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ETF Architect
ETF Architect was founded in 2013 in Havertown, Pennsylvania, positioning itself as a white-label exchange-traded fund platform. Rather than managing a...
ETF Architect
ETF Architect was founded in 2013 in Havertown, Pennsylvania, positioning itself as a white-label exchange-traded fund platform. Rather than managing a family's fortune or running a proprietary mutual fund, the firm operates as an ETF incubator for registered investment advisors and asset managers who want to launch their own funds without building the full regulatory chassis themselves. The firm's primary function is acting as a series trust, where each client's ETF strategy operates as a distinct series within the overarching ETF Architect trust structure. Advisors provide the investment model and brand, while ETF Architect handles SEC compliance, fund administration, custody, and distribution. This covers asset classes including equities, fixed income, and multi-asset strategies. The model competes directly with larger white-label platforms like Exchange Traded Concepts and Alpha Architect, offering a technology-forward approach to fund launches. The firm's geographic focus is exclusively the United States, serving domestic RIAs. The firm is headquartered in Havertown, Pennsylvania, a Philadelphia suburb. Team size and total AUM across its hosted ETFs are not publicly disclosed by the firm. ETF Architect's platform supports a growing roster of advisor-branded ETFs, though the firm itself does not promote specific named funds as portfolio holdings. Its business model is built on volume and operational efficiency — collecting an administration and licensing fee from each hosted ETF series rather than earning asset-based management fees directly. ETF Architect's structural differentiator lies in its function as a pure white-label ETF platform. Unlike traditional asset managers that develop and market their own intellectual property, ETF Architect’s entire business is providing the operational rails for other firms' intellectual property. This makes it an enabling service provider rather than a direct competitor to the advisors it serves, a posture that insulates it from performance risk and aligns its revenue with the operational growth of its clients.
General information
Firm type
Bank / Wealth / Trust
Year founded
2013
AUM
Undisclosed
Location
Region
North America
Country
United States
City
Newtown Square
Corporate office
Havertown, PA, United States
Sector focus
Frequently asked questions
What does ETF Architect actually do for an RIA looking to launch an ETF?
ETF Architect serves as the regulatory umbrella — the series trust — that houses the ETF. It files the necessary SEC registration statements, handles daily fund accounting and custody, manages the authorized participant relationships for share creation and redemption, and ensures ongoing compliance. The RIA retains control over the investment strategy, portfolio management, and sales and marketing, while ETF Architect runs the operational backbone.
How does ETF Architect make money from its platform?
The firm earns revenue through administrative and service fees charged to each ETF series on its platform. These fees are typically structured as a fixed basis-point charge on assets or a flat annual fee per fund, making its revenue model a direct function of the number of ETF series it hosts and their collective asset levels. It does not typically earn a performance fee or take a share of the advisor's own management fee.
Who are ETF Architect's main competitors in the white-label ETF space?
The firm competes with several established white-label ETF platforms, including Exchange Traded Concepts, Alpha Architect's white-label division, and Goldman Sachs ETF Accelerator. The competitive differentiation typically comes down to pricing, the technology stack for portfolio trading, the speed of the launch process, and the breadth of asset classes a platform is willing to accommodate within a trust.
Is ETF Architect itself a registered investment advisor?
As an ETF series trust operator, ETF Architect and its related entities operate under SEC oversight specific to investment companies. While the firm provides services to RIAs, its primary registration is tied to the Investment Company Act of 1940, which governs the structure of the ETFs it sponsors. The advisors who launch funds on the platform remain the registered investment advisors responsible for their clients' assets.
What asset classes can an advisor launch through ETF Architect's platform?
The platform accommodates a range of strategies, including equity ETFs, fixed income ETFs, and multi-asset allocation ETFs. The trust structure is designed to be flexible, allowing for both passive, rules-based strategies and more active, manager-driven approaches, though the exact investment mandate and securities permitted are defined during the fund registration process with the SEC.
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