WisdomTree, has announced the launch of WisdomTree Blockchain UCITS ETF (WBLK). Listed on the London Stock Exchange, Börse Xetra and Borsa Italiana, WBLK seeks to track the price and yield performance, before fees and expenses, of the WisdomTree Blockchain UCITS Index (the "Index") and has a total expense ratio of 0.45%. The proprietary Index leverages WisdomTree's heritage of innovation and self-indexing and is designed to track the performance of companies primarily focused on blockchain and cryptocurrency technologies and that also meet WisdomTree's ESG(1) criteria.

The ETF complements WisdomTree's physically-backed range of single coin crypto trackers and crypto basket ETPs, providing an additional method for investors looking for exposure to the potential growth of digital assets and blockchain infrastructure. WBLK represents an evolution of WisdomTree's digital assets expertise, having launched one of the world's first physically-backed crypto asset ETPs in 2019(2), built out a global digital assets team and partnered with industry leaders across the blockchain and cryptocurrency ecosystem. This expertise is combined with WisdomTree's knowledge and experience of building multi-award-winning thematic ETFs.

Blockchain is the distributed ledger technology underpinning digital assets and is, put simply, a distributed database on which information is recorded using digital signatures. Blockchain technology has been called a revolution in the making and could be useful wherever a transparent, immutable, and digital record of information is needed. As such, the range of potential applications for the technology is wide, diverse, and far-reaching.

The internet has changed the world over the past 25 years; similarly, distributed ledger technology could become part of most aspects of lives within a couple of decades without even being aware of it. The Index, therefore, aims to capture this future trend by providing pure exposure to a basket of companies which support the current and future blockchain infrastructure, referred to as 'Blockchain Enablers', as well as companies which offer cryptocurrency and blockchain-related services, or 'Blockchain Engagers': Blockchaiain Enablers are companies that make up the ecosystem and, thefore, companies that develop p components for the blockchain ecosystem, such as hardware and software infrastructure and cryptocurrency mining. Blockchain Engagers are companies that provide blockchain and cryptocurrency services and/or applications (consulting, software, financial services) or use the blockchain to improve net income through higher sales or improved efficiency and lower costs (e.g., supply chain industry, food industry, and healthcare, amongst others).

A wghtining limit is applied to companies categorised as Enablers, due to WisdomTree's belief that miner rewards will decrease over time for several reasons such as the cryptocurrencies moving to 'energy efficient models' such as 'Proof of Stake' or due to protocol setups such as halving. As a result, an overweight exposure is applied to companies categorised as Engagers due to their role as key players in the blockchain space. WBLK is the eighth ETF in WisdomTree's $1.1 billion European thematic equity range, and the third launched in 2022 alongside WisdomTree Recycling Decarbonisation UCITS ETF (WRCY) and WisdomTree New Economy Real Estate UCITS ETF (WTRE).