Barclays Shows Responsibility with a “Genocide-Free” ETF
Exchange-traded funds have encompassed practically every investing angle, but Barclays believes it can carve out a new niche with a “genocide-free” ETF. The fund would avoid areas and businesses “connected” to genocide.
The new fund may initially appear like a gimmick, but Barclays believes the new fund will be successful among socially-responsible investors. For example, one of the most prominent areas of genocide in the 21st century is Sudan, where as many as 200,000 people have been killed in what has been strongly connected to the diamonds trade in Africa. While Barclays offered few details regarding the new fund, the issuer indicated that it would use a third-party to select a portfolio of “clean” businesses.
Barclays isn’t the only company moving towards “genocide-free” funds. Both T Rowe Price and Vanguard have made a pledge to avoid investments in areas with human rights abuses, according to Reuters. Vanguard noted that it is screening 157 of its funds to possibly remove companies with track records of abuses of human rights.



