precious Metal Miners ETF (NYSE: GOAU), is now trading on the Bolsa de Valores de Colombia (BVC), the Colombian Securities Exchange. With this new listing, Colombian investors will gain access to the GoGold ETF, which offers exposure to companies engaged in the production of gold and other precious metals, either through active mining or passive royalty and streaming agreements. GOAU is already listed in New York, Mexico and Peru. Its addition to the BVC—part of the Nuam market, which links stock exchanges in Colombia, Chile and Peru—further extends its presence and visibility across Latin America. Frank Holmes, the Company's CEO and Chief Investment Officer, emphasizes the timeliness of this expansion: 'The GoGold ETF's listing on the BVC reflects Colombia's increasingly sophisticated capital markets and growing appetite for diversified, international investment options. With gold making headlines amid economic uncertainty and geopolitical instability, we believe this is an ideal moment to bring GOAU to Colombia. The smart beta 2.0 ETF provides exposure to royalty and streaming companies, which we consider to be the 'smart money' of the gold and precious metals industry for their history of strong performance and prudent capital allocation.' As of May 2025, only two gold-related ETFs are listed on the BVC—a physical gold ETF and a gold equity UCITS ETF. A UCITS ETF is one that adheres to the Undertakings for Collective Investment in Transferable Securities (UCITS) regulations in the European Union. GOAU, therefore, is the only BVC-listed, non-UCITS ETF that provides investors with access to companies involved in mining gold and precious metals. GOAU is the Company's second ETF to launch in Colombia, following the U.S. Global Jets ETF (NYSE: JETS), which listed there in August 2024. Why GOAU? The GoGold ETF uses a smart-factor, rules-based investment strategy that combines the efficiency of passive investing with the selectivity of active management. The fund tracks the U.S. Global GO GOLD and Precious Metal Miners Index (GOAUX), which screens companies based on fundamentals such as valuation, profitability and balance sheet quality. Unlike traditional gold mining funds that tend to concentrate on large-cap producers, GOAU focuses on high-quality, well-managed companies with consistent profitability. The GoGold ETF places special emphasis on North American royalty and streaming companies, which provide upfront capital to miners in exchange for a share of future production, while avoiding the heavy costs and risks of operating mines directly. A number of these firms, including Franco-Nevada, Wheaton Precious Metals, Royal Gold and Sandstorm Gold, have direct asset exposure to the Colombia market. To learn more about the U.S. Global GO GOLD and Precious Metal Miners ETF (GOAU), view the English fact sheet and Spanish fact sheet. To sign up for news and research on a variety of asset classes, from gold to airlines to digital assets, please click here. Follow U.S. Global Investors on X by clicking here. Subscribe to U.S. Global Investors' YouTube channel by clicking here. About U.S. Global Investors, Inc. The story of U.S. Global Investors goes back more than 50 years when it began as an investment club. Today, U.S. Global Investors, Inc. ( is a registered investment adviser that focuses on niche markets around the world. Headquartered in San Antonio, Texas, the Company provides money management and other services to U.S. Global Investors Funds and U.S. Global ETFs. ### Please carefully consider a fund's investment objectives, risks, charges, and expenses. Obtain a statutory and summary prospectus for GOAU for this and other important information here. Read it carefully before investing. Investing involves risk, including the possible loss of principal. Shares of any ETF are bought and sold at market price (not NAV), may trade at a discount or premium to NAV and are not individually redeemed from the funds. Brokerage commissions will reduce returns. Because the funds concentrate their investments in specific industries, the funds may be subject to greater risks and fluctuations than a portfolio representing a broader range of industries. The funds are non-diversified, meaning they may concentrate more of their assets in a smaller number of issuers than diversified funds. The funds invest in foreign securities which involve greater volatility and political, economic and currency risks and differences in accounting methods. These risks are greater for investments in emerging markets. The funds may invest in the securities of smaller-capitalization companies, which may be more volatile than funds that invest in larger, more established companies. The performance of the funds may diverge from that of the index. Because the funds may employ a representative sampling strategy and may also invest in securities that are not included in the index, the funds may experience tracking error to a greater extent than funds that seek to replicate an index. The funds are not actively managed and may be affected by a general decline in market segments related to the index. Gold, precious metals, and precious minerals funds may be susceptible to adverse economic, political, or regulatory developments due to concentrating in a single theme. The prices of gold, precious metals, and precious minerals are subject to substantial price fluctuations over short periods of time and may be affected by unpredicted international monetary and political policies. We suggest investing no more than 5% to 10% of your portfolio in these sectors. Airline Companies may be adversely affected by a downturn in economic conditions that can result in decreased demand for air travel and may also be significantly affected by changes in fuel prices, labor relations and insurance costs. The U.S. Global GO GOLD and Precious Metal Miners Index uses a robust, dynamic, rules-based smart-factor model to select precious minerals companies that earn over 50% of their aggregate revenue from precious minerals through active (mining or production) or passive (royalties or streams) means. The index uses fundamental screens to identify companies with favorable valuation, profitability, quality and operating efficiency. The index consists of 28 common stocks or related ADRs. Fund holdings and allocations are subject to change at any time. Click here to view fund holdings for GOAU. Smart beta 2.0 refers to a type of exchange-traded fund (ETF) that uses a rules-based system for selecting investments to be included in the fund portfolio. Distributed by Quasar Distributors, LLC. U.S. Global Investors is the investment adviser to GOAU. CONTACT: Holly Schoenfeldt U.S. Global Investors, Inc. 210.308.1268 hschoenfeldt@ in to access your portfolio
Yahoo
20-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Dimensional's New ETF Exec Set to Lead Europe Entry
Dimensional Fund Advisors has hired Andreas Constantoulakis as head of ETF capital markets EMEA from UBS Asset Management in a key appointment ahead of its entry into European ETFs. Moving from Zurich to London, Constantoulakis will spearhead the launch of the firm's UCITS ETF offering and will work closely with the broker-dealer community to ensure Dimensional's European ETFs trade efficiently in primary and secondary markets. Constantoulakis previously spent four-and-a-half years as head of ETF capital markets at Credit Suisse Asset Management prior to its acquisition by UBS, where he moved to another capital markets role last September. Prior to this, he held ETF trading roles at Macquarie, ConvergEx, and Societe Generale, as well as equity dealing positions at State Street Global Advisors, Salomon Brothers, and Dresdner Kleinwort Wasserstein. Dimensional already operated 243 mutual fund share classes in Europe as of the first quarter of this year. However, its low-fee offering of quantitative investing and actively managed funds has seen it surge to among the largest issuers of active ETFs within years of entering the market in the U.S. The firm has a U.S.-listed ETF range comprised of 40 products housing around $200 billion in assets under management (AUM). Among these is the $33 billion Dimensional U.S. Core Equity 2 ETF (DFAC), an actively managed strategy boasting a modest total expense ratio (TER) of 0.17%. Its main rival in the space, J.P. Morgan Asset Management, currently enjoys a dominant position within Europe's nascent active ETF market, with its $31 billion of active UCITS ETF AUM at the end of 2024 equivalent to a 56.9% market share, according to data from ETFbook. Dimensional's upcoming entry into European ETFs comes after fellow U.S. asset manager Janus Henderson acquired Tabula Investment Managers to enter the market last May. It also coincides with Boston-based manager Columbia Threadneedle announcing it would launch a debut quartet of active UCITS ETFs later this year. This article was originally published at sister publication ETF | © Copyright 2025 All rights reserved Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Yahoo
20-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Columbia Threadneedle to Debut New Active Quartet in Europe
Columbia Threadneedle Investments will join other legacy fund managers entering Europe's active ETF market with a suite of four equity strategies later this year. The Boston-based asset manager is awaiting regulatory approval to launch its initial UCITS ETF offering covering global, U.S., Europe and emerging markets. The four ETFs 'will build on' the investment approach of the U.S.-listed Columbia Research Enhanced Core ETF (RECS), which is passively managed and replicates the performance of the Beta Advantage Research Enhanced US Equity index. The index is sector neutral versus the Russell 1000 and combines quality, value and 'catalyst' factors to select well-rated securities based on the manager's own quantitative model. The upcoming UCITS ETF suite will also be 'benchmark-aware,' with a 'repeatable investment strategy' and 'rules based approach.' However, the European offering will be run by U.S.-based Senior Portfolio Manager Chris Lo and his team, intended to be 'truly active, designed to outperform the index,' the firm said. Richard Vincent, head of product EMEA at Columbia Threadneedle Investments, commented, 'Bringing active ETFs to Europe and building on the foundations of our successful offering in the U.S. is a natural expansion, tapping into years of expertise in delivering ETF solutions to our U.S. clients.' Michaela Collet Jackson, EMEA head of distribution and marketing, added, 'Active ETFs are increasingly adopted by clients as an efficient way to implement portfolios. By leveraging our U.S. track record, we can provide clients excellent value for money. We believe this presents a real growth opportunity for us in the region.' The firm currently offers 14 U.S.-domiciled ETFs housing $5.5 billion in assets under management collectively. After debuting its initial four-strong suite, it plans to build out its range in Europe to include active fixed-income ETFs next year. This article was originally published at sister publication ETF | © Copyright 2025 All rights reserved Sign in to access your portfolio
