Industry Powerhouse Alliance: XTB and BlackRock Announce Partnership

XTB, a key player in the financial sector, is expanding its investment offerings towards passive strategies by partnering with BlackRock, the world's largest asset management firm. The collaboration aims to encourage savings and capital growth through the utilization of exchange-traded funds (ETFs) among retail investors. Initial deployment will occur in Spain, where the savings rate, according to Euromonitor, was 5.8% in 2023, prompting XTB to address this market.

Javier Urones, Head of Sales for XTB Spain, highlighted the partnership's core objective: fostering a culture of saving, effective capital management, and promoting investment plans centered around ETFs. Urones foresees an increased interest in ETFs resulting from this collaboration. Notably, almost 25% of XTB's Spanish clients are already engaged in regular ETF investments.

Globally, ETFs have gained popularity among investors seeking cost-effective and transparent diversification. Silvia Senra, Digital Distribution Director at BlackRock's Spanish branch, noted ETFs' appeal to millions of Europeans pursuing investment for a brighter financial future, citing their transparency, low cost, and comprehensibility.

XTB and BlackRock see significant potential in jointly educating and equipping more European consumers with tools for improved investing and savings habits. XTB's introduction of “Investment Plans” based on ETFs in September aligns with the growing global demand for passive index products. The increase in XTB platform users purchasing ETF index funds in Poland, from 8% in 2020 to 24% in 2023, reflects the escalating interest in these investment strategies.

In response to the demand for passive investments and cryptocurrencies, XTB expanded its offerings beyond traditional avenues. The company introduced interest on idle deposits to compete with traditional banking institutions, offering new customers an attractive interest rate of up to 5%. Additionally, catering to the surge in interest in cryptocurrencies, XTB enhanced its offerings by introducing BTC ETN as an alternative to bitcoin ETFs listed in the United States. This expansion marks a shift from offering cryptocurrencies solely as CFDs to now encompassing three cryptocurrency exchange-traded instruments listed in Europe.