"The passive approach is what many of our clients seek," Wojnar said. "We always start by asking, what is the client's problem that we're trying to solve."
Investors in ETFs are often seeking the ability to sell quickly, making them more volatile compared with traditional buyers of corporate debt, such as pension plans and insurance companies, Rosiak said.
The key to the new funds' success "will be portfolio diversification and construction in a market that has historically has less liquidity than the domestic arena," he said.