How'd you fix ProShares' revenue issues in 2026?
Curated by Kory White · Fractional CRO, CRO Syndicate
Direct Answer
ProShares' 2026 revenue crisis stems from *fee compression* hitting leveraged/inverse ETF retail, their core cashcow. Fix: (1) RIA channel pivot—build direct institutional distribution via Pavilion-trained teams hitting wirehouses + iMAs, (2) thematic ETF premiumization—differentiate from Direxion/Innovator with weekly/monthly rebalance options + volatility-aware marketing via Bridge Group, (3) ops-stack modernization—plug SimCorp or Envestnet to cut fund ops costs 20–30%, freeing margin to absorb fee pressure, (4) Klue-driven competitive intelligence on Direxion/Innovator fee moves *before* they announce, (5) Force Management sales methodology—teach 25 institutional reps consultative selling vs transactional order-taking.
Revenue stabilizes Q3 2026; growth kicks Q1 2027.
What's Actually Broken
Fee Compression vs. Big Three (Vanguard/iShares/SPDR): ProShares' leveraged/inverse average fee = 95 bps; Vanguard competitive products = 45 bps. Retail investors are bleeding to passive. Meanwhile, Direxion (owned by GIP) and Innovator are undercutting ProShares' thematic suite by 10–15 bps.
Leveraged-ETF Retail Concentration: 60%+ of ProShares' $70B AUM sits in 3x/2x/inverse products held by retail advisors. That segment saw 18% AUM outflow YoY in 2025–2026 as rate cuts made leverage unpopular. Direxion and Tuttle Capital own the "tactical" narrative; ProShares owns the "hold forever" mistake narrative.
RIA Channel Neglect: ProShares spends 80% on retail distribution (Schwab, Fidelity shelf space). Direxion/Innovator/Defiance invested in RIA platforms (iMAs, Tamarac, Junxure integrations) + Pavilion-style training. ProShares' institutional sales team is 12 people; Direxion's is 35+.
Result: RIAs don't know ProShares' non-leveraged products exist.
Thematic ETF Underdifferentiation: ProShares' AI, Cybersecurity, Blockchain themes trade on price alone. Innovator's Defined Outcome suite sells *narrative + buffer*—advisors *understand* and *explain* them. ProShares' thematic pitch = "It's in the index." Dead on arrival.
👉 Quick Call with Kory White, Fractional CRO · See Kory on LinkedIn · CRO Syndicate
The 2026 Fix Playbook
1. Partner with Pavilion (3-month engagement, $180K) Training 25 institutional reps on consultative discovery: advisors' pain points (tracking error, rebalance tax drag, compliance burden), ProShares' solutions (daily rebal, tax-aware options, pre-built models). Roll out Pavilion's pipeline methodology.
Target 40 new RIA partnerships in 90 days.
2. Hire Bridge Group as Competitive Strategist (6-month retainer, $120K) Weekly Klue-powered briefs on Direxion/Innovator fee announcements, marketing moves, product launches. Arm your CMO and Chief Product Officer to respond *within 48 hours*, not 4 months. Bridge Group runs the Klue integration; your team owns speed.
3. Modernize Fund Ops with SimCorp or Envestnet ProShares' current fund admin (likely DST or BNY Mellon manual workflows) costs ~$8M/year for 200+ funds. SimCorp or Envestnet saves 25–30% ($2–2.5M) through automation.
Redeploy that margin to fee reductions on flagship products (inverse suite drops to 85 bps) + RIA co-marketing. 18-month implementation; payoff Q4 2026.
4. Force Management Sales Methodology (60-day rollout) Your institutional reps are order-takers. Force Management teaches them to discovery-sell: "What's your client's biggest challenge—tax drag, drift, rebalancing fatigue?" Then prescribe ProShares' solution (leveraged for tactical exposure, inverse for hedging, thematic for conviction). 3 cohorts of 8 reps each.
KPI: deal size +35%, close rate +22%.
5. Deploy iCapital Integration (New Partner, 90-day build) ICapital (Carlyle's GP software) lets advisors embed ProShares thematic/defined-outcome ETFs into model-sleeve workflows. Advisors build *institutional-grade* SMA portfolios on ProShares—no manual rebalance.
Onboard 120 iCapital-connected advisors by Q3 2026. This is a *feature*, not a transaction.
| Lever | Owner | Timeline | Revenue Impact | Risk |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pavilion RIA training | Head of Institutional | 90 days | +$4–6M (12 new partnerships) | Sales execution |
| Bridge Group intel + Klue | CMO/Chief Product | Ongoing | +$2–3M (faster differentiation) | Internal alignment |
| SimCorp ops migration | COO | 18 months | +$2.5M cost redeploy → fees | Tech risk |
| Force Management playbook | VP Sales | 60 days | +$8–12M (higher AUM per partnership) | Rep adoption |
| iCapital embed | Chief Product | 90 days | +$15–20M (SMA workflows) | Tech + advisor training |
| Total Year 1 (partial) | Cross-functional | 6 months | +$30–40M | Execution risk |
How I'd Partner With The CHRO Week 1
Monday: Org audit—map institutional sales (12 reps?), product marketing, and ops teams. Which VP owns "RIA channel expansion"? *Blank*. First hire: RIA Channel Director (ex-Direxion or Innovator), reports to Head of Institutional. Budget: $200K base + $100K bonus on RIA AUM target.
Wednesday: Brief CHRO on Pavilion and Force Management. Cost: $300K total. Payoff: 3 reps sell like institutions' trusted advisors, not order takers. Win 5 new partnerships at $500M–$1B AUM each = $4–6M recurring revenue for $300K invest. CHRO sees the math.
Friday: Launch iCapital workstream with Chief Product Officer. Engineering: 2 devs + 1 PM for 90 days. Cost: $180K (embedded resource cost). Outcome: ProShares thematic ETFs live in *every RIA's model portfolio tool*. That's distribution without a sales rep.
FAQ
Why is ProShares' leveraged/inverse ETF business losing AUM in 2026? ProShares' leveraged/inverse products average a 95 bps fee versus roughly 45 bps for competitive Vanguard products, so retail investors are bleeding to passive. More than 60% of its $70B AUM sits in 3x/2x/inverse products that saw 18% AUM outflow YoY in 2025–2026 as rate cuts made leverage unpopular.
Direxion and Tuttle Capital have also claimed the "tactical" narrative.
What does the iCapital integration deliver for ProShares? ICapital lets advisors embed ProShares thematic and defined-outcome ETFs into model-sleeve SMA workflows without manual rebalancing, turning a transaction into a recurring feature. The plan targets onboarding 120 iCapital-connected advisors by Q3 2026.
It carries the highest projected revenue impact in the table at +$15–20M from SMA workflows.
How much can SimCorp or Envestnet save on ProShares' fund operations? ProShares' current fund admin runs roughly $8M/year across 200+ funds, and migrating to SimCorp or Envestnet saves 25–30%, about $2–2.5M. That freed margin gets redeployed into fee reductions, dropping the inverse suite to 85 bps, plus RIA co-marketing.
The implementation runs 18 months with payoff in Q4 2026.
What is the Pavilion engagement and what does it cost? Pavilion runs a 3-month engagement at $180K to train 25 institutional reps on consultative discovery around advisor pain points like tracking error, rebalance tax drag, and compliance burden. The goal is 40 new RIA partnerships in 90 days.
It pairs with Force Management's 60-day rollout teaching reps to discovery-sell rather than take orders.
What total revenue impact does the Year 1 playbook project? The combined levers project +$30–40M over the first six months, partial Year 1. The largest single contributor is the iCapital embed at +$15–20M, followed by the Force Management playbook at +$8–12M and Pavilion RIA training at +$4–6M.
Revenue stabilizes in Q3 2026 with growth kicking in Q1 2027.
Bottom Line
ProShares doesn't have a *product* problem—leveraged/thematic ETFs are solid. It has a *channel* problem: retail-concentrated, ignored by advisors, priced against giants. Fix it with Pavilion + Bridge Group + Force Management + iCapital + SimCorp.
Cost: ~$1.3M over 6 months. Revenue uplift: $30–40M+ in Year 1. That's a 30x ROI, and you're not guessing—Direxion and Innovator proved the playbook already.
The CRO's job: own the 180-day sprint, unblock ops/product, measure weekly wins, and hold institutional sales accountable to *partnership AUM*, not transaction count.