Salt Financial Announces Collaboration with FTSE Russell on Risk-Managed Index Solutions

GREENWICH, Conn. and LONDON, Jan. 13, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Salt Financial, a leader in custom index design and risk analytics, today announced a collaboration with FTSE Russell, a global index provider, to create new custom indices for annuities, structured notes, and other risk-focused investment and retirement products.

The collaboration combines Salt's expertise in volatility-controlled and derivative-based index solutions with FTSE Russell's global lineup of leading benchmarks, index governance, and distribution. Together, the firms aim to address growing demand for annuity and investment products that balance growth potential with downside protection.

LIMRA reports that U.S. annuity sales reached a record $432.4 billion in 2024, while the structured products market in the U.S. expanded to $149.4 billion, a year-over-year increase of nearly 46%. Industry research further shows that risk mitigation and protection remain top priorities for investors, with high satisfaction levels among users of annuities and indexed products.

"These market signals make it clear: insurance carriers, investment banks, asset managers, and distributors need differentiated indices for the growing market for retirement and investment products with downside protection," said Tony Barchetto, CEO of Salt Financial. "By partnering with FTSE Russell, we can bring our innovative index design and analytics to a broader global audience, helping issuers deliver scalable index solutions for investors."

"FTSE Russell is excited to work with Salt Financial to explore new risk-controlled indices. This collaboration brings together Salt Financial's cutting-edge risk solutions and FTSE Russell's expertise in research and index construction and will help create highly differentiated engineered indices for use in the indexed annuity market," said Guillaume Flinois, Head of Engineered Product and Indices at FTSE Russell.

About Salt Financial

Salt Financial is a leading provider of index design and risk analytics solutions. Leveraging its patent-pending truVol® Risk Control Engine, Salt empowers clients with innovative, technology-driven approaches to risk management and performance enhancement. Over $7 billion in assets are linked to indices powered by Salt. Learn more at Salt Financial.

Selected Sources

• LIMRA: 2024 Retail Annuity Sales Power to a Record $432.4 Billion. Jan 28, 2025. LIMRA
• StructuredRetailProducts: US Market Review 2024 — market size and issuers breakdown (US structured notes market ~US$149.4bn in 2024). structuredretailproducts.com
• NAFA: Consumer/Fixed Annuity survey findings on risk mitigation and satisfaction. NAFA

SOURCE Salt Financial