LOS ANGELES, October 3, 2022 – VettaFi, a data, indexing, digital distribution, and thought leadership company that helps asset managers drive growth and scale, today announced a further expansion of its relationship with asset manager First Trust.   "VettaFi clients are not just buying indexes or gaining scale when they work with us. They are entering into a relationship with a partner who is committed to helping them grow and navigate the future of finance,” said Leland Clemons, CEO at VettaFi. “We congratulate First Trust and are excited to continue to build our relationship and bring additional thematic investing solutions to market.”  As of today, the First Trust FTSE EPRA/NAREIT Developed Markets Real Estate Index Fund (FFR) will be known as the First Trust Alerian Disruptive Technology Real Estate ETF (DTRE).   “Technological developments in areas such as cloud computing, 5G mobile networks, and e-commerce have created new opportunities in real estate supporting these innovations.  As a leading provider of thematic ETFs, we are thrilled to offer DTRE as a way to gain exposure to this specialty real estate,” said Ryan Issakainen, CFA, Senior Vice President, and ETF Strategist at First Trust.  There are now six ETFs in First Trust’s global family of ETFs and UCITS vehicles tracking VettaFi’s family of indexes, representing a total of more than $100 million in AUM.  In August, it was announced that the First Trust ISE Global Engineering and Construction Index Fund (FLM) would change its index and name to the First Trust Alerian US NextGen Infrastructure ETF (RBLD).   “We are energized from the expansion of our relationship with First Trust, one of the most innovative firms in the ETF space and a clear leader in building robust thematic investing solutions. Their decision to continue to build with VettaFi is a testament to the depth and breadth of the innovation, commitment, and indexing expertise we’re bringing to the table with all of our clients,” said Brian Coco, Head of Index Products with VettaFi. “We are a customer-centric firm and building and offering thoughtful indexing solutions is a core focus for us.”   More than $14 billion in assets is currently benchmarked to VettaFi’s family of indexes, which include the VettaFi, Alerian, and S-Network indexes. VettaFi offers index solutions ranging from ESG/SRI, energy infrastructure, thematic, factor-based, and more—including customized approaches.    More information on VettaFi can be found here: http://www.vettafi.com/