FTSE Russell wins Canadian fixed‑income ETF index award

FTSE Russell has been named Best Index Provider – Fixed Income ETFs in Canada. Marina Mets, head of Americas for Fixed Income and Convertibles at FTSE Russell, credited teamwork and an expanded collaboration with CanDeal Data & Analytics for strengthening the firm’s Canadian fixed‑income business.

FTSE Russell ranks among the top three global index providers and oversees about USD19 trillion in assets tracked to its benchmarks. In Canada, FTSE Canada Fixed Income indices benchmark roughly USD1 trillion in local assets and are used across ETFs, mutual funds and pension allocations. Mets has worked with FTSE Russell for 25 years of the firm’s more than 40 years in fixed income indexing.

The firm extended its collaboration with CanDeal to add analytics on top of CanDeal’s pricing feed, which supplies reference prices for the FTSE Canada Bond indices. Mets commented that combining market data and independent benchmark construction improves transparency and pricing quality for investors: “Our collaboration with CanDeal strengthens the foundations of the Canadian fixed income ecosystem by combining robust market data with independent benchmark construction.”

FTSE Russell cited rising investor demand for better price discovery and benchmark integrity as fixed‑income ETFs expand in Canada. The firm manages the FTSE World Government Bond Index series for international sovereign and emerging market allocations, which institutional investors and ETF providers use for diversified bond exposure. Mets pointed to growing interest in complementary access vehicles and systematic overlay strategies within ETF structures.

The FTSE Canada Bank Credit Spread Index Series was launched recently and has been selected by the Montreal Exchange to underpin Canada’s first credit derivative vehicle. Mets noted that live, screen‑traded credit products can provide precise pricing and real‑time discovery for next‑generation ETFs: “Live traded credit products on screen create an end‑to‑end market where next‑generation ETFs can access precise pricing and real‑time discovery.”

Mets also highlighted demand for higher‑frequency intraday pricing as ETF trading patterns influence fixed‑income markets. She described intraday pricing, historically associated with equities, as increasingly relevant to bond ETFs.

Mets attributed the award to the firm’s fixed income team and cited FTSE Russell’s indexing infrastructure and market connectivity as factors that support the development of Canada’s ETF market. She added that the firm’s work with issuers and clients underlies the benchmarks used across the market.