NEW YORK, Aug. 11, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Aura ETFs Inc. (Aura), a newly formed exchange-traded fund (ETF) provider founded by seasoned ETF industry leader Rob Oliver, today announced the launch of the Aura AI Photonics ETF (PHOX) on New York Stock Exchange (NYSE).

Leveraging nearly two decades of ETF industry expertise, Aura is building a global ETF platform focused on innovative thematic and income strategies designed for modern portfolios. The firm aims to deliver targeted ETF solutions that combine institutional investment expertise with scalable design. PHOX represents Aura’s next ETF for US investors and joins DUTY, launched in April 2026, as the second addition to Aura’s growing thematic product lineup.

The Aura AI Photonics ETF (PHOX), with an expense ratio of 0.60%, provides investors with exposure to the companies involved in AI Photonics and seeks to track the performance, before fees and expenses, of the VettaFi AI Photonics Index. AI Photonics is the integration of light-based technologies (photonics) into artificial intelligence hardware to transmit data and perform calculations. By replacing traditional electrical copper connections with photons, AI Photonics overcome the severe bandwidth, latency and power consumption bottlenecks that currently limit the scaling of massive AI data centers.

”PHOX represents a truly innovative approach to AI photonics exposure in that it takes a global view, including Chinese and Taiwanese manufacturers that have been regularly excluded from ETFs offering exposure to the AI Photonics theme,” said Rob Oliver, Founder and CEO of Aura ETFs. “Additionally, PHOX highlights a structural shift in AI with many data centers relying increasingly on light instead of copper wire. While AI models may change weekly, the optical backbone underpinning AI data centers represents a long-term trend. PHOX is not the trade of the week, but, rather, reflective of a long-term foundational change in AI infrastructure.”

Artificial intelligence is driving a once-in-a-generation transformation of digital infrastructure, with data centers rapidly transitioning from traditional copper interconnects to optical networking to meet exponentially growing bandwidth, latency and power-efficiency demands. Unlike the AI application layer, where models, architectures and market leaders continue to evolve at a rapid pace, the shift toward photonic infrastructure represents a foundational, long-term structural trend underpinning the next generation of computing. The market for optical networking used in AI clusters is expected to grow from roughly $5 billion in 2024 to more than $10 billion by the end of this year, driven by AI infrastructure investment.1 As AI workloads continue to scale, the optical backbone enabling them is expected to remain a critical and enduring component of the global AI ecosystem.

Aura is led by Rob Oliver, Founder and CEO. He has over 17 years’ experience across asset and wealth management, specialising in ETFs and systematic investing. Rob previously held senior roles at J.P. Morgan, where he led the Beta and Systematic Strategies research team, and at Global X ETFs, where he was Head of Europe and built the European business from launch to a multi-billion dollar platform. He has also served on multiple regulated ETF and asset management company boards. Rob has experience across ETF structuring, product development, and fund governance.

About Aura ETFs

Aura ETFs is an ETF sponsor building a global platform focused on innovative thematic and income strategies for modern portfolios. The firm’s mission is to deliver ETF strategies with clear purpose, disciplined construction, and measurable outcomes. By combining institutional investment expertise with scalable ETF design, Aura seeks to provide investors with innovative strategies, dependable income solutions, and differentiated exposures designed for long-term investors.

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Important Information

Investors should consider the investment objectives, risks, charges, and expenses carefully before investing. For a prospectus or summary prospectus containing this and other information about the Fund, please call (888) 824-4467 or visit www.aura-etfs.com. Please read the prospectus or summary prospectus carefully before investing.

Investing involves risk, including possible loss of principal.

Optical and Photonic Companies Risk. The Fund invests in Optical and Photonic Companies, which may have limited product lines, markets, financial resources or personnel and are subject to the risks of changes in business cycles, world economic growth, technological progress and government regulation.

Sector and Industry Risk. To the extent the Index concentrates in the securities of a particular sector or industry or group of related industries, the Fund will concentrate its investments to approximately the same extent as the Index.

Passive Investment Risk. The Fund is not actively managed and does not attempt to outperform its Index or take defensive positions in declining markets.

Non-U.S. and Emerging Markets Risk. The Fund may invest in securities of non-U.S. issuers, including issuers located in emerging markets.

New Fund Risk. The Fund is a recently organized management investment company with no operating history. As a result, prospective investors do not have a track record or history on which to base their investment decisions.

Tracking Error Risk. As with all index funds, the performance of the Fund and its Index may differ from each other for a variety of reasons.

Non-Diversification Risk. Because the Fund is “non-diversified,” it may invest a greater percentage of its assets in the securities of a single issuer or a smaller number of issuers than if it was a diversified fund. As a result, a decline in the value of an investment in a single issuer or a smaller number of issuers could cause the Fund’s overall value to decline to a greater degree than if the Fund held a more diversified portfolio.

Distributed by Foreside Fund Services, LLC

1 Lightcounting: Ai Creates a New Wave in Demand for Optical Transceivers and Accelerates LPO/CPO Adoption, www.lightcounting.com/newsletter/en/january-2025-optics-for-ai-clusters-319.

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Source: Aura ETFs Inc.