Polish WIGtechTR ETF Is Newly Listed

  • The WIGtechTR ETF is now available on GPW
  • WIGtechTR is an index covering 49 companies in the biotech, gamedev, IT, telecom, and high-tech sectors
  • It is the seventh ETF introduced on GPW by Agiofunds in partnership with Beta Securities Poland and the third ETF newly listed on GPW in 2021

The Beta ETF WIGtechTR Polski Fundusz Inwestycyjny Zamknięty has been newly listed on the GPW Main Market today. AgioFunds TFI is the issuer, Dom Maklerski BOŚ is the offering agent and market maker, and Beta Securities Poland is the co-ordinator of the initiative.

“ETFs offer exposure to the entire portfolio of an index. The new product gives exposure to the top 49 tech stocks listed on the Warsaw Stock Exchange, including Asseco Polska, Cyfrowy Polsat, Orange, and CD Projekt. Sector and thematic ETFs have become popular with investors as they offer exposure to an industry or market niche which is on the investors’ radar or enjoys a strong outlook. We see a lot of potential for ETFs, and we are proud that a new attractive instrument has been introduced to trading and offers passive investment in tech stocks,” said Izabela Olszewska, Member of the GPW Management Board.

The underlying of the new ETF is the index WIGtechTR which covers the biggest technology stocks listed on the Warsaw Stock Exchange.

“After the Nasdaq-100 Beta ETF which tracks the US technology stock index, time has come for a new fund tracking the Polish tech index. WIGtech is a very attractive index as it covers many companies which have been growing dynamically over the past months. We hope that the new index will win investors’ appreciation and attract interest and capital to Polish technology stocks. The ETF which has been newly listed today addresses investors’ expectations for an index which groups stocks other than banking and State-owned companies.” said Robert Sochacki, Board Member of Beta Securities Poland and Member of the Supervisory Board of Agiofunds TFI.

WIGtechTR is a total return index linked to WIGtech and includes not only transaction prices but also returns such as dividend and subscription rights.

“WIGtech is an index with a predominant share of telecom and gamedev stocks and a large share of IT firms. The index is closely correlated with the US growth stock index Russell 1000 and can be seen as exposure to global trends in growth stocks,” said Sobiesław Kozłowski, Director for Research & Advisory, Noble Securities S.A.

Radosław Olszewski, CEO of DM BOŚ, also believes that the new product will attract strong investor interest.

“The new listing of the WIGtechTR ETF corroborates the market’s unwavering interest in and need for ETFs. The newest ETF which tracks the Polish tech stock index may prove attractive to investors. WIGtech groups companies which have enjoyed opportunities of dynamic growth in the last months. I am very positive about the growing range of ETFs available to local investors who can diversify their investment portfolios with attractive segments,” said Radosław Olszewski, CEO of DM BOŚ.

Exchange Traded Funds (ETF) track (replicate) the performance of an exchange index. ETFs enable continuous (daily) creation and cancellation of investment certificates. Certificates of closed-end portfolio investment funds (ETF units within the meaning of the Exchange Rules) are listed on the Warsaw Stock Exchange in the same way as stocks and can be freely bought and sold. Liquidity of ETFs is supported by market makers (brokers).

For more information about Beta ETFs, visit: www.gpw.pl, www.agiofunds.pl and www.bossa.pl.

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History of the WSE
On 12 May 1991, the then Ministers of Ownership Transformation and Finance signed the Deed of Incorporation of the joint stock company "Giełda Papierów Wartościowych w Warszawie S.A." Four days later, on the day of the WSE's inaugural session, shares of five companies were traded and the turnover amounted to PLN 1990. Since 2018, the WSE has been classified as one of the 25 developed markets by the FTSE Russell agency. The history of the capital market on Polish soil dates back to the early 19th century. The first in Poland and one of the few in Europe, the Merchant Exchange, was established in Warsaw on 2 May 1817, soon became the largest market in Tsarist Russia, responsible for 5-6% of global securities trading. A thriving stock exchange, accounting for 90% of the domestic turnover, also operated in Warsaw in the interwar period. After the period of the People's Republic of Poland and the planned economy, it was not until 1989, with the political and economic transformation, that the Polish capital market was able to develop again.

Stock exchange today
The average session trading volume on the WSE is now around PLN 1.2 billion. The Main Market lists 434 companies (383 domestic and 51 foreign) and the NewConnect market lists 376 companies (372 domestic and 4 foreign). Last year, the WSE Group generated record sales of PLN 403.8 million and one of the highest ever net profits of over PLN 151 million. According to the Federation of European Securities Exchanges, in 2020 the WSE ranked first in Europe in terms of percentage increase in equity turnover and third in terms of the value of initial offerings. At the end of 2020, the WSE was also the second market in Europe in terms of liquidity and achieved the status of world leader in terms of the number of listed companies in the gamedev sector.

WSE position in the region
The WSE is the leader among stock exchanges in Central and Eastern Europe by the number of listed companies and the total capitalisation of domestic companies. The WSE's share in trading on stock exchanges in the region is 81%. The WSE leads the initiative of the Three Seas Stock Exchanges and aspires to the role of a regional hub for young technological companies with huge potential, the so-called unicorns. Negotiations are currently underway for the WSE to acquire a majority stake in the Armenian Exchange.

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The Warsaw Stock Exchange Group (GPW Group) operates trading platforms for shares, Treasury and corporate bonds, derivatives, electricity and gas, and provides indices and benchmarks including WIBOR and WIBID. The index agent FTSE Russell classifies the Polish capital market as a Developed Market since 2018. The markets operated by the GPW Group are the biggest in Central and Eastern Europe. For more information, visit www.gpw.pl