CONTACT
Franklin Templeton
Oliver Trenk
+49 69 27223-718
- This is the firm’s sixth U.S. equity ETF, showcasing its commitment to providing a broad range of U.S. equity exposures, including both index-tracking and active ETFs.
- The debut of Franklin ClearBridge US Smaller Companies UCITS ETF marks Franklin Templeton’s first active equity ETF for European investors, powered by ClearBridge Investments, a $200 billion specialist investment manager of Franklin Templeton with a 20-year track record in small- and mid-cap investing.
- Franklin Templeton was among the first firms to pioneer active ETFs, entering the U.S. market in 2013 and introducing one of Europe’s first active fixed income ETF in 2018.
London, 30 October 2025 – Franklin Templeton1 is pleased to announce the launch of its first actively managed equity UCITS ETF for European investors – the Franklin ClearBridge US Smaller Companies UCITS ETF2.
The new ETF will list on the Deutsche Börse Xetra on 30 October and will then list on London Stock Exchange, Euronext Paris and Borsa Italiana on 3 November. It is registered for distribution in Austria, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland (country of domicile), Luxembourg, Netherlands, Spain and Sweden.
This marks an important milestone for Franklin Templeton in the EMEA region, expanding its active ETF suite into equities and reinforcing its position as a pioneer in active ETF innovation across asset classes, investment styles, and geographies. With over 75 years of active investment heritage, Franklin Templeton was among the first to launch active ETFs in the U.S. in 20133 and in 2018, brought Franklin Fixed Income investment capabilities to the ETF wrapper with key funds such as an Euro “liquidity tool”, the Franklin Euro Short Maturity UCITS ETF4 and the first active Euro green bond ETF, the Franklin Sustainable Euro Green Bond UCITS ETF4 for European investors.
Building on this legacy, the firm now has started with bringing active equity ETFs to European investors, debuting with the Franklin ClearBridge US Smaller Companies UCITS ETF. Managed by ClearBridge Investments, a Specialist Investment Manager of Franklin Templeton with over $200 billion in assets5, the strategy seeks true alpha through bottom-up stock selection, dynamic risk management, and long-term conviction.
Matthew Harrison, Head of Americas (ex-US), Europe and UK, Franklin Templeton, commented: “This launch demonstrates the strength of our business model, combining Franklin Templeton’s global scale with the deep expertise of our specialized investment teams. ClearBridge Investments is a prime example – bringing decades of experience in U.S. equities and a proven track record in small- and mid-cap investing, an asset class that has historically delivered strong long-term growth.”
Caroline Baron, Head of ETF Distribution, EMEA, Franklin Templeton, added: “The European ETF market is evolving at pace, and active ETFs are at the forefront – driving demand for targeted, outcome-oriented strategies. Our new ETF taps into this trend by offering diversified exposure to the dynamic U.S. economy through smaller companies, giving investors direct access to domestic growth drivers. It’s a high-conviction approach that complements large-cap allocations and strengthens our growing European ETF platform.”
Franklin ClearBridge Smaller US Companies UCITS ETF
Powered by ClearBridge Investments, Franklin Templeton’s specialist U.S. equity manager with a 20-year track record in small- and mid-cap investing, this ETF seeks to deliver long-term capital appreciation by identifying high-quality U.S. growth companies early in their lifecycle – those with strong cash flows, resilient business models, and the potential to become the large-caps of tomorrow. The strategy provides diversification beyond mega-caps, offering broader access to U.S. economic growth and exposure to early-stage innovators often overlooked in large-cap portfolios. It is grounded in rigorous, bottom-up research across a broad investment universe of around 2,500 securities in the Russell 2500 Growth Index, with the team meeting every company before investing and maintaining active, ongoing engagement – resulting in a high-conviction portfolio of 50-80 stocks. An integrated ESG analysis and a disciplined risk framework underpin the approach, ensuring diversified growth drivers and controlled portfolio risk. The fund has a total expense ratio of 0.49%6.
The ETF is co-managed by Brian M. Angerame, Jeffrey E. Bailin, Aram E. Green and Matthew S. Lilling, who together bring many decades of expertise in small and mid-cap investing.
Aram Green, Portfolio Manager, ClearBridge Investments, commented: “We believe this is a particularly compelling time for small-cap investing. Smaller U.S. companies are trading at historically attractive valuations relative to large caps, yet many display robust fundamentals and long growth runways. In a market dominated by a handful of mega-cap names, we see numerous opportunities for active stock pickers to uncover high-quality businesses early in their lifecycle—companies with strong cash flows, innovative resilient business models, and the potential to become tomorrow’s market leaders.”
About Franklin Templeton ETFs
The launch of the Franklin ClearBridge US Smaller Companies UCITS ETF is part of Franklin Templeton’s ongoing effort to build a holistic, client-focused ETF lineup. It complements the firm’s active fixed income, and indexed ETFs, offering investors a comprehensive toolkit to pursue growth, income, and diversification – all through a single trusted provider. Supported by the strength and resources of one of the world’s largest asset managers, the global ETF platform has over $50 billion in assets under management globally as of October 2025.
About ClearBridge Investments
ClearBridge Investments, a specialized investment manager within Franklin Templeton, is a leading global equity firm committed to delivering differentiated long-term results through authentic active management. With over 60 years of investment experience, ClearBridge offers a broad range of high-conviction, research-driven strategies across global developed and emerging markets, local markets, and real assets.
As of September 30, 2025, the firm manages more than US$200 billion in assets. Operating with investment autonomy, ClearBridge is headquartered in New York and maintains offices in Baltimore, Calgary, Edinburgh, Fort Lauderdale, Leeds, London, Melbourne, and Sydney.
Known for its research-driven philosophy, disciplined risk management, and culture of engagement, ClearBridge’s investment teams cover approximately 1,500 securities and meet with around 1,000 companies annually. These qualities underpin its success, particularly in U.S. small- and mid-cap equities, reinforcing its position as Franklin Templeton’s largest equity specialist.
| Xetra Ticker | LSE Tickers | Borsa Italiana Ticker | Euronext Paris Ticker | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fund Name | ISIN | EUR | USD | GBP | EUR | USD |
| Franklin ClearBridge US Smaller Companies UCITS ETF | IE000XJA2OU4 | CBSM | CBSM | CBSC | USMID | USMID |
- ENDS -
Contacts:
|
Oliver Trenk |
Saira Khan |
Notes to Editors:
This is a marketing communication. Please refer to the prospectus or information document of the AIF and, where available, to the KID before making any final investment decisions.
- Franklin Resources, Inc. [NYSE:BEN] is a global investment management organisation with subsidiaries operating as Franklin Templeton and serving clients in over 150 countries. Franklin Templeton’s mission is to help clients achieve better outcomes through investment management expertise, wealth management and technology solutions. Through its specialist investment managers, the company offers specialisation on a global scale, bringing extensive capabilities in fixed income, equity, alternatives and multi-asset solutions With more than 1,500 investment professionals, and offices in major financial markets around the world, the California-based company has over 75 years of investment experience and $1.66 trillion in assets under management as of 30 September 2025. For more information, please visit franklintempleton.lu and follow us on LinkedIn, X, and Facebook.
- Franklin ClearBridge US Smaller Companies UCITS ETF is a sub-fund of the Franklin Templeton ICAV, an Irish Collective Asset-managed Vehicle, incorporated under the laws of Ireland.
- Franklin Templeton launched its first actively managed fixed income ETF, the Franklin Short Duration U.S. Government ETF, in the U.S. for U.S. investors in 2013.
- Franklin Euro Short Maturity UCITS ETF and Franklin Sustainable Euro Green Bond UCITS ETF are sub-funds of the Franklin Templeton ICAV, an Irish Collective Asset-managed Vehicle, incorporated under the laws of Ireland.
- As of 30 September.
- The charges are the fees the Fund charges to investors to cover the costs of running the Fund. Additional costs, including transaction fees, will also be incurred. These costs are paid out by the Fund, which will impact on the overall return of the Fund. Fund charges will be incurred in multiple currencies, meaning that payments may increase or decrease as a result of currency exchange fluctuations.
The views expressed are those of the investment manager and the comments, opinions and analyses are rendered as of the publication date and may change without notice. The information provided in this material is not intended as complete analysis of every material fact regarding any country, region or market.
An investment in Franklin Templeton ICAV range entails risks, which are described in the prospectus, its supplements and in the relevant Key Investor Information Document. The Fund's documents are available in English, German and French from your local website. In addition, a Summary of Investor Rights is available from www.franklintempleton.lu/investor-rights. Franklin Templeton ICAV is notified for marketing in multiple EU Member States under the UCITS Directive. Franklin Templeton ICAV can terminate such notifications for any share class and/or sub-fund at any time by using the process contained in Article 93a of the UCITS Directive.
The value of shares in the fund and income received from it can go down as well as up and investors may not get back the full amount invested. Past performance is not an indicator or a guarantee of future performance.
Counterparty risk: the risk of failure of financial institutions or agents (when serving as a counterparty to financial contracts) to perform their obligations, whether due to insolvency, bankruptcy or other causes. Derivative Instruments risk: the risk of loss in an instrument where a small change in the value of the underlying investment may have a larger impact on the value of such instrument. Derivatives may involve additional liquidity, credit and counterparty risks. Equity risk: Prices of equities may be affected by factors such as economic, political, market, and issuer-specific changes. Such changes may adversely affect the value of the equities regardless of company specific performance. Foreign Currency risk: the risk of loss arising from exchange-rate fluctuations or due to exchange control regulations. Secondary market trading risk: the risk that the shares purchased on the secondary market cannot usually be sold directly back to the Fund and that investors may therefore pay more than the NAV per share when buying shares or may receive less than the current NAV per Share when selling shares. For a full discussion of all the risks applicable to this Fund, please refer to the “Risk Considerations” section of the current prospectus of Franklin Templeton ICAV.
This press release is intended to be of general interest only and does not constitute professional advice. Franklin Templeton and its management groups have exercised professional care and diligence in the collection and processing of the information in this press release. Franklin Templeton makes no representations or warranties with respect to the accuracy of this document. Franklin Templeton shall not be liable to any user of this report or to any other person or entity for the inaccuracy of information contained in this press release or for any errors or omissions in its contents, regardless of the cause of such inaccuracy, error or omission.
Any research and analysis contained in this document has been procured by Franklin Templeton for its own purposes.
Please consult your financial advisor before deciding to invest.
Issued in Europe by Franklin Templeton International Services S.à r.l. – Supervised by the Commission de Surveillance du Secteur Financier – 8A, rue Albert Borschette, L-1246 Luxembourg. Tel: +352-46 66 67-1.
Issued by Franklin Templeton Investment Management Limited (FTIML). FTIML is authorised and regulated in the United Kingdom by the Financial Conduct Authority.
Copyright © 2025 Franklin Templeton. All rights reserved.