iShares Files for a Genocide-Free ETF

Socially responsible investing with ETFs is an idea that’s quickly gaining traction. iShares is seeking a way to further capitalize on the trend with its filing for a genocide-free fund.

Investor appetite for socially responsible funds may be satisfied with the advent of a genocide-free ETF. The fund would rely on a third-party index provider to help weed out companies around the world that are strongly connected with genocide, reports Svea Herbst-Bayliss for Reuters.

This ETF would join a lineup of other iShares ETFs that deal with socially-responsible investment themes. No other details about the fund’s portfolio were provided. As people become more aware of human rights abuses around the worlds, funds that screen out such companies could gain traction.

Vanguard is working on an overhaul of its ETF offerings and is currently screening its 157 funds to spot companies that may be involved in egregious patterns of human rights abuses that might warrant divestment. Companies such as PetroChina Co. (PTR), which has ties to Sudan, would be omitted.