RBC Global Asset Management Inc. launches ETF supporting companies that demonstrate a commitment towards women's leadership

TORONTO, March 8, 2018 /CNW/ - RBC Global Asset Management Inc. (RBC GAM Inc.) is pleased to announce the launch of the RBC Vision Women's Leadership MSCI Canada Index ETF (ticker: RLDR) which will begin trading today on the Aequitas NEO Exchange.

RBC Vision Women's Leadership MSCI Canada Index ETF aims to replicate the performance of the MSCI Canada IMI Women's Leadership Select Index, a broad Canadian equity markets index with a focus on companies domiciled in Canada that exhibit a commitment towards women leadership among their board of directors and executive leadership positions. The ETF has a management fee of 0.25%.

"As one of Canada's leading providers of investment solutions, we are excited about the addition of this investment solution to our ETF family," said Mark Neill, Head of RBC ETFs. "The RBC Vision Women's Leadership MSCI Canada Index ETF is the first ETF to join our suite of RBC Vision™ Funds. It also provides investors with a solution to align their investments with their values, while at the same time rewarding companies that are focused on women's leadership."

The RBC Vision™ Funds utilize exclusionary screens of socially responsible investing (SRI) criteria for each portfolio's holdings in order to determine each fund's investable universe.

"In 2017, RBC GAM joined a coalition of Canada's largest institutional investors known as the Canadian 30% Club Investor Group," said Judy Cotte, Vice-President and Head of Corporate Governance and Responsible Investment. "The Group's objective is to achieve a minimum of 30% women on the boards and at the executive management level of S&P/TSX Composite Index companies by the year 2022. We hope this new ETF will help bring greater focus to the issue of gender diversity at Canadian companies."

RBC GAM Inc. is pleased to announce OMERS as the lead investor of RLDR with a $100 million investment.

"OMERS was founded on the belief that 'together, we are stronger," said Satish Rai, Chief Investment Officer, OMERS Capital Markets. "That belief continues to guide us in our inclusion and diversity efforts. As proud signatories to the 30% Club, we value the opportunity to be the lead investor of the RBC Vision Women's Leadership MSCI Canada Index ETF."

The MSCI Canada IMI Women's Leadership Select Index is based on the MSCI Canada IMI Index and aims to include companies which are leaders in Canada in terms of female representation on boards and in executive leadership positions and have at least 30% female directors, or at least three female directors, or two female directors and one woman in a current executive leadership role. Additional criteria include that the company's percentage of female directors on the board must be greater than the average percentage of female directors on the board of all companies in the MSCI Canada IMI Index. The company also must have not faced severe structural controversies or severe ongoing diversity-related controversies.

For further information regarding RBC ETFs, please visit www.rbcgam.com/etfs.

Commissions, management fees and expenses all may be associated with investments in exchange-traded funds (ETF). Please read the prospectus or ETF Facts document before investing. ETFs are not guaranteed, their values change frequently and past performance may not be repeated. ETF units are bought and sold at market price on a stock exchange and brokerage commissions will reduce returns. RBC ETFs do not seek to return any predetermined amount at maturity. Index returns do not represent RBC ETF returns. RBC ETFs are managed by RBC Global Asset Management Inc., which is a member of the RBC GAM group of companies and an indirect wholly-owned subsidiary of Royal Bank of Canada.

The RBC ETF referred to herein is not sponsored, endorsed, or promoted by MSCI Inc., and MSCI Inc. bears no liability with respect to the RBC ETF or any index on which the RBC ETF is based. RBC Global Asset Management Inc. licenses the use of the MSCI index and is not affiliated with MSCI Inc. The RBC ETF's prospectus contains a more detailed description of the limited relationship MSCI Inc. has with RBC Global Asset Management Inc. and the RBC ETF.

About RBC Global Asset Management
RBC Global Asset Management (RBC GAM) is the asset management division of Royal Bank of Canada (RBC) and includes institutional money managers BlueBay Asset Management and Phillips, Hager & North Investment Management. RBC GAM is a provider of global investment management services and solutions to institutional, high-net-worth and individual investors through separate accounts, pooled funds, mutual funds, hedge funds, exchange-traded funds and specialty investment strategies. The RBC GAM group of companies manage approximately $425 billion in assets and have approximately 1,400 employees located across Canada, the United States, Europe and Asia.

SOURCE RBC Global Asset Management

Leah Commisso, RBC GAM Corporate Communications, 416-955-6498, [email protected]