Office address: 1 Congress Street, Suite 1, Boston, Massachusetts 02114
Website: ssga.com
Year established: 1978
Company type: financial services
Employees: 2,500+ (SSGA)
Expertise: asset management, ETFs, index funds, active strategies, retirement solutions, fixed income, equity, multi-asset, sustainable investing, risk management
Parent company: State Street Corporation
Key people: Yie-Hsin Hung (CEO), Lori Heinel (EVP), Jennifer Bender (global chief investment strategist), Olivia Engel (department head), Daniel Farley, Michael Solecki, and Matthew Steinaway (chief investment officers)
Financing status: corporation
State Street is an asset manager based in Boston, with about $5.5 trillion in assets. The firm offers ETFs, mutual funds, cash solutions, and investment strategies for institutional, professional, and individual investors. It is known for creating the first US ETF in 1993 and serves clients worldwide through its global scale and experience.
State Street Global Advisors (SSGA) is now called State Street Investment Management, which this profile will explore in detail.
State Street began in 1978 as the investment arm of State Street Bank. The firm first focused on equity index and cash solutions for institutional clients, including financial institutions and corporate pensions. Over time, it expanded its expertise and client base, which built a reputation for reliability and scale.
The 1980s brought new opportunities as the company attracted non-profits, insurance providers, and official institutions. The company soon added active quantitative strategies to better serve its growing list of clients. By the end of the decade, it had:
A turning point came in 1993 with the launch of the first US exchange-traded fund, in partnership with the American Stock Exchange. This new product made investing more accessible for many people and set the stage for more innovation.
The firm later introduced the first US mid-cap ETF, sector ETFs, and Asia ex-Japan’s first ETF. This showed a commitment to expanding investment options.
The 2000s and 2010s saw the company list ETFs in Europe and Australia and partner with the World Gold Council to launch the first US gold-backed ETF. In 2017, State Street commissioned the Fearless Girl statue on Wall Street, which became a symbol of women’s leadership and sparked global attention.
In recent years, it has formed partnerships with firms like Nuveen and Bridgewater to open new markets and increase access. In 2025, it rebranded from State Street Global Advisors to State Street Investment Management to reflect its growth and strategic goal.
That same year, State Street took a minority stake in Apex Fintech Solutions. The partnership will help develop a digital, globally scalable custody and clearing solution for advisors and clients.
State Street Investment Management offers a wide range of investment products and services for institutional, professional, and individual investors:
State Street Investment Management also offers tailored strategies, risk management tools, and global investment access. Its scale and experience help clients find solutions for a range of investment goals.
State Street says that its culture centers on collaboration and supporting employee growth through training and resources. The firm states that it aims to provide a forward-looking, employee-focused environment where people can build their skills and explore new paths.
State Street also highlights a range of benefits for staff and their families:
State Street values the unique perspectives of over 50,000 colleagues worldwide and promotes a culture of belonging. The company states that talent decisions are based on skills and experience, supporting equal opportunities in all global roles.
Yie-Hsin Hung is the president and CEO of State Street Investment Management. Before joining the firm, Hung was CEO at New York Life Investment Management, a global investment company. She holds an MBA from Harvard and a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from Northwestern University.
The global investment team leads State Street Investment Management with deep experience and specialized roles:
The leadership team brings global perspective and local insight into every decision. Their expertise helps drive the firm’s investment approach and client outcomes.
State Street Corporation appointed Joerg Ambrosius as president of Investment Services in 2024 to sharpen its client focus. The company expects his leadership to improve operations and strategy for clients in its largest business. The company sees this step as key to future growth and client value.
In 2025, SSGA launched the SPDR SSGA Apollo IG Public & Private Credit ETF (PRIV), giving retail investors new access to private credit markets. The fund uses a partnership with Apollo Global Management to address liquidity concerns and blends public and private investment-grade credit. This innovation may shape future ETF offerings and shows State Street’s focus on expanding investment options for clients.
It can be hard to keep direct-index portfolios from 'drifting' from their benchmark index as stocks are swapped in and out.
Instead of making decisions exclusively on its own, Vanguard will give individual investors in several equity index funds more options about how their shares are voted.
The deal combines North American and European businesses to create Nuveen Private Capital, a global debt platform with more than $60 billion in committed capital.
Americans age 18 and older anticipate they'll need $1.25 million to retire comfortably, a 20% spike since 2021.
As investors try to buy the bonds before the rate drops, they're reporting glitches in creating accounts and delays in loading pages on the Treasury website, along with long wait times when calling the helplines.
Advisers would have to step up due diligence and monitoring of third-party providers, potentially including those who provide portfolio management and indexing.
A report details unique needs and investing perspectives of women and estimates that failing to tailor products to their needs cost the industry about $14 billion last year.
The company continued to increase revenue per adviser despite the headwinds of the currently stormy stock market.
Guiding jittery clients through rough financial patches is one of the most important things advisers do, but they need to keep themselves from being emotionally drained by the effort.
The asset manager's initial lineup includes the Ultra Short Income and Tax-Aware Short Duration Municipal ETFs.
Research from State Street Global Advisors exposes a generational divide when it comes to seeking out financial advice.
Compared with general shareholder votes, defined-benefit programs were much more likely to support resolutions around ESG governance and worker protection.
The world's largest ETF, the $387 billion SPDR S&P 500 Trust, continues to fall victim to the trend as money managers gravitate to its lower-cost clone.
Firms are constrained by legacy technology stacks, and it's not easy for them to pivot and deliver the connected digital wealth experience their advisers want.
Fledgling ETF provider Strive Asset Management hopes to compete with BlackRock, Vanguard and State Street for proxy voting power.
