Barclays Global Investors has launched four new bond exchange-traded funds. But that's not what makes the news unique.

Already the leader in terms of bond ETFs in the U.S. market, BGI is continuing to expand its iShares brand to Europe. The latest products will be listed on the London Stock Exchange. The San Francisco-based provider says it's opening new funds overseas "in response to overwhelming demand from investors" for a greater range of exposure to bond markets in Europe.

The new London-listed ETFs are:

• The iShares Barclays Euro Aggregate Bond, which provides exposure to a basket of euro-denominated investment-grade bonds. Those include securitized bonds and corporate bonds.
• The iShares Barclays Euro Corporate Bond, which provides exposure to a diversified basket of euro-denominated investment-grade corporate bonds. The fund contains euro-denominated corporate bonds that have been issued from all over the world.
• The iShares Barclays Euro Treasury Bond 0-1, which provides exposure to a diversified basket of euro-denominated government bonds with maturities ranging from 0-12 months.
• The iShares Citigroup Global Government Bond, which provides broad international exposure to some 500 government bonds issued by the G7 countries.

Alex Claringbull, an iShares fixed-income portfolio manager, says the new launches will help fill out and complement the existing iShares Euro corporate ETF lineup.

"There are attractive opportunities in the corporate bond market with spreads at record highs relative to government bonds, and we see that investors are looking for low-cost, transparent and efficient ways to take advantage of this," he said in a statement.