Agentic AI ETFs Launch in South Korea as Investors Eye Anthropic IPO [Lee Su's ETF Zoom In]

Agentic AI ETFs launch amid expectations for an Anthropic listing

NH-Amundi Asset Management to list 'HANARO US Agentic AI TOP2+' in September

Samsung Asset Management set to launch 'KODEX US AI Agent Active'

South Korea's ETF market made history in the first half of this year as net assets reached 500 trillion won ($361.3 billion). Leveraged ETFs tied to Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix, listed at the end of May, drew attention from global stock markets. ETFs, once seen as supplementary investment tools, have now become core investment products. ETF Zoom In takes a closer look at the increasingly complex ETF market. [Editor's note]

ETFs tied to agentic AI are rolling out as investors look ahead to a potential listing by artificial intelligence startup Anthropic. Following NH-Amundi Asset Management's launch last month, Samsung Asset Management is set to introduce an agentic AI-themed ETF next week. Both firms' products could add Anthropic if the company goes public, drawing investor attention.

According to the financial investment industry on Oct. 10, Samsung Asset Management plans to list the KODEX US AI Agent Active on Oct. 13. The active ETF invests in key U.S. companies poised to benefit from the spread of AI agents. Its strategy is to respond quickly to market trends and seek returns above its benchmark as competition for leadership in the AI agent market intensifies.

KODEX US AI Agent Active could add Anthropic if the company lists. Han Dong-hoon, a manager at Samsung Asset Management, said the ETF's active structure allows newly listed stocks to be added immediately at the manager's discretion. Specific inclusion methods and portfolio weights will be decided after considering factors such as the stock's upside and market conditions.

The ETF uses the Indxx US AI Agents Index as its benchmark. Major constituents of that index include Meta, which has drawn attention with the recent success of its AI agent Muse, as well as Palantir and Palo Alto Networks. Actual holdings after listing may differ somewhat from the benchmark and can change depending on market conditions.

Han said the spread of AI agents would first boost revenue and profit for related companies, then lead to new business opportunities and added value. Samsung aims to identify companies that stand to benefit on both fronts and maximize investment returns through the ETF, he added.

NH-Amundi Asset Management earlier listed the HANARO US Agentic AI TOP2+ on Sept. 15. The passive ETF invests in 10 companies listed in the U.S. that are tied to agentic AI and its supporting technology ecosystem. Its key feature is concentrated exposure, with the top two companies holding foundation models each weighted at 25%.

HANARO US Agentic AI TOP2+ could also add Anthropic if the company goes public. Under the index methodology, a newly listed company with high thematic relevance can be specially included without waiting for a regular rebalance. The asset manager said AI startups such as Anthropic and OpenAI could be added to the portfolio if they meet eligibility requirements following a review by the index committee.

As of Oct. 8, the most recent trading day, the ETF held Microsoft at 23.59%, Alphabet Class A at 21.65%, Meta at 11.16%, Amazon.com at 8.38%, CrowdStrike Holdings at 5.99%, Dell Technologies at 5.84%, Datadog at 5.40%, Palo Alto Networks at 5.20%, Arista Networks at 4.99% and Snowflake at 4.70%.

Kim Seung-cheol, head of ETF investments at NH-Amundi Asset Management, said now is the right time to invest ahead of a full-fledged productivity overhaul driven by agentic AI. HANARO US Agentic AI TOP2+ offers concentrated exposure to core foundation-model companies while also capturing the related infrastructure ecosystem in a single product, he said.

Brokerages say the market is undergoing a paradigm shift from conversational AI to agentic AI.

Kim Jin-young, an analyst at Kiwoom Securities, said conventional generative AI was largely limited to organizing answers to questions, while agentic AI is a next-generation system that can make its own decisions and carry out tasks to achieve a goal. The key shift, he said, is that the question of whether AI infrastructure spending can be recouped has given way to a framework in which computing power translates directly into revenue.

He added that AI is now completing tasks that previously required hundreds to thousands of hours of human work, linking higher computing demand directly to return on investment through lower costs and higher revenue. U.S. corporate AI adoption has also risen to about 55.7%, more than double the earlier estimate of 21.6%, suggesting deployment is entering an expansion phase.

Anthropic, meanwhile, is accelerating its listing plans. Bloomberg reported that the company plans to hold an investor presentation on Oct. 14 and begin IPO marketing around Nov. 9. Its goal is to list in mid-November and start trading before Thanksgiving on Nov. 26.

Lee Su, Hankyung.com reporter 2su@hankyung.com