Sprott and HANetf to launch Europe’s first Junior Uranium Miners UCITS ETF

• HANetf is partnering with Sprott Asset Management for the fourth time to launch Europe’s first Junior Uranium Miners ETF[1], focused on smaller uranium miners, selected for their exposure to the global growth of nuclear power.
• Sprott Junior Uranium Miners UCITS ETF (URNJ) will list on LSE, Xetra and Borsa Italiana in February 2024 and track the Nasdaq Sprott Junior Uranium Miners™ Index.

• The US-listed version of the ETF has gathered $344 million in AuM since its launch in February 2023.

• HANetf and Sprott first partnered to launch Sprott Uranium Miners UCITS ETF (ticker: URNM), which has become Europe’s largest uranium-focused ETF, gathering over $300 million in AUM. The US listed version is currently at over $1.96 billion AUM.

URNJ is designed to offer investors pure-play exposure to junior uranium mining stocks, set to benefit from the global growth of nuclear power. In contrast to URNM, URNJ focuses on small and mid-size uranium miners that may have the potential to outperform in the near future. The US-listed version of URNJ has had strong success in the US, gathering $344 million in AUM.

Nuclear energy is on the rise as it offers reliable, low-carbon power. At COP28 in December 2023, 22 countries, including the United States, Canada, France, Japan, and the United Kingdom, launched the Declaration to Triple Nuclear Energy at COP28. The declaration is a commitment to increase nuclear energy capacity threefold by 2050.

With this growth of nuclear power, the current uranium supply and demand imbalance is likely to grow. Demand for uranium will likely outstrip supply as countries initiate nuclear reactor restarts and new builds and rethink the shutdown of legacy reactors.

Given global clean energy requirements and a positive shift in the view toward nuclear energy, new and developmental-stage uranium miners may stand to benefit.

Sprott Junior Uranium Miners UCITS ETF is set to be the fourth ETF that HANetf and Sprott Asset Management have launched together, following Sprott Uranium Miners UCITS ETF (ticker: URNM), Sprott Energy Transition Materials UCITS ETF (ticker: SETM) and Sprott Copper Miners ESG Screened UCITS ETF (CPPR).

URNM was launched in 2022, and provides exposure to uranium miners as well as physical uranium. The fund is Europe’s leading uranium-focused ETF, exceeding $340m AUM. URNM has a US-listed sister ETF, Sprott Uranium Miners ETF, with $1.96 billion AUM, and also invests in Sprott Physical Uranium Trust, which has $6.35 billion AUM.

SETM was launched in March 2023 and provides exposure to the companies that are providing the critical materials needed for the global clean energy transition, such as rare earths, silver, copper, lithium, nickel, manganese, cobalt, and graphite. CPPR, launched in December 2023, focuses on the essential role that copper will play in the energy transition, with ESG-screening.

John Ciampaglia, CEO of Sprott Asset Management, comments:“We are pleased to extend our partnership with HANetf and respond to the growing investor requests for this ETF in Europe. With the price for uranium reaching $100 lb., the highest since 2007, junior uranium miners are well positioned to capitalise on the current bull market. Utilities are expected to accelerate their purchases of uranium and in response a number of junior uranium miners are restarting idle mines. Capital is also returning to the sector for the development and exploration of new uranium mines which will be crucial to address the long-term primary supply deficit as the world pivots back to nuclear energy to lower carbon emissions, strengthen energy security and reliability.”

Hector McNeil, Co-Founder and Co-CEO of HANetf comments:“Uranium prices have surged over the past year, entering a new bull market as the indispensable role of nuclear power in the energy transition becomes apparent. Investor interest has steadily risen, as shown by the extraordinary growth of URNM. But missing from Europe until now has been a small and mid cap uranium miners focused ETF. We have seen a flood of enquiries from investors asking if we are bringing a Junior Uranium Mining ETF to the European market. We are very proud to be launching Europe’s first Junior Uranium Mining UCITS ETF and even more proud to be doing so in partnership with Sprott Asset Management, who are real leaders in the uranium investment space.

As Europe’s first, leading, and largest white label ETF provider we really enjoy working with industry leaders and sector experts like Sprott. Clearly, they are experts in the Uranium and natural resources industries and have developed significant and unique IP over the years. Working with HANetf they can successfully bring this IP to European and Global investors who want to use the UCITS wrapper without putting boots on the ground in Europe in a time and cost efficient manner.”