What is an ETP and how is it different from an ETF?
The term “Exchange Traded Product” (ETP) is a broad term that encompasses Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs), Exchange Traded Commodities (ETCs), and Exchange Traded Notes (ETNs). ETPs seek to provide returns based on the price movements of an underlying asset or benchmark, such as an index, commodity, or individual stock. However, ETFs, ETCs, and ETNs represent different structures for achieving this exposure and can pose different risks. ETPs, such as ETCs and ETNs, are structured as debt securities, but unlike conventional bonds, these instruments pay no interest and are not rated. ETPs can give investors a means of diversifying investment portfolios without the need to: Enter into swap agreements or forward contracts Take physical delivery of the underlying commodity Hold securities that constitute the underlying index   Importantly, ETPs are different than ETFs in a number of ways. ETPs (including ETCs and ETNs) are not funds, and therefore lie outside the remit of UCITs — the Undertakings for Collective Investments in Transferable Securities. However, while ETPs are not UCITS compliant, they may be UCITS eligible. This means that they are investments which — while again not themselves compliant with UCITS — are capable of being an eligible investment for another UCITS fund.