Product and Service Launches – 4/10/25

Yieldstreet to launch automated private markets investing solution; Fidelity adds two fixed income ETFs; Lazard Asset Management introduces three active ETFs in the US; and more.

Yieldstreet to Launch Automated Private Markets Investing Solution 

Yieldstreet plans to introduce Yieldstreet 360 Managed Portfolios to accredited investors later this year. According to the company, this is the first automated private markets investing solution, allowing investors to passively diversify across private markets through a single solution. 

Yieldstreet 360 builds and manages diversified private markets portfolios that span thousands of underlying assets. Each portfolio is constructed by Yieldstreet, using asset allocations advised by Wilshire Advisors LLC. Initially, funds included will be managed by Goldman Sachs Asset Management, Carlyle and StepStone Group, with that list expected to grow. 

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Investors can select from multiple strategies that align with their specific goals, with options ranging from income-focused to growth-oriented approaches, per the company. Each portfolio provides automated investment management, rebalancing and real-time performance tracking without requiring investor involvement. 

Fidelity Introduces 2 Fixed-Income ETFs 

Fidelity Investments launched two fixed-income exchange-traded funds: Fidelity Municipal Bond Opportunities ETF, co-managed by Cormac Cullen, Michael Maka and Elizah McLaughlin; and Fidelity Systematic Municipal Bond Index ETF, managed by Brandon Bettencourt and Mark Lande.  

These will generally maintain the same investment strategies as the mutual funds on which they are based. The funds are listed on Nasdaq and are available, commission-free, for individual investors and financial advisers through Fidelity’s online brokerage platforms, with expense ratios of 0.30% and 0.05%, respectively.  

“Reinforcing Fidelity’s commitment to providing clients with investment choice, we are launching our first municipal bond ETFs and building upon our decade-long presence in the Fixed Income ETF space,” said Greg Friedman, Fidelity’s head of ETF management and strategy, in a statement. “These new offerings aim to meet client demand in the municipal bond market and provide investors with superior value, powered by our legacy of fundamental and quantitative research capabilities.” 

Lazard Asset Management Launches 3 Active ETFs in the US 

Lazard launched three actively managed ETFs in the U.S., offering investors access to Lazard’s specialized investment capabilities across three strategies: equity megatrends, Japanese equity and next-gen technologies. 

“We’re launching high-conviction, alpha-seeking ETFs managed by expert, specialized teams. We’re ambitious about growing our ETF franchise over time to meet our clients’ evolving needs,” said Rob Forsyth, Lazard’s global head of ETFs, in a statement. 

Lazard’s three ETFs, which began trading on Nasdaq on April 10, are:

  • the Lazard Equity Megatrends ETF that seeks to capture the return opportunity from global megatrends that will shape the future economy, managed by Steve Wreford, John King, Sarbjit Nahal and Nicholas Bratt;
  • the Lazard Japanese Equity ETF, which seeks to capitalize on growth opportunities and market inefficiencies in Japanese equities and is managed by June-Yon Kim, Matthew Bills and Scott Anderson; and
  • the Lazard Next Gen Technologies ETF, with targeted exposure to high growth and profit-generating equities that are designed to capture value driven by productivity, artificiel intelligence and automation, managed by Tjeert Keijzer, Celine Woo and Ario Kishida. 

WisdomTree Announces Equity Premium Income Fund 

WisdomTree Inc. announced a name and ticker change of the WisdomTree PutWrite Strategy Fund to the WisdomTree Equity Premium Income Fund, remaining listed on the NYSE Arca exchange. With an expense ratio of 0.44%, it seeks to track the price and yield performance of the Volos U.S. Large Cap Target 2.5% PutWrite Index. It aims to generate consistent income by selling put options bi-weekly on the S&P 500 Index, targeting a 2.5% premium. 

“Elevated market valuations have tempered expectations for outsized upside for the S&P 500 in 2025, especially with ongoing policy-related economic uncertainties. We believe WTPI provides an attractive strategy for this environment, particularly for income-seeking investors,” said Jeremy Schwartz, WisdomTree’s global chief investment officer, in a statement. “Our strategy is designed to provide consistent income by capitalizing on the volatility premium in the options market.” 

Vanguard Adds Short-Duration ETF to Active Bond ETF Suite  

Vanguard introduced an active fixed-income ETF, the Vanguard Short Duration Bond ETF. Designed to provide clients with current income and lower price volatility consistent with short-duration bonds, it will be managed by Arvind Narayanan and Thanh Nguyen. 

Vanguard Short Duration Bond ETF, with an expense ratio of 0.15%, offers diversified exposure to primarily short-duration U.S. investment-grade bonds with the flexibility to invest in below investment-grade debt to seek additional yield, according to the firm.  

“The addition of Vanguard Short Duration Bond ETF reaffirms our commitment to meeting the evolving needs of investors who are increasingly seeking active bond solutions through an ETF wrapper,” said Sara Devereux, global head of Vanguard’s fixed-income group, in a statement. “VSDB combines institutional-quality active investment expertise with some of the lowest costs in the industry. VSDB seeks to deliver consistent, reliable returns that when compounded over time, can result in superior long-term outperformance.” 

JPMorgan Private Markets Fund Added to Schwab Platform 

The JPMorgan Private Markets Fund has been added to the Schwab Alternative Investment OneSource platform, which offers investors access to non-listed alternative investments issued by well-known asset managers and offers streamlined execution and consolidated reporting with no annual custody fee. JPMorgan Real Estate Income Trust was added to the platform in 2024. 

“Investors are increasingly seeking access to private markets to find new sources of returns,” said Shawn Khazzam, head of private wealth alternatives for J.P. Morgan Asset Management, in a statement. “By accessing JPMF, investors can gain entry to a diverse portfolio of small and mid-market companies through co-investments and secondaries–exposure that would typically be reserved only for institutional investors.” 

Chime Introduces Financial Wellness Suite

The Chime Workplace platform allows employees to build emergency savings through a high-yield savings account, as well as build credit history through everyday purchases.

Chime Financial Inc. launched Chime Workplace, a suite of financial wellness services aimed at helping employees manage their pay, grow savings and expand their credit.

The platform combines Chime’s financial tools with workforce financial health insights. The platform also allows employees to build emergency savings through a high-yield savings account, as well as build credit history through everyday purchases.

Chime Workplace includes capital management benefits for employers, such as allowing employees to get paid up to two days early, fee-free overdraft coverage with SpotMe, and on-demand pay access with MyPay, which launched to eligible consumers in 2024, allowing them to access their pay before payday.

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The launch also follows Chime’s acquisition of Salt Labs Inc., an employee rewards platform, last year.

In addition, Chime Workplace’s employee rewards and loyalty program recognizes employees’ work milestones and achievements, with the goal of enhancing engagement while supporting workers’ financial goals.

Through the platform, employers are able to gain aggregated insights into the financial health of their employee base—such as savings growth, credit health improvement and overall engagement—through a centralized data portal.

“Employers have told us their biggest frustration with existing financial wellness programs is that they don’t make an impact or empower employees to get to the next step in their journey,” said Jason Lee, Chime’s chief of enterprise who founded Salt Labs, in a statement. “Multiple vendors, logins, and endless apps only compound this problem and, ultimately, hinder effectiveness. Chime Workplace works with employers to solve these challenges by delivering one trusted app that meets employees where they are and gets them to where they want to be.”

According to Chime, there are no fees for employers to market the financial wellness suite, and employees may open a Chime account at no cost to the employee.

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