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As investors continue to seek income, diversification, and capital efficiency, the traditional boundaries between public and private markets are beginning to blur. ETFs—once viewed as vehicles primarily for passive equity and bond exposure—are rapidly evolving to deliver access to traditionally hard-to-reach segments of the market. This discussion will explore how the ETF wrapper is “breaking the mold” by opening the door to alternative exposures—particularly asset-backed finance and private investment-grade credit—while still maintaining daily liquidity, transparency, and operational simplicity.

Michael Riggs is a Senior Strategist with State Street Investment Management Global SPDR Business. He serves as a subject matter expert in ETFs and portfolio construction. In this capacity he performs economic and market research used to generate strategic and tactical investment opportunities across asset classes. Prior to his current role, Michael managed a team of analysts responsible for attribution and analytical reporting for State Streets institutional clients. Michael holds an MBA from the University of Massachusetts Amherst and a Bachelor of Science degree from Bridgewater State College. He maintains the Certified Investment Management Analyst (CIMA®) designation and also holds the FINRA Series 7 and 63 licenses.

Dhruv Vyas, CFA – Principal, New Markets, Apollo | Mr. Vyas joined Apollo in 2020 and is a Principal in the New Markets group, where he is focused on increasing access to private assets through strategic partnerships with asset managers. Prior to his current role, Mr. Vyas was a member of the Financial Institutions Group at Apollo, where he made direct investments in financial services firms. He previously held a similar role at Pine Brook Partners and began his career at Barclays. Mr. Vyas graduated from the Ivey Business School with a BA in Business Administration and a BMSc from the Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry (both at the University of Western Ontario). Mr. Vyas is also a CFA charterholder.