The online trading platform will, through its stockbroking arm, offer ETF investment portfolios to clients in the UK.

London-listed IG Group has partnered with BlackRock to launch exchange-traded fund portfolios.

The portfolios, available through the group's stockbroking platform, will be launched next year for UK investors.

Clients will be able to choose from a range of ETF-based investment portfolios built by IG Group using model portfolios from BlackRock.

The launch comes as part of IG Group's efforts to broaden its offering to appeal to sophisticated investors and active traders, the platform said.

“The global ETF market is currently growing at a rate of 20 per cent per annum and while this growth has traditionally been driven by the use of ETFs as individual building blocks, we are seeing a growing number of integrated ETF-based model portfolios that provide investors with a low cost, transparent, and flexible way to invest,” said BlackRock’s co-head of sales for iShares EMEA, Michael Gruener.

“While the availability of ETFs and ETF-based portfolios through platforms is still limited in the UK compared to many other European countries, solutions like the IG Model Portfolios are instrumental to raising awareness and understanding of ETFs within the market,” Gruener continued.

IG Group also announced yesterday that its chief executive, Tim Howkins, will be stepping down to retire. The group's current chief operating officer, Peter Hetherington, will take the reins as interim chief executive, subject to regulatory approval.