New funds target AI, small-cap stocks and Asian renewables

Wedbush Fund Advisers and ETF provider HANetf have launched the Dan IVES Wedbush AI Revolution UCITS ETF, giving European investors exposure to 30 companies selected using research by Dan Ives of Yorkville Ives & Co. The fund is listed on the London Stock Exchange, Xetra and Borsa Italiana. Its US-listed counterpart, IVES, passed $1 billion in assets under management in less than five months, Wedbush said. The strategy covers semiconductors, hyperscalers, cybersecurity, consumer platforms, robotics and cloud infrastructure. It is Wedbush Fund Advisers’ first product on HANetf’s platform. CIO Cullen Rogers said the firms were responding to demand for research-driven access to companies involved in AI.

State Street Investment Management and Van Lanschot Kempen Investment Management are introducing two active UCITS ETFs: one for US small caps and another for small-cap stocks in Europe excluding the UK. The funds will sit within State Street IM’s existing ETF umbrella and be sub-advised by Van Lanschot Kempen, using its fundamental investment approach. Both will be Article 8 funds under the EU’s Sustainable Finance Disclosure Regulation and incorporate sustainability characteristics into their investment processes. The firms described the partnership as combining Van Lanschot Kempen’s small-cap expertise with State Street IM’s ETF platform, distribution network and scale.

Octopus Energy has launched the Octopus Asia Electrification Fund to invest in local renewable-energy developers, beginning with Manila-based solar and storage company Octali Energy Development. The fund aims to raise $600 million from institutional investors and has received $50 million from Japanese investors. It is classified as an Article 9 fund under the EU’s disclosure rules. Octopus plans to help Octali develop 450 MW of solar capacity and 350 MWh of battery storage; the projects could supply enough clean electricity for more than 300,000 Philippine homes a year by 2030.

The fund will also consider opportunities in Japan, South Korea, Singapore, Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia and Vietnam, including solar, onshore wind, storage, microgrids and EV charging. Octopus said its Asia operation already manages about 2 GW of clean-energy projects in development. Its first Philippine investment was announced at COP31 in Antalya, Turkey, scheduled for 9–20 November. The company cited the Philippines’ reliance on coal, which supplies more than 60 per cent of its electricity, and imported oil, 98 per cent of which comes from the Middle East.

Ardian has raised €1 billion ($1.12 billion) for Ardian Semiconductor, a private-equity platform focused on the semiconductor value chain. Close to €700 million comprises fund commitments, alongside co-investments. The firm said it will pursue opportunities primarily in Europe, as well as in North America and Asia, and has already invested in VSORA, centrotherm, Synergie Cad and Ion Beam Services. Ardian cited global semiconductor sales exceeding $1 trillion in the first eight months of 2026, with the market forecast to reach about $1.6 trillion in 2026 and $2.5 trillion by 2030.