- Business
- BNP Paribas Easy MSCI World SRI S-Series PAB 5% Capped UCITS ETF (ticker: EWRD.PA) is an exchange-traded fund that seeks to replicate the performance of the MSCI World SRI S-Series PAB 5% Capped (USD) NR index, before fees and expenses. The fund provides exposure to large- and mid-cap companies across developed markets that demonstrate superior environmental, social, and governance (ESG) ratings relative to sector peers; excludes issuers involved in controversial activities such as controversial weapons (cluster bombs, landmines, depleted uranium, chemical/biological weapons), fossil fuels (coal, oil, gas), nuclear power, tobacco, pornography, alcohol, gambling, and violations of UN Global Compact/ILO standards; applies a 5% cap on individual stock weights; and aligns with Paris-Aligned Benchmark (PAB) requirements, including at least 50% reduction in carbon intensity from the parent index and 7% annual decarbonization. It employs physical replication, accumulates dividends, trades in USD (unhedged currency risk), and holds approximately 325 securities with a total expense ratio of 0.26%.
Launched on February 26, 2016, as a sub-fund of the BNP Paribas Easy SICAV, the ETF is domiciled in Luxembourg and managed by BNP Paribas Asset Management Luxembourg, with delegation to BNP Paribas Asset Management Europe; BNP Paribas acts as custodian. It lists on Euronext Paris (EWRD.PA), Xetra (EWRD.DE), and other exchanges, targeting institutional and retail investors seeking sustainable global equity exposure. As of December 31, 2024, the fund manages USD 1,470 million in assets, with top holdings including NVIDIA Corp, Tesla Inc, Texas Instruments Inc, and ASPL Holding NV; sector allocations emphasize financials (21.27%), industrials (15.65%), and health care (14.29%), predominantly in the United States (68.21%).
The fund holds SFDR Article 8 classification, MSCI ESG Fund Rating of AA, and labels including French ISR, FNG, Austrian Ecolabel, and Towards Sustainability; it features 100% ESG coverage and weighted average carbon intensity of 28.93 tons CO2e/$M sales. Originally tracking MSCI World ex Controversial Weapons (until September 2019) and later MSCI World SRI S-Series 5% Capped (until December 2021), it transitioned to the current PAB-aligned index as part of BNP Paribas Asset Management's 2021 upgrade of 18 ETFs to enhanced ESG/PAB standards, representing 83% of its index fund range. In July 2025, BNP Paribas completed its €5.1 billion acquisition of AXA Investment Managers, bolstering its ETF platform to €36.9 billion in assets and expanding product offerings with minimal overlap, including integration of active ETF management. In September 2025, BNP Paribas listed its first alpha-seeking ETFs on Euronext Paris, further diversifying the BNP Paribas Easy range.