Capital Group history
OUR HISTORY
We trace our roots back to the Great Depression and the Dust Bowl. Our founder, Jonathan Bell Lovelace, was an investing pioneer whose emphasis on fundamental research continues to guide us. Through periods of prosperity and uncertainty, market bubbles and declines, we’ve always put investors first.
Here’s a brief look at our history and some of Capital Group’s pioneering endeavors:
1931
Capital Group is founded in Los Angeles by Jonathan Bell Lovelace.
1934
We assume management of The Investment Company of America® (ICA), the first of what would become the American Funds® family of mutual funds.
1943
Our New York office opens.
1944
ICA's headquarters move to Los Angeles.
1950
We determine to sell American Funds only through financial professionals — we still believe in the value of advice.
1953
An investment in Royal Dutch Petroleum makes Capital Group one of the first U.S.-based firms to invest outside North America.
1958
The Capital System™, our approach to portfolio management, is established.
1962
Our first office outside the U.S. opens in Geneva.
1965
Associates in our Geneva office create the Capital International indices (now known as the Morgan Stanley Capital International S.A. indices) — the first set of stock market indices for non-U.S. markets.
1968
We begin managing the assets of large institutional clients and also establish a recordkeeping company to service shareholders of American Funds.
1974
We begin serving high net worth investors through a group now known as Capital Group Private Client Services.
1978
We begin managing non-U.S. assets for U.S.-based institutional clients.
1979
Our London office opens.
1982
Our Tokyo office opens, followed by Hong Kong in 1983 and Singapore in 1989.
1983
We open our first dedicated service center for American Funds shareholders in Southern California. Today, we operate service centers in San Antonio, TX; Norfolk/Virginia Beach, VA; Indianapolis, IN; and Irvine, CA.
1986
We begin managing an emerging markets growth fund, a vehicle for institutions to invest in developing nations — the first of its kind.
1987
American Funds acquires its 1 millionth shareholder.
1997
We launch americanfunds.com.
2000
We begin offering investment management services for individuals in Canada.
2002
American Funds and the Commonwealth of Virginia launch CollegeAmerica® 529 college savings plans, offering 21 American Funds and five share classes.
2003
We begin offering investment management services for individuals in Europe.
2008—2009
We expand our emerging markets' reach when we open offices in two new locations: Mumbai, India, and Beijing, China (which moved to Shanghai in 2020).
2011
Our first permanent office in Sydney, Australia, opens.
2012
The American Funds® Portfolio Series of eight objective-based funds of funds is introduced.
2013
We open a Luxembourg office. Sales offices open in Milan and Zurich.
2014
Our Private Equity team establishes an office in São Paolo (since closed). A sales office opens in Madrid.
2015
American Funds’ proprietary recordkeeping platform surpasses 1 million participants. A sales office opens in Frankfurt.
2016
American Funds introduces three new bond funds. Capital Ideas launches, providing investment knowledge and strategic insights for financial professionals and intermediaries.
2017
We launch two new Capital Group funds in Luxembourg.
2018
Capital Group ranked in the top 40 biggest brands in the European asset management industry* as recognized by financial intermediaries. We launch ABLEAmerica® accounts and Target Date Collective Investment Trusts (CITs).
The Human Rights Campaign (HRC) awards Capital Group a 100% score for recognition of our workplace inclusion policies and practices.
*Schekman, Eddy. "Capital Group is One of the Fastest Growing European Brands According to the Fund Brand 50 Report from Mackay Williams" (The Asset, March 26, 2018).
2020
We launch an ESG (environmental, social and governance) data platform, Ethos, allowing the systematic integration of third-party and proprietary ESG information across the business.
2021
Capital Group celebrates 90 years of helping clients reach their financial goals.
2022
Capital Group launches its first active, transparent exchange-traded funds† (ETFs) on the New York Stock Exchange.
† Features of transparent ETFs: Holdings are disclosed daily, which potentially allows for tighter bid/ask spreads compared with other active ETF structures. They have the ability to invest in fixed income securities as well as non-U.S. securities. (American Depository Receipts aren’t required by the structure.)
Investments are not FDIC-insured, nor are they deposits of or guaranteed by a bank or any other entity, so they may lose value.
Investors should carefully consider investment objectives, risks, charges and expenses.
This and other important information is contained in the fund prospectuses and summary prospectuses, which can be obtained from a financial professional and should be read carefully before investing.
Capital Group manages equity assets through three investment groups. These groups make investment and proxy voting decisions independently. Fixed income investment professionals provide fixed income research and investment management across the Capital organization; however, for securities with equity characteristics, they act solely on behalf of one of the three equity investment groups.
All Capital Group trademarks mentioned are owned by The Capital Group Companies, Inc., an affiliated company or fund. All other company and product names mentioned are the property of their respective companies.
Use of this website is intended for U.S. residents only.
Capital Client Group, Inc.
This content, developed by Capital Group, home of American Funds, should not be used as a primary basis for investment decisions and is not intended to serve as impartial investment or fiduciary advice.