BlackRock’s new robotics fund charges a 0.65% expense ratio for active exposure across the industry, extending the asset manager’s U.S. lineup of artificial intelligence-themed exchange-traded funds.
BlackRock announced the iShares Future Robotics and Related Technologies Active ETF (RBTX) on Oct. 21 and identified NYSE Arca as its exchange. The iShares fund page lists an Oct. 20 inception date.
BlackRock says the fund aims to maximize total return by investing across the robotics industry, from developers and suppliers to companies that provide or use automation. It names MSCI ACWI Net as a performance benchmark, but the actively managed fund is not designed to match an index.
The iShares page listed net assets of $10,175,079 and 400,000 shares as of Oct. 21. It showed 38 holdings as of Oct. 20, the fund’s inception date.
RBTX joins the iShares A.I. Innovation and Tech Active ETF (BAI), iShares Future AI & Tech ETF (ARTY), iShares Future AI Beneficiaries ETF (AIBF) and iShares Semiconductor ETF (SOXX). BlackRock said BAI, which launched in October 2024, had more than $14 billion in assets as of Oct. 15.
Reuters reported that at least six AI-linked ETFs debuted in the month before Oct. 21, including funds focused on large language models and bonds from AI infrastructure companies. Separately, ETF.net reported that two existing robotics ETFs held 28 stocks in common but assigned them different weights.
“Robotics is a significant next phase of AI adoption,” Tony Kim, head of BlackRock’s Fundamental Equities Technology Team, said in the announcement. BlackRock cautions that a fund focused on a particular industry can face higher volatility or underperform the broader securities market.
Cboe listed a separate humanoid robotics ETF on Oct. 16, as EconoTimes previously reported.
