BlackRock launches RBTX, its first active robotics ETF

BlackRock has a new fund for investors who think the future involves a lot more robot arms. The firm launched the iShares Future Robotics and Related Technologies Active ETF on October 21, 2026, under the ticker RBTX. It is BlackRock’s first actively managed ETF built specifically around robotics. What RBTX actually holds, and who picks it The fund targets companies across the robotics value chain. That covers firms that develop robots, supply their components, service the machines and help businesses put automation to work. BlackRock frames the thesis around the growing overlap between artificial intelligence and the physical economy. Manufacturing and logistics are the sectors it highlights most. Two portfolio managers run the fund: Tony Kim and Reid Menge. Both sit on BlackRock’s Fundamental Equities Technology Team. That group oversees more than $50 billion in AI and technology investment strategies. Instead of passively mirroring an index, the managers choose which stocks go in and how much weight each gets. RBTX is measured against a benchmark, the MSCI ACWI Net index. The expense ratio is 0.65%, meaning an investor pays $6.50 a year for every $1,000 held. Shortly after its d...