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Organization and Description of Business
12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2015
Accounting Policies [Abstract]  
Organization and Description of Business

1. Organization and Description of Business

WisdomTree Investments, Inc., through its global subsidiaries (collectively, “WisdomTree” or the “Company”), is an exchange traded product (“ETP”) sponsor and asset manager headquartered in New York. WisdomTree offers ETPs covering equity, fixed income, currency, alternative and commodity asset classes. The Company has the following operating subsidiaries:

 

    WisdomTree Asset Management, Inc. (“WTAM”) is a New York based investment adviser registered with the SEC providing investment advisory and other management services to the WisdomTree Trust (“WTT”) and WisdomTree exchange traded funds (“ETFs”).

 

    Boost Management Limited (“BML” or “Boost”) is a Jersey based investment manager providing investment and other management services to Boost Issuer PLC (“BI”) and Boost ETPs.

 

    WisdomTree Europe Limited (“WisdomTree Europe”) is a U.K. based company registered with the Financial Conduct Authority providing management and other services to BML and WisdomTree Management Limited.

 

    WisdomTree Management Limited (“WTML”) is an Ireland based investment manager providing investment and other management services to WisdomTree Issuer plc (“WTI”) and WisdomTree UCITS ETFs.

 

    WisdomTree Japan K. K. (“WTJ”) is a Japan based company that is registered as a Type 1 Financial Instruments Business with the Kanto Local Finance Bureau of Japan’s Ministry of Finance and serves the institutional market selling U.S. listed WisdomTree ETFs in Japan.

The WisdomTree ETFs are issued in the U.S. by WTT. WTT, a non-consolidated third party, is a Delaware statutory trust registered with the SEC as an open-end management investment company. The Company has licensed to WTT the use of certain of its own indexes on an exclusive basis for the WisdomTree ETFs in the U.S. The Boost ETPs are issued by BI. BI, a non-consolidated third party, is a public limited company organized in Ireland. The WisdomTree UCITS ETFs are issued by WTI. WTI, a non-consolidated third party, is a public limited company organized in Ireland.

The Board of Trustees and Board of Directors of WTT, BI and WTI, respectively, are separate from the Board of Directors of the Company. The Trustees and Directors of WTT, BI and WTI respectively, are primarily responsible for overseeing the management and affairs of the WisdomTree ETFs, Boost ETPs and the WisdomTree UCITS ETFs for the benefit of the WisdomTree ETF, Boost ETP and the WisdomTree UCITS ETF shareholders, respectively, and have contracted with the Company to provide for general management and administration services. The Company, in turn, has contracted with third parties to provide the majority of these administration services. In addition, certain officers of the Company provide general management services for WTT, BI and WTI.