MutualFundWire.com: Zeitoun and Lo Celebrate a "Powerful Example" of a 14-ETF Biz

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Friday, October 3, 2025

Zeitoun and Lo Celebrate a "Powerful Example" of a 14-ETF Biz

The folks at a publicly traded company's multinational, 2,300-person, $654-billion-AUM* asset management arm are celebrating the tin anniversary of one of their 14 ETFs.

Last week, Marc Zeitoun, head of North America product and business intelligence at Ameriprise Financial's Columbia Threadneedle Investments [profile], and Christopher Lo, head of research enhanced strategies, highlighted the recent 10th anniversary of the launch of the Columbia EM Core ex-China ETF (XCEM on the NYSE Arca). Boston-based Columbia Management Investment Advisers, LLC serves as investment advisor and index provider to the 10-year-old index fund.

XCEM's birthday was September 2, 2015, when it debuted as the EGShares EM Core ex-China ETF, with the same ticker but with New York City-based Emerging Global Advisors (EGA) as fund firm. Columbia Threadneedle bought EGA about a year later, rebranding and taking over its funds, including XCEM. They lay claim to XCEM being "the first-ever broad-based emerging markets ETF to exclude exposure to China."

The expense ratio for XCEM is 16 basis points. Per Morningstar data, the ETF has grown to about $1.3 billion in AUM.

XCEM is designed to track the Beta Thematic Emerging Markets ex-China Index. Lo, the fund's lead PM, has worked with XCEM since 2016. Senior portfolio manager Henry Hom joined XCEM's PM team in 2021.

Zeitoun describes XCEM as helping "investors who are looking for a more balanced approach to investing in emerging markets." And Lo notes "the continued geopolitical tensions and macroeconomic risks that are top of mind for investors recently."

"The longstanding credibility of XCEM over the last decade remains just as important now," Lo states. "XCEM is a powerful example of the value that Columbia Threadneedle's indexed portfolio solutions and investment expertise can generate for clients."

XCEM is a passively managed series of Columbia ETF Trust II. The ETF's other service providers include:

SS&C's Alps Distributors, Inc. as distributor;

Alston & Bird LLP as counsel to the independent trustees;

BNY Mellon Corporation as administrator, custodian, dividend disbursing agent, fund accountant, and transfer agent;

PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP as independent accounting firm; and

Ropes & Gray LLP as counsel to the trust.