VanEck Partners With Vestmark for Custom Models
Major ETF player VanEck will launch custom model portfolios through a strategic partnership with wealthtech firm Vestmark.
The models will feature VanEck’s suite of ETF, mutual fund and thematic investment strategies and be available through Vestmark’s UMA, with Vestmark’s platform providing overlay and tax management tools. VanEck will also subsidize the implementation costs for financial advisors seeking access to its models through the Vestmark UMA.
“Together with Vestmark, we’re proud to provide advisors with an intuitive, tax-aware model portfolio solution that combines VanEck’s investment expertise with Vestmark’s powerful technology infrastructure,” Kol Estreicher, head of VanEck’s RIA channel, said in a statement. “This collaboration gives advisors the tools they need to efficiently deliver tailored portfolios that reflect each client’s goals.”
Asset managers have been increasingly launching custom model portfolios, often incorporating a mix of public and private investment strategies, as they’ve gained popularity with advisors. Research firm Morningstar estimates that assets in custom model portfolios have grown by almost 50% between mid-year 2023 and September 2024, to $125 billion.
Broadridge Financial Solutions reported that as of the first quarter of 2025, model portfolios comprised over 86% of fee-based business for retail intermediaries. To stay up with the trend, over the past year and a half, Vestmark helped launch custom model portfolios for Fidelity and alternative asset manager BlackRock on its platform, among others. In October, Vestmark also expanded its partnership with alternative investment platform CAIS, combining its UMA structure with CAIS’s access to private funds.
“We’re honored to partner with VanEck to empower financial advisors with the technology and flexibility needed to deliver truly customized, tax-optimized portfolios,” Vestmark CEO Karl Roessner said in a statement. “Together, we’re enabling advisors to offer differentiated solutions that align with the increasingly personalized expectations of today’s investors.”