Built to serve clients’ interests
Strong heritage of driving down costs
Our structure (1) and scale mean we have a history of reducing fees globally. In Europe, we’ve delivered more than 70 fee reductions across our funds and ETFs in the last 10 years (2). Since our entry into the European market, we have seen significant fee reductions by other asset managers to stay competitive (3).
History of smart disruption
Vanguard has helped reshape the investment landscape – from launching the world’s first index mutual fund for individual investors in 1976, to offering the first funds tracking bond and international indices.
25 years of advocating for quality advice
We believe in the value of advice and support advisers with comprehensive products and services like our Advisory Research Centre, Vanguard 365 and Model Portfolio Service. It’s also the 25th anniversary of Adviser’s Alpha, a framework which has been helping advisers articulate their value for decades.
Our past inspires our future
Vanguard leverages the scale, experience and resources of its well-established global business for investors across Europe, with offices in Amsterdam, Dublin, Frankfurt, London, Milan, Paris and Zurich.
Here’s a quick look at the past 50 years that brought us to where we are today:
1975: The Vanguard Group is founded in the US
It begins with a revolutionary idea: Treat all investors fairly and give them the best chance of investment success.
1976: Vanguard introduces the first index fund
Offers lower costs and broad diversification to investors.
1981: Inception of Vanguard’s Fixed Income Group
The opening of Vanguard’s in-house fixed income fund management company reduces the firm’s reliance on external fund managers - and the fees that come with them.
1990: First international stock index fund
Vanguard introduces the fund industry’s first international stock index fund, which provides diversified exposure to non-US markets through a single index.
1998: The start of Vanguard Europe
The firm launches the Vanguard Investments Series plc, consisting of four Ireland-domiciled funds.
2001: Launch of new range of ETFs
We begin offering ETFs as exchange-traded share classes of Vanguard funds in the US. This unique and patented approach leverages the size and scale of existing index funds to bring lower-cost entries to the ETF market.
2009: New European headquarters
Our London office opens to provide portfolio management, marketing and operational support to the European offices. It also spurs “The Vanguard Effect,” with local competition forced to respond to our low expense ratios.
2011: LifeStrategy fund range launches in the UK
LifeStrategy has been providing value to advisers and their clients for more than 10 years.
2016: Launch of four low-cost actively managed funds in the UK
We launch four low-cost UK-domiciled actively managed funds to help improve investors’ odds of success over the long term.
2024: Launch of Adviser Research Centre
Vanguard launches the Advisory Research Centre, a support service for advisers and investors in continental Europe and the UK.
2025: Vanguard celebrates 50 years
For decades of partnership, passion and conviction, we thank you.
(1) The Vanguard Inc. (VGI) is owned by Vanguard’s US-domiciled mutual funds and ETFs. While VGI’s ownership structure can’t be replicated outside of the US (due to regulatory restrictions), this structure aligns Vanguard’s interests with those of our investors globally.
(2) Source. Vanguard, February 2025.
(3) Source: Broadridge, January 2025. All funds & ETFs, domiciled in France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Switzerland, Spain and UK. Fund of funds excluded; Money Market included. Calculations based on weighted assets and only on available TER data (2001 – 2025).
“We have done something far more important than merely building a name; we have built a reputation - a reputation for service, for investment value, and for business integrity.”
Founder of Vanguard
Investment risk information
The value of investments, and the income from them, may fall or rise and investors may get back less than they invested.
Important information
For professional investors only (as defined under the MiFID II Directive) investing for their own account (including management companies (fund of funds) and professional clients investing on behalf of their discretionary clients). In Switzerland for professional investors only. Not to be distributed to the public.
The information contained herein is not to be regarded as an offer to buy or sell or the solicitation of any offer to buy or sell securities in any jurisdiction where such an offer or solicitation is against the law, or to anyone to whom it is unlawful to make such an offer or solicitation, or if the person making the offer or solicitation is not qualified to do so. The information does not constitute legal, tax, or investment advice. You must not, therefore, rely on it when making any investment decisions.
The information contained herein is for educational purposes only and is not a recommendation or solicitation to buy or sell investments.
Issued in EEA by Vanguard Group (Ireland) Limited which is regulated in Ireland by the Central Bank of Ireland.
Issued in Switzerland by Vanguard Investments Switzerland GmbH.
Issued by Vanguard Asset Management, Limited which is authorised and regulated in the UK by the Financial Conduct Authority.
© 2025 Vanguard Group (Ireland) Limited. All rights reserved.
© 2025 Vanguard Investments Switzerland GmbH. All rights reserved.
© 2025 Vanguard Asset Management, Limited. All rights reserved.