Join Savana.
Subscribe to our monthly newsletter to receive the latest updates and insights.
Subscribe to our monthly newsletter to receive the latest updates and insights.
8 July 2025
A specialist active ETF provider believes it has what it takes to become “the new Betashares”.
Savana Asset Management, a relatively new player in the funds management space, launched its first exchange-traded fund (ETF) – the Savana US Small Caps Active ETF (ASX: SVNP) – in November last year, setting itself apart by focusing on US rather than Australian equities.
Speaking to InvestorDaily’s sister brand, Money Management, Savana associate director Samuel Atkinson acknowledged that active ETFs have had a tough time gaining traction, with global flows favouring passive strategies. But he said the firm’s own back testing suggests it has built a high-performing product capable of outperforming the benchmark.
Savana is now planning to roll out a couple of new ETFs in the short to medium term – including an Australian and a global small-cap strategy – with an eye to building a suite of up to 20 ETFs over the next few years.
Longer term, the firm is aiming to become a version of Betashares – but focused entirely on active management.
Atkinson credited Betashares’ rise to the global pivot towards passive investing and said Savana sees a gap in the market for a tech-driven, active alternative.
“We would like to be the next Betashares, but for active ETFs, they have a fantastic brand and have grown their FUM to $50 billion in 15 years. We have the opportunity to replicate that as an active manager,” Atkinson said.
“We’ve watched our passive competitors climb to record FUM levels simply by replicating market indices. We believe that our digital-first active model has the potential to surpass their success by delivering superior performance at scale.”
The firm’s digital-first edge lies in its proprietary automated platform, which analyses over 60,000 global equities daily to identify undervalued companies and reduce human bias, Atkinson said.
“There’s countless examples in our portfolio of the algorithm making bold, fearless decisions about when to buy and sell stocks and, as much as we can, we try not to intervene with that unless there’s fraud or an error in the data,” he said.
Savana US Small Caps Active is currently outperforming its S&P 600 benchmark by 7.0 per cent.
“What we’re seeing in live trading is exactly what we observed in testing – strong downside protection when markets fall, and aggressive upside capture during rallies,” Atkinson said.
“In a volatile environment, our automated strategy stays disciplined, fully invested and focused on exploiting fear-driven mispricing.”
Passive v active
While passive ETFs have been more popular among investors due to their far lesser cost, Atkinson said Savana believes there is a “big opportunity” for an active manager to beat the market.
“We’ve had a really good decade and a half for passive returns, but that’s not assured going forward,” he said.
The plan for Savana’s growth is a strategic partner that, as Atkinson put it, can “brings funds through the door” to help the firm scale.
“The story we tell our investors is that we can be the next Betashares with better returns.”
Betashares currently offers a range of actively managed ETFs, spanning various asset classes, including fixed income, equities and income-focused strategies.
By Laura Dew
A specialist active ETF provider believes it has what it takes to become “the new Betashares”.
Savana Asset Management, a relatively new player in the funds management space, launched its first exchange-traded fund (ETF) – the Savana US Small Caps Active ETF (ASX: SVNP) – in November last year, setting itself apart by focusing on US rather than Australian equities.
Speaking to InvestorDaily’s sister brand, Money Management, Savana associate director Samuel Atkinson acknowledged that active ETFs have had a tough time gaining traction, with global flows favouring passive strategies. But he said the firm’s own back testing suggests it has built a high-performing product capable of outperforming the benchmark.
Savana is now planning to roll out a couple of new ETFs in the short to medium term – including an Australian and a global small-cap strategy – with an eye to building a suite of up to 20 ETFs over the next few years.
Longer term, the firm is aiming to become a version of Betashares – but focused entirely on active management.
Atkinson credited Betashares’ rise to the global pivot towards passive investing and said Savana sees a gap in the market for a tech-driven, active alternative.
“We would like to be the next Betashares, but for active ETFs, they have a fantastic brand and have grown their FUM to $50 billion in 15 years. We have the opportunity to replicate that as an active manager,” Atkinson said.
“We’ve watched our passive competitors climb to record FUM levels simply by replicating market indices. We believe that our digital-first active model has the potential to surpass their success by delivering superior performance at scale.”
The firm’s digital-first edge lies in its proprietary automated platform, which analyses over 60,000 global equities daily to identify undervalued companies and reduce human bias, Atkinson said.
“There’s countless examples in our portfolio of the algorithm making bold, fearless decisions about when to buy and sell stocks and, as much as we can, we try not to intervene with that unless there’s fraud or an error in the data,” he said.
Savana US Small Caps Active is currently outperforming its S&P 600 benchmark by 7.0 per cent.
“What we’re seeing in live trading is exactly what we observed in testing – strong downside protection when markets fall, and aggressive upside capture during rallies,” Atkinson said.
“In a volatile environment, our automated strategy stays disciplined, fully invested and focused on exploiting fear-driven mispricing.”
Passive v active
While passive ETFs have been more popular among investors due to their far lesser cost, Atkinson said Savana believes there is a “big opportunity” for an active manager to beat the market.
“We’ve had a really good decade and a half for passive returns, but that’s not assured going forward,” he said.
The plan for Savana’s growth is a strategic partner that, as Atkinson put it, can “brings funds through the door” to help the firm scale.
“The story we tell our investors is that we can be the next Betashares with better returns.”
Betashares currently offers a range of actively managed ETFs, spanning various asset classes, including fixed income, equities and income-focused strategies.
By Laura Dew
A specialist active ETF provider believes it has what it takes to become “the new Betashares”.
Savana Asset Management, a relatively new player in the funds management space, launched its first exchange-traded fund (ETF) – the Savana US Small Caps Active ETF (ASX: SVNP) – in November last year, setting itself apart by focusing on US rather than Australian equities.
Speaking to InvestorDaily’s sister brand, Money Management, Savana associate director Samuel Atkinson acknowledged that active ETFs have had a tough time gaining traction, with global flows favouring passive strategies. But he said the firm’s own back testing suggests it has built a high-performing product capable of outperforming the benchmark.
Savana is now planning to roll out a couple of new ETFs in the short to medium term – including an Australian and a global small-cap strategy – with an eye to building a suite of up to 20 ETFs over the next few years.
Longer term, the firm is aiming to become a version of Betashares – but focused entirely on active management.
Atkinson credited Betashares’ rise to the global pivot towards passive investing and said Savana sees a gap in the market for a tech-driven, active alternative.
“We would like to be the next Betashares, but for active ETFs, they have a fantastic brand and have grown their FUM to $50 billion in 15 years. We have the opportunity to replicate that as an active manager,” Atkinson said.
“We’ve watched our passive competitors climb to record FUM levels simply by replicating market indices. We believe that our digital-first active model has the potential to surpass their success by delivering superior performance at scale.”
The firm’s digital-first edge lies in its proprietary automated platform, which analyses over 60,000 global equities daily to identify undervalued companies and reduce human bias, Atkinson said.
“There’s countless examples in our portfolio of the algorithm making bold, fearless decisions about when to buy and sell stocks and, as much as we can, we try not to intervene with that unless there’s fraud or an error in the data,” he said.
Savana US Small Caps Active is currently outperforming its S&P 600 benchmark by 7.0 per cent.
“What we’re seeing in live trading is exactly what we observed in testing – strong downside protection when markets fall, and aggressive upside capture during rallies,” Atkinson said.
“In a volatile environment, our automated strategy stays disciplined, fully invested and focused on exploiting fear-driven mispricing.”
Passive v active
While passive ETFs have been more popular among investors due to their far lesser cost, Atkinson said Savana believes there is a “big opportunity” for an active manager to beat the market.
“We’ve had a really good decade and a half for passive returns, but that’s not assured going forward,” he said.
The plan for Savana’s growth is a strategic partner that, as Atkinson put it, can “brings funds through the door” to help the firm scale.
“The story we tell our investors is that we can be the next Betashares with better returns.”
Betashares currently offers a range of actively managed ETFs, spanning various asset classes, including fixed income, equities and income-focused strategies.
By Laura Dew
IMPORTANT DISCLAIMER:
This material has been prepared by Savana Asset Management Pty Ltd (ABN 79 662 088 904) (Savana). Savana is a corporate authorised representative of Fat Prophets Pty Ltd (ABN 62 094 448 549 AFS Licence No. 229183) (Fat Prophets), CAR Auth No. 1308949. The Savana US Small Caps Active ETF (ASX: SVNP) (ARSN 649 028 722) is issued by K2 Asset Management Limited (K2) ABN 95 085 445 094, AFS Licence No 244393, a wholly owned subsidiary of K2 Asset Management Holdings Limited (ABN 59 124 636 782). The information contained in this document is produced in good faith and does not constitute any representation or offer by K2, Savana or Fat Prophets.
This material is for information purposes only and has been prepared for both retail and wholesale investors. It is not an offer or a recommendation to invest. No representation is made as to future performance or volatility of the investment, and there is no guarantee that the investment objectives or strategy will be successful. Any forward-looking statements, opinions and estimates are based on assumptions and contingencies which are subject to change without notice. No representations or warranties, expressed or implied, are made as to the accuracy or completeness of the information contained in this document. In preparing this document, we have relied upon and assumed, without independent verification, the accuracy and completeness of all information available to Savana. Persons should rely solely upon their own investigations in respect of the subject matter discussed. To the maximum extent permitted by law, all liability in reliance on this document is expressly disclaimed.
This material may not be reproduced, distributed or published, in whole or in part, without the prior approval of Savana. There are risks associated with an investment in the Savana US Small Caps Active ETF (SVNP), including active management risk, market risk, currency risk, concentration risk, liquidity risk and model risk. Investment values may rise and fall, and past performance is not indicative of future performance.This document has not been prepared taking into account your objectives, financial situation or needs. An investment in SVNP should be considered as part of a broader portfolio, having regard to your individual objectives, financial situation and needs, including your tolerance for risk.
Before making an investment decision, you should consider the Product Disclosure Statement (PDS) and Target Market Determination (TMD), available at www.savana.ai.
