Vanguard has expanded its Investor Choice programme to increase opportunities for ETF and index fund shareholders to use their voting rights.
Eligible professional investors can use the programme to express preferences on how their share of participating funds vote on key shareholder matters.
From 2027, the programme will be extended to include an additional four Ireland-domiciled funds and ETFs.
These are: the Vanguard S&P 500 UCITS ETF, Vanguard FTSE All-World UCITS ETF, Vanguard Global Stock Index fund and Vanguard US 500 Stock Index fund.
The additions bring the total to eight funds, with approximately £200bn of assets.
The expanded programme will operate from 1 March to 30 June during the 2027 AGM season. Vanguard will contact eligible clients with further details.
Erica Serpico, senior director, Investor Choice, Vanguard Europe, said: “We saw clearly last year that professional investors hold a range of views on corporate governance and value having a greater say in how their clients’ share of index funds is voted.
“We are pleased to build on that progress by extending Investor Choice to eligible professional investors in Ireland and adding four Ireland-domiciled index funds and ETFs.
“We will continue to listen to participating clients and use their feedback to inform how the programme could evolve in future.”
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