Milan, 09/09/2024 — Maurizio Prianni, CEO of the Excellence Group on Affari&Finanza  – the insert of the newspaper Repubblica – intervenes on the topic of ETFs.

Journalist Adriano Bonafede focuses on Exchange Traded Funds, low-cost financial instruments that could be an ideal solution for small savers, but which in Italy are rarely recommended by banks and financial advisors. Despite their diffusion in Europe, where in July they reached 1,900 billion in assets under management, and their accessibility through trading platforms, ETFs still do not find the same attention they receive in other markets, such as the US one.

The central issue is the lack of adequate consultancy to support savers in the allocation of their investments in ETFs. In Italy, in fact, there are over 1,900 ETFs listed on the stock exchange, which makes it difficult for an average saver to understand which instruments are best suited to their needs. As Maurizio Primanni, CEO of Gruppo Excellence, underlines, «There is a need for consultancy on ETFs because there are many of these products. In Italy there are 1907 listed on the stock exchange. They are simple products but the risks are there and when the markets turn there can be real bloodbaths.” The point is that, even if many savers choose to operate independently, they often lack the financial knowledge necessary to effectively manage these products.

The risk is that, without adequate consultancy, even instruments considered low cost could become a trap for those who are not sufficiently prepared to face market risks. This is particularly true in Italy, where, according to recent data, financial culture is still quite poor.