text:
VANECK®
Africa Index ETF AFK®
Brazil Small-Cap ETF BRF®
Egypt Index ETF EGPT®
India Growth Leaders ETF GLIN
Indonesia Index ETF IDX®
Israel ETF ISRA™
Russia ETF RSX®
Russia Small-Cap ETF RSXJ®
Vietnam ETF VNM®
Principal U.S. Listing Exchange for AFK, BRF, EGPT, GLIN, IDX and ISRA:
NYSE Arca, Inc.
Principal U.S. Listing Exchange for RSX, RSXJ and VNM:
Cboe BZX Exchange, Inc.
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC") has not approved or disapproved these securities or passed upon the accuracy or adequacy of this Prospectus. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.
800.826.2333 vaneck.com
VanEck Africa Index ETF
VanEck Brazil Small-Cap ETF
VanEck Egypt Index ETF
VanEck India Growth Leaders ETF
VanEck Indonesia Index ETF
VanEck Israel ETF
VanEck Russia ETF
VanEck Russia Small-Cap ETF
VanEck Vietnam ETF
Summary Information about Purchases and Sales of Fund Shares, Taxes and Payments to Broker-Dealers and Other Financial Intermediaries
Additional Information About the Funds' Investment Strategies and Risks
Tax Advantaged Product Structure
Portfolio Holdings
Management of the Funds
Index Providers
MVIS® GDP Africa Index
MVIS® Brazil Small-Cap Index
MVIS® Egypt Index
MarketGrader India All-Cap Growth Leaders Index
MVIS® Indonesia Index
BlueStar Israel Global Index®
MVIS® Russia Index
MVIS® Russia Small-Cap Index
MVIS® Vietnam Index
License Agreements and Disclaimers
Premium/Discount Information
VANECK® AFRICA INDEX ETF
VanEck® Africa Index ETF1 (the "Fund") seeks to replicate as closely as possible, before fees and expenses, the price and yield performance of the MVIS® GDP Africa Index (the "Africa Index").
FUND FEES AND EXPENSES
The following tables describe the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy, hold and sell shares of the Fund ("Shares"). You may pay other fees, such as brokerage commissions and other fees to financial intermediaries, which are not reflected in the tables and examples below.
Shareholder Fees (fees paid directly from your investment)
Annual Fund Operating Expenses
(expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)
Management Fee 0.50 %
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses(a)
Fee Waivers and Expense Reimbursement(a)
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waivers and Expense Reimbursement(a)
(a) Van Eck Associates Corporation (the "Adviser") has agreed to waive fees and/or pay Fund expenses to the extent necessary to prevent the operating expenses of the Fund (excluding acquired fund fees and expenses, interest expense, trading expenses, taxes and extraordinary expenses) from exceeding 0.78% of the Fund's average daily net assets per year until at least May 1, 2023. During such time, the expense limitation is expected to continue until the Fund's Board of Trustees acts to discontinue all or a portion of such expense limitation.
EXPENSE EXAMPLE
This example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Fund with the cost of investing in other funds. This example does not take into account brokerage commissions that you pay when purchasing or selling Shares of the Fund.
The example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then sell or hold all of your Shares at the end of those periods. The example also assumes that your investment has a 5% annual return and that the Fund's operating expenses remain the same (except that the example incorporates the fee waivers and/or expense reimbursement arrangement for only the first year). Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions, your costs would be:
YEAR EXPENSES
10 $954
PORTFOLIO TURNOVER
The Fund will pay transaction costs, such as commissions, when it purchases and sells securities (or "turns over" its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover will cause the Fund to incur additional transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when Fund Shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in annual fund operating expenses or in the example, may affect the Fund's performance. During the most recent fiscal year, the Fund's portfolio turnover rate was 37% of the average value of its portfolio.
PRINCIPAL INVESTMENT STRATEGIES
The Fund normally invests at least 80% of its total assets in securities that comprise the Fund's benchmark index. The Africa Index includes securities of African companies. African companies generally include local listings of companies that are incorporated in Africa and listings of companies incorporated outside of Africa but that have at least 50% of their revenues/related assets in Africa.
1Prior to September 1, 2021, the Fund's name was VanEck Vectors® Africa Index ETF.
Such companies may include small- and medium-capitalization companies. Subject to country and issuer limitations, the country weightings in the Africa Index are based on their relative gross domestic product ("GDP") weights as compared to all other countries represented in the Africa Index. As of December 31, 2021, the Africa Index included 76 securities of companies with a market capitalization range of between approximately $1.12 billion and $67.5 billion and a weighted average market capitalization of $12.56 billion. These amounts are subject to change. The Fund's 80% investment policy is non-fundamental and may be changed without shareholder approval upon 60 days' prior written notice to shareholders.
The Fund, using a "passive" or indexing investment approach, attempts to approximate the investment performance of the Africa Index by investing in a portfolio of securities that generally replicates the Africa Index. Unlike many investment companies that try to "beat" the performance of a benchmark index, the Fund does not try to "beat" the Africa Index and does not seek temporary defensive positions that are inconsistent with its investment objective of seeking to replicate the Africa Index.
The Fund may concentrate its investments in a particular industry or group of industries to the extent that the Africa Index concentrates in an industry or group of industries. As of December 31, 2021, each of the financials, basic materials and communication services sectors represented a significant portion of the Fund.
PRINCIPAL RISKS OF INVESTING IN THE FUND
Investors in the Fund should be willing to accept a high degree of volatility in the price of the Fund's Shares and the possibility of significant losses. An investment in the Fund involves a substantial degree of risk. An investment in the Fund is not a deposit with a bank and is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency. Therefore, you should consider carefully the following risks before investing in the Fund, each of which could significantly and adversely affect the value of an investment in the Fund.
Special Risk Considerations of Investing in African Issuers. Investments in securities of African issuers, including issuers outside of Africa that generate significant revenues from Africa, involve risks and special considerations not typically associated with investments in the U.S. securities markets. Such heightened risks include, among others, expropriation and/or nationalization of assets, restrictions on and government intervention in international trade, confiscatory taxation, political instability, including authoritarian and/or military involvement in governmental decision making, armed conflict, terrorism, infectious disease outbreak, strained international relations related to border disputes, the impact on the economy as a result of civil war, and social instability as a result of religious, ethnic and/or socioeconomic unrest and, in certain countries, genocidal warfare. Unanticipated political or social developments may result in sudden and significant investment losses. Additionally, Africa is located in a part of the world that has historically been prone to natural disasters, such as droughts, and is economically sensitive to environmental events.
The securities markets in Africa are underdeveloped and are often considered to be less correlated to global economic cycles than those markets located in more developed countries or geographic regions. A subset of African emerging market countries are considered to be "frontier markets." Frontier market countries generally have smaller economies and less developed capital markets than traditional emerging markets, and, as a result, the risks of investing in emerging market countries are magnified in frontier market countries. As a result, securities markets in Africa are subject to greater risks associated with market volatility, lower market capitalization, lower trading volume, illiquidity, inflation, greater price fluctuations, uncertainty regarding the existence of trading markets, governmental control and heavy regulation of labor and industry. There may also be a high concentration of trading volume in a small number of issuers, investors and financial intermediaries representing a limited number of sectors or industries. Moreover, trading on securities markets may be suspended altogether.
Certain economies in African countries depend to a significant degree upon exports of primary commodities such as agricultural products, gold, silver, copper, diamonds and oil. These economies therefore are vulnerable to changes in commodity prices, which in turn may be affected by a variety of factors.
Certain governments in Africa may restrict or control to varying degrees the ability of foreign investors to invest in securities of issuers located or operating in those countries. These restrictions and/or controls may at times limit or prevent foreign investment in securities of issuers located or operating in countries in Africa. Moreover, certain countries in Africa may require governmental approval or special licenses prior to investments by foreign investors and may limit the amount of investments by foreign investors in a particular industry and/or issuer and may limit such foreign investment to a certain class of securities of an issuer that may have less advantageous rights than the classes available for purchase by domiciliaries of those countries and/or impose additional taxes on foreign investors. These factors, among others, make investing in issuers located or operating in countries in Africa significantly riskier than investing in issuers located or operating in more developed countries, and any one of them could cause a decline in the value of the Fund's Shares.
There may be a risk of loss due to the imposition of restrictions on repatriation of capital invested. In addition, certain African countries have currencies pegged to the U.S. dollar. If such currency pegs are abandoned, such abandonment could cause sudden and significant currency adjustments, which could impact the Fund's investment returns in those countries. There may be limitations or delays in the convertibility or repatriation of certain African currencies, which would adversely affect the U.S. dollar value and/or liquidity of the Fund's investments denominated in such African currencies, may impair the Fund's ability to achieve its investment objective and/or may impede the Fund's ability to satisfy redemption requests in a timely manner. For these or other reasons, the Fund could seek to suspend redemptions of Creation Units (defined herein), including in the event that an emergency
exists in which it is not reasonably practicable for the Fund to dispose of its securities or to determine its net asset value ("NAV"). The Fund could also, among other things, limit or suspend creations of Creation Units. During the period that creations or redemptions are affected, the Fund's shares could trade at a significant premium or discount to their NAV. In the case of a period during which creations are suspended, the Fund could experience substantial redemptions, which may exacerbate the discount to NAV at which the Fund's shares trade, cause the Fund to experience increased transaction costs, and cause the Fund to make greater taxable distributions to shareholders of the Fund. When the Fund holds illiquid investments, its portfolio may be harder to value.
Special Risk Considerations of Investing in South African Issuers. Investments in securities of South African issuers involve risks and special considerations not typically associated with investments in the U.S. securities markets. South Africa's economy exhibits characteristics of both a developed country and a developing country and has historically experienced extremely uneven distribution of wealth and income and high rates of unemployment. The securities markets in South Africa are subject to greater risks associated with market volatility, lower market capitalization, lower trading volume, illiquidity, inflation, greater price fluctuations, uncertainty regarding the existence of trading markets, governmental control and heavy regulation of labor and industry. In addition, South Africa's currency has at times been at risk of devaluation due to inadequate foreign currency reserve. While economic reforms have been enacted in recent periods, there can be no assurance that these reforms will achieve the intended results. Furthermore, adverse social and economic conditions in a neighboring country may have a significant adverse effect on South Africa. Additionally, the agriculture and mining sectors of South Africa's economy account for a large portion of its exports, and thus the South African economy is susceptible to fluctuations in these commodity markets. South Africa is located in a part of the world that has historically been prone to natural disasters, such as droughts, and is economically sensitive to environmental events. Any such event may adversely impact South Africa's economy or business operations of companies in South Africa, causing an adverse impact on the value of the Fund.
Risk of Investing in Foreign Securities. Investments in the securities of foreign issuers involve risks beyond those associated with investments in U.S. securities. These additional risks include greater market volatility, the availability of less reliable financial information, higher transactional and custody costs, taxation by foreign governments, decreased market liquidity and political instability. Because certain foreign securities markets may be limited in size, the activity of large traders may have an undue influence on the prices of securities that trade in such markets. The Fund invests in securities of issuers located in countries whose economies are heavily dependent upon trading with key partners. Any reduction in this trading may have an adverse impact on the Fund's investments.
Risk of Investing in Emerging and Frontier Market Issuers. Most African countries are considered to be emerging and/or "frontier" markets. Frontier market countries generally have smaller economies and less developed capital markets than traditional emerging markets, and, as a result, the risks of investing in frontier market countries are magnified. Investments in securities of emerging and frontier market issuers are exposed to a number of risks that may make these investments volatile in price or difficult to trade. Emerging and/or frontier markets are more likely than developed markets to experience problems with the clearing and settling of trades, as well as the holding of securities by local banks, agents and depositories. Political risks may include unstable governments, nationalization, restrictions on foreign ownership, laws that prevent investors from getting their money out of a country and legal systems that do not protect property rights as well as the laws of the United States. Market risks may also include economies that concentrate in only a few industries, securities issues that are held by only a few investors, liquidity issues and limited trading capacity in local exchanges and the possibility that markets or issues may be manipulated by foreign nationals who have inside information.
Foreign Currency Risk. Because all or a portion of the income received by the Fund from its investments and/or the revenues received by the underlying issuer will generally be denominated in foreign currencies, the Fund's exposure to foreign currencies and changes in the value of foreign currencies versus the U.S. dollar may result in reduced returns for the Fund, and the value of certain foreign currencies may be subject to a high degree of fluctuation. Moreover, the Fund may incur costs in connection with conversions between U.S. dollars and foreign currencies.
Risk of Investing in Depositary Receipts. The Fund may invest in depositary receipts which involve similar risks to those associated with investments in foreign securities. Depositary receipts are receipts listed on U.S. or foreign exchanges issued by banks or trust companies that entitle the holder to all dividends and capital gains that are paid out on the underlying foreign shares. Investments in depositary receipts may be less liquid than the underlying shares in their primary trading market and, if not included in the Africa Index, may negatively affect the Fund's ability to replicate the performance of the Africa Index. The issuers of depositary receipts may discontinue issuing new depositary receipts and withdraw existing depositary receipts at any time, which may result in costs and delays in the distribution of the underlying assets to the Fund and may negatively impact the Fund's performance and the Fund's ability to replicate/track the performance of its Index.
Risk of Investing in the Financials Sector. The Fund will be sensitive to, and its performance will depend to a greater extent on, the overall condition of the financials sector. Companies in the financials sector may be subject to extensive government regulation that affects the scope of their activities, the prices they can charge and the amount of capital they must maintain. The profitability of companies in the financials sector may be adversely affected by increases in interest rates, by loan losses, which usually increase in economic downturns, and by credit rating downgrades. In addition, the financials sector is undergoing numerous changes, including continuing consolidations, development of new products and structures and changes to its
regulatory framework. Furthermore, some companies in the financials sector perceived as benefitting from government intervention in the past may be subject to future government-imposed restrictions on their businesses or face increased government involvement in their operations. Increased government involvement in the financials sector, including measures such as taking ownership positions in financial institutions, could result in a dilution of the Fund's investments in financial institutions.
Risk of Investing in the Basic Materials Sector. The Fund will be sensitive to, and its performance will depend to a greater extent on, the overall condition of the basic materials sector. Companies engaged in the production and distribution of basic materials may be adversely affected by changes in world events, political and economic conditions, energy conservation, environmental policies, commodity price volatility, changes in exchange rates, imposition of import controls, increased competition, depletion of resources and labor relations.
Risk of Investing in the Communication Services Sector. The Fund will be sensitive to, and its performance will depend to a greater extent on, the overall condition of the communication services sector. Companies in the communication services sector may be affected by industry competition, substantial capital requirements, government regulations and obsolescence of communications products and services due to technological advancement.
Risk of Investing in Small- and Medium-Capitalization Companies. Small- and medium-capitalization companies may be more volatile and more likely than large-capitalization companies to have narrower product lines, fewer financial resources, less management depth and experience and less competitive strength. In addition, these companies often have greater price volatility, lower trading volume and less liquidity than larger more established companies. Returns on investments in securities of small- and medium-capitalization companies could trail the returns on investments in securities of large-capitalization companies.
Risk of Cash Transactions. Unlike other exchange-traded funds ("ETFs"), the Fund expects to effect its creations and redemptions at least partially for cash, rather than wholly for in-kind securities. Therefore, it may be required to sell portfolio securities and subsequently incur brokerage costs and/or recognize gains or losses on such sales that the Fund might not have recognized if it were to distribute portfolio securities in kind. As such, investments in Shares may be less tax-efficient than an investment in a conventional ETF.
Equity Securities Risk. The value of the equity securities held by the Fund may fall due to general market and economic conditions, perceptions regarding the markets in which the issuers of securities held by the Fund participate, or factors relating to specific issuers in which the Fund invests. Equity securities are subordinated to preferred securities and debt in a company's capital structure with respect to priority in right to a share of corporate income, and therefore will be subject to greater dividend risk than preferred securities or debt instruments. In addition, while broad market measures of equity securities have historically generated higher average returns than fixed income securities, equity securities have generally also experienced significantly more volatility in those returns, although under certain market conditions fixed income securities may have comparable or greater price volatility.
Market Risk. The prices of the securities in the Fund are subject to the risks associated with investing in the securities market, including general economic conditions, sudden and unpredictable drops in value, exchange trading suspensions and closures and public health risks. These risks may be magnified if certain social, political, economic and other conditions and events (such as natural disasters, epidemics and pandemics, terrorism, conflicts and social unrest) adversely interrupt the global economy; in these and other circumstances, such events or developments might affect companies world-wide. An investment in the Fund may lose money.
Operational Risk. The Fund is exposed to operational risk arising from a number of factors, including, but not limited to, human error, processing and communication errors, errors of the Fund's service providers, counterparties or other third parties, failed or inadequate processes and technology or system failures.
Index Tracking Risk. The Fund's return may not match the return of the Africa Index for a number of reasons. For example, the Fund incurs a number of operating expenses, including taxes, not applicable to the Africa Index and incurs costs associated with buying and selling securities, especially when rebalancing the Fund's securities holdings to reflect changes in the composition of the Africa Index, or (to the extent the Fund effects creations and redemptions for cash) raising cash to meet redemptions or deploying cash in connection with newly created Creation Units, which are not factored into the return of the Africa Index. Transaction costs, including brokerage costs, will decrease the Fund's NAV to the extent not offset by the transaction fee payable by an Authorized Participant ("AP"). Market disruptions and regulatory restrictions could have an adverse effect on the Fund's ability to adjust its exposure to the required levels in order to track the Africa Index. Errors in the Africa Index data, the Africa Index computations and/or the construction of the Africa Index in accordance with its methodology may occur from time to time and may not be identified and corrected by the Africa Index provider for a period of time or at all, which may have an adverse impact on the Fund and its shareholders. Shareholders should understand that any gains from the Africa Index provider's errors will be kept by the Fund and its shareholders and any losses or costs resulting from the Africa Index provider's errors will be borne by the Fund and its shareholders. When the Africa Index is rebalanced and the Fund in turn rebalances its portfolio to attempt to increase the correlation between the Fund's portfolio and the Africa Index, any transaction costs and market exposure arising from such portfolio rebalancing will be borne directly by the Fund and its shareholders. The Fund may not be fully invested at times either as
a result of cash flows into the Fund (if the Fund effects creations and redemptions for cash) or reserves of cash held by the Fund to meet redemptions or pay expenses. Apart from scheduled rebalances, the Africa Index provider or its agents may carry out additional ad hoc rebalances to the Africa Index. Therefore, errors and additional ad hoc rebalances carried out by the Africa Index provider or its agents to the Africa Index may increase the costs to and the tracking error risk of the Fund. In addition, the Fund may not be able to invest in certain securities included in the Africa Index, or invest in them in the exact proportions in which they are represented in the Africa Index. The Fund's performance may also deviate from the return of the Africa Index due to legal restrictions or limitations imposed by the governments of certain countries, certain listing standards of the Fund's listing exchange (the "Exchange"), a lack of liquidity on stock exchanges in which such securities trade, potential adverse tax consequences or other regulatory reasons or legal restrictions or limitations (such as diversification requirements). Additionally, the Fund may not invest in certain securities included in the Africa Index due to limitations or delays in the convertibility or repatriation of local currencies. The Fund may value certain of its investments, underlying securities, underlying currencies and/or other assets based on fair value prices. To the extent the Fund calculates its NAV based on fair value prices and the value of the Africa Index is based on securities' closing prices on local foreign markets (i.e., the value of the Africa Index is not based on fair value prices), the Fund's ability to track the Africa Index may be adversely affected. In addition, any issues the Fund encounters with regard to currency convertibility (including the cost of borrowing funds, if any) and repatriation may also increase the index tracking risk. In addition, any issues the Fund encounters with regard to currency convertibility (including the cost of borrowing funds, if any) and repatriation may also increase the index tracking risk. When markets are volatile, the ability to sell securities at fair value prices may be adversely impacted and may result in additional trading costs and/or increase the index tracking risk. The Fund may also need to rely on borrowings to meet redemptions, which may lead to increased expenses. For tax efficiency purposes, the Fund may sell certain securities, and such sale may cause the Fund to realize a loss and deviate from the performance of the Africa Index. In light of the factors discussed above, the Fund's return may deviate significantly from the return of the Africa Index. Changes to the composition of the Africa Index in connection with a rebalancing or reconstitution of the Africa Index may cause the Fund to experience increased volatility, during which time the Fund's index tracking risk may be heightened.
Authorized Participant Concentration Risk. The Fund may have a limited number of financial institutions that act as APs, none of which are obligated to engage in creation and/or redemption transactions. To the extent that those APs exit the business, or are unable to or choose not to process creation and/or redemption orders, and no other AP is able to step forward to create and redeem, there may be a significantly diminished trading market for Shares or Shares may trade like closed-end funds at a greater discount (or premium) to NAV and possibly face trading halts and/or de-listing. The AP concentration risk may be heightened in scenarios where APs have limited or diminished access to the capital required to post collateral.
No Guarantee of Active Trading Market. While Shares are listed on the Exchange, there can be no assurance that an active trading market for the Shares will be maintained. Further, secondary markets may be subject to irregular trading activity, wide bid/ask spreads and extended trade settlement periods in times of market stress because market makers and APs may step away from making a market in the Shares and in executing creation and redemption orders, which could cause a material deviation in the Fund's market price from its NAV.
Trading Issues. Trading in Shares on the Exchange may be halted due to market conditions or for reasons that, in the view of the Exchange, make trading in Shares inadvisable. In addition, trading in Shares on the Exchange is subject to trading halts caused by extraordinary market volatility pursuant to the Exchange's "circuit breaker" rules. There can be no assurance that the requirements of the Exchange necessary to maintain the listing of the Fund will continue to be met or will remain unchanged.
Passive Management Risk. An investment in the Fund involves risks similar to those of investing in any fund invested in equity securities traded on an exchange, such as market fluctuations caused by such factors as economic and political developments, changes in interest rates and perceived trends in security prices. However, because the Fund is not "actively" managed, unless a specific security is removed from the Africa Index, the Fund generally would not sell a security because the security's issuer was in financial trouble. Additionally, unusual market conditions may cause the Africa Index provider to postpone a scheduled rebalance or reconstitution, which could cause the Africa Index to vary from its normal or expected composition. Therefore, the Fund's performance could be lower than funds that may actively shift their portfolio assets to take advantage of market opportunities or to lessen the impact of a market decline or a decline in the value of one or more issuers.
Fund Shares Trading, Premium/Discount Risk and Liquidity of Fund Shares. The market price of the Shares may fluctuate in response to the Fund's NAV, the intraday value of the Fund's holdings and supply and demand for Shares. The Adviser cannot predict whether Shares will trade above, below, or at their most recent NAV. Disruptions to creations and redemptions, the existence of market volatility or potential lack of an active trading market for Shares (including through a trading halt), as well as other factors, may result in Shares trading at a significant premium or discount to NAV or to the intraday value of the Fund's holdings. If a shareholder purchases Shares at a time when the market price is at a premium to the NAV or sells Shares at a time when the market price is at a discount to the NAV, the shareholder may pay significantly more or receive significantly less than the underlying value of the Shares that were bought or sold or the shareholder may be unable to sell his or her Shares. The securities held by the Fund may be traded in markets that close at a different time than the Exchange. Liquidity in those securities may be reduced after the applicable closing times. Accordingly, during the time when the Exchange is open but after the applicable market closing, fixing or settlement times, bid/ask spreads on the Exchange and the resulting premium or discount to the Shares' NAV may widen. Additionally, in stressed market conditions, the market for the Fund's Shares may
become less liquid in response to deteriorating liquidity in the markets for the Fund's underlying portfolio holdings. There are various methods by which investors can purchase and sell Shares. Investors should consult their financial intermediaries before purchasing or selling Shares of the Fund.
Concentration Risk. The Fund's assets may be concentrated in a particular sector or sectors or industry or group of industries to the extent the Africa Index concentrates in a particular sector or sectors or industry or group of industries. To the extent that the Fund is concentrated in a particular sector or sectors or industry or group of industries, the Fund will be subject to the risk that economic, political or other conditions that have a negative effect on those sectors and/or industries may negatively impact the Fund to a greater extent than if the Fund's assets were invested in a wider variety of sectors or industries.
The bar chart that follows shows how the Fund performed for the calendar years shown. The table below the bar chart shows the Fund's average annual returns (before and after taxes). The bar chart and table provide an indication of the risks of investing in the Fund by comparing the Fund's performance from year to year and by showing how the Fund's average annual returns for the one year, five year, ten year and/or since inception periods, as applicable, compared with the Fund's benchmark index and a broad measure of market performance. Prior to June 24, 2013, the Fund sought to replicate as closely as possible, before fees and expenses, the price and yield performance of the Dow Jones Titans IndexSM (the "Prior Index"). Therefore, performance information prior to June 24, 2013 reflects the performance of the Fund while seeking to track the Prior Index. All returns assume reinvestment of dividends and distributions. The Fund's past performance (before and after taxes) is not necessarily indicative of how the Fund will perform in the future. Updated performance information is available online at www.vaneck.com.
Annual Total Returns (%)—Calendar Years
Best Quarter: 28.52% 2Q 2020
Worst Quarter: -37.33% 1Q 2020
Average Annual Total Returns for the Periods Ended December 31, 2021
The after-tax returns presented in the table below are calculated using the highest historical individual federal marginal income tax rates and do not reflect the impact of state and local taxes. Your actual after-tax returns will depend on your specific tax situation and may differ from those shown below. After-tax returns are not relevant to investors who hold Shares of the Fund through tax-deferred arrangements, such as 401(k) plans or individual retirement accounts.
One Year Past
Five Years Past
VanEck Africa Index ETF (return before taxes) 3.69% 3.60% 0.54%
VanEck Africa Index ETF (return after taxes on distributions) 2.45% 2.57% -0.35%
VanEck Africa Index ETF (return after taxes on distributions
and sale of Fund Shares) 2.64% 2.59% 0.26%
MVIS GDP Africa Index (reflects no deduction for fees, expenses
or taxes, except withholding taxes)* 4.63% 4.83% 1.83%
S&P 500® Index (reflects no deduction for fees, expenses or taxes)
28.71% 18.47% 16.55%
*Prior to June 24, 2013, the Fund sought to replicate as closely as possible, before fees and expenses, the price and yield performance of the Prior Index. Therefore, performance information prior to June 24, 2013 reflects the performance of the Fund while seeking to track the Prior Index. Prior to June 24, 2013, index data reflects that of the Prior Index. From June 24, 2013, the index data reflects that of the Africa Index.
See "License Agreements and Disclaimers" for important information.
Investment Adviser. Van Eck Associates Corporation.
Portfolio Managers. The following individuals are primarily and jointly responsible for the day-to-day management of the Fund's portfolio:
Name Title with Adviser Date Began Managing the Fund
Peter H. Liao Portfolio Manager July 2008
Guo Hua (Jason) Jin Portfolio Manager March 2018
PURCHASE AND SALE OF FUND SHARES
For important information about the purchase and sale of Fund Shares, tax information and payments to broker-dealers and other financial intermediaries, please turn to the "Summary Information About Purchases and Sales of Fund Shares, Taxes and Payments to Broker-Dealers and Other Financial Intermediaries" section of this Prospectus.
VANECK® BRAZIL SMALL-CAP ETF
VanEck® Brazil Small-Cap ETF1 (the "Fund") seeks to replicate as closely as possible, before fees and expenses, the price and yield performance of the MVIS® Brazil Small-Cap Index (the "Brazil Small-Cap Index").
The Fund normally invests at least 80% of its total assets in securities that comprise the Fund's benchmark index. The Brazil Small-Cap Index includes securities of Brazilian small-capitalization companies. A company is generally considered to be a Brazilian company if it is incorporated in Brazil or is incorporated outside of Brazil but has at least 50% of its revenues/related
1Prior to September 1, 2021, the Fund's name was VanEck Vectors® Brazil Small-Cap ETF.
assets in Brazil. As of December 31, 2021, the Brazil Small-Cap Index included 99 securities of companies with a market capitalization range of between approximately $0.23 billion and $2.19 billion and a weighted average market capitalization of $0.96 billion. These amounts are subject to change. The Fund's 80% investment policy is non-fundamental and may be changed without shareholder approval upon 60 days' prior written notice to shareholders.
The Fund, using a "passive" or indexing investment approach, attempts to approximate the investment performance of the Brazil Small-Cap Index by investing in a portfolio of securities that generally replicates the Brazil Small-Cap Index. Unlike many investment companies that try to "beat" the performance of a benchmark index, the Fund does not try to "beat" the Brazil Small-Cap Index and does not seek temporary defensive positions that are inconsistent with its investment objective of seeking to replicate the Brazil Small-Cap Index.
The Fund may concentrate its investments in a particular industry or group of industries to the extent that the Brazil Small-Cap Index concentrates in an industry or group of industries. As of December 31, 2021, each of the consumer discretionary, industrials, consumer staples and utilities sectors represented a significant portion of the Fund.
Special Risk Considerations of Investing in Brazilian Issuers. Investments in securities of Brazilian issuers, including issuers located outside of Brazil that generate significant revenues from Brazil, involve risks and special considerations not typically associated with investments in the U.S. securities markets. The Brazilian economy has been characterized by frequent, and occasionally drastic, interventions by the Brazilian government, including the imposition of wage and price controls, exchange controls, limiting imports, blocking access to bank accounts and other measures. The Brazilian government has often changed monetary, taxation, credit, trade and other policies to influence the core of Brazil's economy. Actions taken by the Brazilian government concerning the economy may have significant effects on Brazilian companies and on market conditions and prices of Brazilian securities. Such governmental actions to control inflation and affect other economic policies have involved, among others, setting of wage and price controls, blocking access to bank accounts, adjusting of the base interest rates, imposing exchange controls and limiting imports into Brazil. Brazil's economy may be subject to sluggish economic growth due to, among other things, weak consumer spending, political turmoil, high rates of inflation and low commodity prices. Brazil suffers from chronic structural public sector deficits. The Brazilian government has privatized certain entities, which have suffered losses due to, among other things, the inability to adjust to a competitive environment.
The market for Brazilian securities is directly influenced by the flow of international capital, and economic and market conditions of certain countries, especially emerging market countries. As a result, adverse economic conditions or developments in other emerging market countries have at times significantly affected the availability of credit in the Brazilian economy and resulted in considerable outflows of funds and declines in the amount of foreign currency invested in Brazil.
Investments in Brazilian securities may be subject to certain restrictions on foreign investment. Brazilian law provides that whenever a serious imbalance in Brazil's balance of payments exists or is anticipated, the Brazilian government may impose temporary restrictions on the remittance to foreign investors of the proceeds of their investment in Brazil and on the conversion of the Brazilian real into foreign currency.
Brazil has historically experienced high rates of inflation and a high level of debt, each of which may constrain economic growth. Brazil suffers from high levels of corruption, crime and income disparity. The Brazilian economy is also heavily dependent upon commodity prices and international trade. Unanticipated political or social developments may result in sudden and significant investment losses. An increase in prices for commodities, such as petroleum, the depreciation of the Brazilian real and future governmental measures seeking to maintain the value of the Brazilian real in relation to the U.S. dollar, may trigger increases in inflation in Brazil and may slow the rate of growth of the Brazilian economy. Conversely, appreciation of the Brazilian real relative to the U.S. dollar may lead to the deterioration of Brazil's current account and balance of payments as well as limit the growth of exports.
Risk of Investing in Emerging Market Issuers. Investments in securities of emerging market issuers are exposed to a number of risks that may make these investments volatile in price or difficult to trade. Emerging markets are more likely than
developed markets to experience problems with the clearing and settling of trades, as well as the holding of securities by local banks, agents and depositories. Political risks may include unstable governments, nationalization, restrictions on foreign ownership, laws that prevent investors from getting their money out of a country and legal systems that do not protect property rights as well as the laws of the United States. Market risks may also include economies that concentrate in only a few industries, securities issues that are held by only a few investors, liquidity issues and limited trading capacity in local exchanges and the possibility that markets or issues may be manipulated by foreign nationals who have inside information. The frequency, availability and quality of financial information about investments in emerging markets varies. The Fund has limited rights and few practical remedies in emerging markets and the ability of U.S. authorities to bring enforcement actions in emerging markets may be limited, and the Fund's passive investment approach does not take account of these risks. All of these factors can make emerging market securities more volatile and potentially less liquid than securities issued in more developed markets.
Risk of Investing in Depositary Receipts. The Fund may invest in depositary receipts which involve similar risks to those associated with investments in foreign securities. Depositary receipts are receipts listed on U.S. or foreign exchanges issued by banks or trust companies that entitle the holder to all dividends and capital gains that are paid out on the underlying foreign shares. Investments in depositary receipts may be less liquid than the underlying shares in their primary trading market and, if not included in the Brazil Small-Cap Index, may negatively affect the Fund's ability to replicate the performance of the Brazil Small-Cap Index. The issuers of depositary receipts may discontinue issuing new depositary receipts and withdraw existing depositary receipts at any time, which may result in costs and delays in the distribution of the underlying assets to the Fund and may negatively impact the Fund's performance and the Fund's ability to replicate/track the performance of its Index.
Risk of Investing in the Consumer Discretionary Sector. The Fund will be sensitive to, and its performance will depend to a greater extent on, the overall condition of the consumer discretionary sector. The consumer discretionary sector comprises companies whose businesses are sensitive to economic cycles, such as manufacturers of high-end apparel and automobile and leisure companies. Companies engaged in the consumer discretionary sector are subject to fluctuations in supply and demand. These companies may also be adversely affected by changes in consumer spending as a result of world events, political and economic conditions, commodity price volatility, changes in exchange rates, imposition of import controls, increased competition, depletion of resources and labor relations.
Risk of Investing in the Industrials Sector. The Fund will be sensitive to, and its performance will depend to a greater extent on, the overall condition of the industrials sector. The industrials sector comprises companies who produce capital goods used in construction and manufacturing, such as companies that make and sell machinery, equipment and supplies that are used to produce other goods. Companies in the industrials sector may be adversely affected by changes in government regulation, world events and economic conditions. In addition, companies in the industrials sector may be adversely affected by environmental damages, product liability claims and exchange rates.
Risk of Investing in the Consumer Staples Sector. The Fund will be sensitive to, and its performance will depend to a greater extent on, the overall condition of the consumer staples sector. The consumer staples sector comprises companies whose businesses are less sensitive to economic cycles, such as manufacturers and distributors of food and beverages and producers of non-durable household goods and personal products. Companies in the consumer staples sector may be adversely affected by changes in the worldwide economy, consumer spending, competition, demographics and consumer preferences, exploration and production spending. Companies in this sector are also affected by changes in government regulation, world events and economic conditions.
Risk of Investing in the Utilities Sector. The Fund will be sensitive to, and its performance will depend to a greater extent on, the overall condition of the utilities sector. Companies in the utilities sector may be adversely affected by changes in exchange rates, domestic and international competition, difficulty in raising adequate amounts of capital and governmental limitation on rates charged to customers.
Risk of Investing in Micro-Capitalization Companies. Micro-capitalization companies are subject to substantially greater risks of loss and price fluctuations because their earnings and revenues tend to be less predictable (and some companies may be experiencing significant losses), and their share prices tend to be more volatile and their markets less liquid than companies with larger market capitalizations. The shares of micro-capitalization companies tend to trade less frequently than those of larger, more established companies, which can adversely affect the pricing of these securities and the future ability to sell those securities.
Risk of Investing in Small-Capitalization Companies. Small-capitalization companies may be more volatile and more likely than medium- and large-capitalization companies to have narrower product lines, fewer financial resources, less management depth and experience and less competitive strength. In addition, these companies often have greater price volatility, lower trading
volume and less liquidity than larger more established companies. Returns on investments in securities of small-capitalization companies could trail the returns on investments in securities of medium-capitalization and large-capitalization companies.
Index Tracking Risk. The Fund's return may not match the return of the Brazil Small-Cap Index for a number of reasons. For example, the Fund incurs a number of operating expenses, including taxes, not applicable to the Brazil Small-Cap Index and incurs costs associated with buying and selling securities, especially when rebalancing the Fund's securities holdings to reflect changes in the composition of the Brazil Small-Cap Index, or (to the extent the Fund effects creations and redemptions for cash) raising cash to meet redemptions or deploying cash in connection with newly created Creation Units, which are not factored into the return of the Brazil Small-Cap Index. Transaction costs, including brokerage costs, will decrease the Fund's net asset value ("NAV') to the extent not offset by the transaction fee payable by an Authorized Participant ("AP"). Market disruptions and regulatory restrictions could have an adverse effect on the Fund's ability to adjust its exposure to the required levels in order to track the Brazil Small-Cap Index. Errors in the Brazil Small-Cap Index data, the Brazil Small-Cap Index computations and/or the construction of the Brazil Small-Cap Index in accordance with its methodology may occur from time to time and may not be identified and corrected by the Brazil Small-Cap Index provider for a period of time or at all, which may have an adverse impact on the Fund and its shareholders. Shareholders should understand that any gains from the Brazil Small-Cap Index provider's errors will be kept by the Fund and its shareholders and any losses or costs resulting from the Brazil Small-Cap Index provider's errors will be borne by the Fund and its shareholders. When the Brazil Small-Cap Index is rebalanced and the Fund in turn rebalances its portfolio to attempt to increase the correlation between the Fund's portfolio and the Brazil Small-Cap Index, any transaction costs and market exposure arising from such portfolio rebalancing will be borne directly by the Fund and its shareholders. The Fund may not be fully invested at times either as a result of cash flows into the Fund (if the Fund effects creations and redemptions for cash) or reserves of cash held by the Fund to meet redemptions or pay expenses. Apart from scheduled rebalances, the Brazil Small-Cap Index provider or its agents may carry out additional ad hoc rebalances to the Brazil Small-Cap Index. Therefore, errors and additional ad hoc rebalances carried out by the Brazil Small-Cap Index provider or its agents to the Brazil Small-Cap Index may increase the costs to and the tracking error risk of the Fund. In addition, the Fund may not be able to invest in certain securities included in the Brazil Small-Cap Index, or invest in them in the exact proportions in which they are represented in the Brazil Small-Cap Index. The Fund's performance may also deviate from the return of the Brazil Small-Cap Index due to legal restrictions or limitations imposed by the governments of certain countries, certain listing standards of the Fund's listing exchange (the "Exchange"), a lack of liquidity on stock exchanges in which such securities trade, potential adverse tax consequences or other regulatory reasons or legal restrictions or limitations (such as diversification requirements). The Fund may value certain of its investments, underlying securities, underlying currencies and/or other assets based on fair value prices. To the extent the Fund calculates its NAV based on fair value prices and the value of the Brazil Small-Cap Index is based on securities' closing prices on local foreign markets (i.e., the value of the Brazil Small-Cap Index is not based on fair value prices), the Fund's ability to track the Brazil Small-Cap Index may be adversely affected. In addition, any issues the Fund encounters with regard to currency convertibility (including the cost of borrowing funds, if any) and repatriation may also increase the index tracking risk. In addition, any issues the Fund encounters with regard to currency convertibility (including the cost of borrowing funds, if any) and repatriation may also increase the index tracking risk. When markets are volatile, the ability to sell securities at fair value prices may be adversely impacted and may result in additional trading costs and/or increase the index tracking risk. The Fund may also need to
rely on borrowings to meet redemptions, which may lead to increased expenses. For tax efficiency purposes, the Fund may sell certain securities, and such sale may cause the Fund to realize a loss and deviate from the performance of the Brazil Small-Cap Index. In light of the factors discussed above, the Fund's return may deviate significantly from the return of the Brazil Small-Cap Index. Changes to the composition of the Brazil Small-Cap Index in connection with a rebalancing or reconstitution of the Brazil Small-Cap Index may cause the Fund to experience increased volatility, during which time the Fund's index tracking risk may be heightened.
Passive Management Risk. An investment in the Fund involves risks similar to those of investing in any fund invested in equity securities traded on an exchange, such as market fluctuations caused by such factors as economic and political developments, changes in interest rates and perceived trends in security prices. However, because the Fund is not "actively" managed, unless a specific security is removed from the Brazil Small-Cap Index, the Fund generally would not sell a security because the security's issuer was in financial trouble. Additionally, unusual market conditions may cause the Brazil Small-Cap Index provider to postpone a scheduled rebalance or reconstitution, which could cause the Brazil Small-Cap Index to vary from its normal or expected composition. Therefore, the Fund's performance could be lower than funds that may actively shift their portfolio assets to take advantage of market opportunities or to lessen the impact of a market decline or a decline in the value of one or more issuers.
Fund Shares Trading, Premium/Discount Risk and Liquidity of Fund Shares. The market price of the Shares may fluctuate in response to the Fund's NAV, the intraday value of the Fund's holdings and supply and demand for Shares. The Adviser cannot predict whether Shares will trade above, below, or at their most recent NAV. Disruptions to creations and redemptions, the existence of market volatility or potential lack of an active trading market for Shares (including through a trading halt), as well as other factors, may result in Shares trading at a significant premium or discount to NAV or to the intraday value of the Fund's holdings. If a shareholder purchases Shares at a time when the market price is at a premium to the NAV or sells Shares at a time when the market price is at a discount to the NAV, the shareholder may pay significantly more or receive significantly less than the underlying value of the Shares that were bought or sold or the shareholder may be unable to sell his or her Shares. The securities held by the Fund may be traded in markets that close at a different time than the Exchange. Liquidity in those securities may be reduced after the applicable closing times. Accordingly, during the time when the Exchange is open but after the applicable market closing, fixing or settlement times, bid/ask spreads on the Exchange and the resulting premium or discount to the Shares' NAV may widen. Additionally, in stressed market conditions, the market for the Fund's Shares may become less liquid in response to deteriorating liquidity in the markets for the Fund's underlying portfolio holdings. There are various methods by which investors can purchase and sell Shares. Investors should consult their financial intermediaries before purchasing or selling Shares of the Fund.
Concentration Risk. The Fund's assets may be concentrated in a particular sector or sectors or industry or group of industries to the extent the Brazil Small-Cap Index concentrates in a particular sector or sectors or industry or group of industries. To the extent that the Fund is concentrated in a particular sector or sectors or industry or group of industries, the Fund will be subject to the risk that economic, political or other conditions that have a negative effect on those sectors and/or industries may negatively impact the Fund to a greater extent than if the Fund's assets were invested in a wider variety of sectors or industries.
The bar chart that follows shows how the Fund performed for the calendar years shown. The table below the bar chart shows the Fund's average annual returns (before and after taxes). The bar chart and table provide an indication of the risks of investing in the Fund by comparing the Fund's performance from year to year and by showing how the Fund's average annual returns for the one year, five year, ten year and/or since inception periods, as applicable, compared with the Fund's benchmark index and a broad measure of market performance. All returns assume reinvestment of dividends and distributions. The Fund's past performance (before and after taxes) is not necessarily indicative of how the Fund will perform in the future. Updated performance information is available online at www.vaneck.com.
VanEck Brazil Small-Cap ETF (return before taxes) -21.38% 3.29% -4.85%
VanEck Brazil Small-Cap ETF (return after taxes on distributions) -22.22% 2.18% -5.98%
VanEck Brazil Small-Cap ETF (return after taxes on distributions and sale of Fund Shares) -12.56% 2.24% -3.83%
MVIS Brazil Small-Cap Index (reflects no deduction for fees, expenses
or taxes, except withholding taxes) -20.47% 4.03% -4.17%
Peter H. Liao Portfolio Manager May 2009
VANECK® EGYPT INDEX ETF
VanEck® Egypt Index ETF1 (the "Fund") seeks to replicate as closely as possible, before fees and expenses, the price and yield performance of the MVIS® Egypt Index (the "Egypt Index").
(a) Van Eck Associates Corporation (the "Adviser") has agreed to waive fees and/or pay Fund expenses to the extent necessary to prevent the operating expenses of the Fund (excluding acquired fund fees and expenses, interest expense, trading expenses, taxes and extraordinary expenses) from exceeding 0.94% of the Fund's average daily net assets per year until May 1, 2023. During such time, the expense limitation is expected to continue until the Fund's Board of Trustees acts to discontinue all or a portion of such expense limitation.
The Fund will normally invest at least 80% of its total assets in securities that comprise the Fund's benchmark index. The Egypt Index includes securities of Egyptian companies. A company is generally considered to be an Egyptian company if it is incorporated in Egypt or is incorporated outside Egypt but has at least 50% of its revenues/related assets in Egypt. Such companies may include small- and medium-capitalization companies. As of December 31, 2021, the Egypt Index included 25
1Prior to September 1, 2021, the Fund's name was VanEck Vectors® Egypt Index ETF.
securities of companies with a market capitalization range of between approximately $0.18 billion and $6.5 billion and a weighted average market capitalization of $1.34 billion. These amounts are subject to change. The Fund's 80% investment policy is non-fundamental and may be changed without shareholder approval upon 60 days' prior written notice to shareholders.
The Fund, using a "passive" or indexing investment approach, attempts to approximate the investment performance of the Egypt Index by investing in a portfolio of securities that generally replicates the Egypt Index. Unlike many investment companies that try to "beat" the performance of a benchmark index, the Fund does not try to "beat" the Egypt Index and does not seek temporary defensive positions that are inconsistent with its investment objective of seeking to replicate the Egypt Index.
The Fund is classified as a non-diversified fund under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the "1940 Act"), and, therefore, may invest a greater percentage of its assets in a particular issuer. The Fund may concentrate its investments in a particular industry or group of industries to the extent that the Egypt Index concentrates in an industry or group of industries. As of December 31, 2021, each of the real estate, basic materials, financials and consumer staples sectors represented a significant portion of the Fund.
Special Risk Considerations of Investing in Egyptian Issuers. Investments in securities of Egyptian issuers, including issuers located outside of Egypt that generate significant revenues from Egypt, involve risks and special considerations not typically associated with investments in the U.S. securities markets. Such heightened risks include, among others, the imposition of capital controls, expropriation and/or nationalization of assets, confiscatory taxation, regional conflict, political instability, including authoritarian and/or military involvement in governmental decision making, armed conflict, the impact on the economy as a result of civil unrest and social instability as a result of religious, ethnic and/or socioeconomic unrest. Poor living standards, disparities of wealth and limitations on political freedom have contributed to the unstable environment. Unanticipated or sudden political or social developments may result in sudden and significant investment losses. Issuers in Egypt are subject to less stringent requirements regarding accounting, auditing, financial reporting and record keeping than are issuers in more developed markets, and therefore, all material information may not be available or reliable. These factors, among others, make investing in issuers located or operating in Egypt significantly riskier than investing in issuers located or operating in more developed countries, and any one of them could cause a decline in the value of the Fund's Shares.
The securities markets in Egypt are underdeveloped and may be less correlated to global economic cycles than those markets located in more developed countries. Securities markets in Egypt are subject to greater risks associated with market volatility, lower market capitalization, lower trading volume, illiquidity, inflation, greater price fluctuations, uncertainty regarding the existence of trading markets, governmental control and heavy regulation of labor and industry. These risks could cause the Fund's shares to trade at a significant premium or discount to its net asset value ("NAV"). Moreover, trading on securities markets may be suspended altogether, including the possibility that securities markets may be closed for an extended period of time due to political and civil unrest.
The government in Egypt may restrict or control to varying degrees the ability of foreign investors to invest in securities of issuers located or operating in Egypt. These restrictions and/or controls may at times limit or prevent foreign investment in securities of issuers located or operating in Egypt. For example, there may be prohibitions or substantial restrictions on foreign investing in Egypt's capital markets or in certain sectors or industries. Moreover, Egypt may require governmental approval or special licenses prior to investments by foreign investors and may limit the amount of investments by foreign investors in a particular industry and/or issuer and may limit such foreign investment to a certain class of securities of an issuer that may have less advantageous rights than the classes available for purchase by domiciliaries of Egypt and/or impose additional taxes on foreign investors. There may be a risk of loss due to the imposition of restrictions on repatriation of capital invested.
In addition, there may be limitations or delays in the convertibility or repatriation of the Egyptian pound which would adversely affect the U.S. dollar value and/or liquidity of the Fund's investments denominated in the Egyptian pound, may impair the Fund's ability to achieve its investment objective and/or may impede the Fund's ability to satisfy redemption requests in a timely manner. For these or other reasons, the Fund could seek to suspend redemptions of Creation Units (defined herein), including in the event that an emergency exists in which it is not reasonably practicable for the Fund to dispose of its securities or to determine its NAV. The Fund could also, among other things, limit or suspend creations of Creation Units. During the period that creations or redemptions are affected, the Fund's shares could trade at a significant premium or discount to their NAV. In the case of a period during which creations are suspended, the Fund could experience substantial redemptions, which may exacerbate the discount to NAV at which the Fund's shares trade, cause the Fund to experience increased transaction costs, and cause the Fund to make greater taxable distributions to shareholders of the Fund. When the Fund holds illiquid investments, its portfolio may be harder to value.
In Egypt, the marketability of quoted shares is limited due to the restricted opening hours of stock exchanges, a narrow range of investors and a relatively high proportion of market value being concentrated in the hands of a relatively small number of shareholders. In addition, because Egyptian stock exchanges on which the Fund's portfolio securities may trade are open when the Exchange is closed, the Fund may be subject to heightened risk associated with market movements.
Risk of Investing in Emerging Market Issuers. Investments in securities of emerging market issuers are exposed to a number of risks that may make these investments volatile in price or difficult to trade. Emerging markets are more likely than developed markets to experience problems with the clearing and settling of trades, as well as the holding of securities by local banks, agents and depositories. Political risks may include unstable governments, nationalization, restrictions on foreign ownership, laws that prevent investors from getting their money out of a country and legal systems that do not protect property rights as well as the laws of the United States. Market risks may also include economies that concentrate in only a few industries, securities issues that are held by only a few investors, liquidity issues and limited trading capacity in local exchanges and the possibility that markets or issues may be manipulated by foreign nationals who have inside information. The frequency, availability and quality of financial information about investments in emerging markets varies. The Fund has limited rights and few practical remedies in emerging markets and the ability of U.S. authorities to bring enforcement actions in emerging markets may be limited, and the Fund's passive investment approach does not take account of these risks. All of these factors can make emerging market securities more volatile and potentially less liquid than securities issued in more developed markets.
Risk of Investing in Depositary Receipts. The Fund may invest in depositary receipts which involve similar risks to those associated with investments in foreign securities. Depositary receipts are receipts listed on U.S. or foreign exchanges issued by banks or trust companies that entitle the holder to all dividends and capital gains that are paid out on the underlying foreign shares. Investments in depositary receipts may be less liquid than the underlying shares in their primary trading market and, if not included in the Egypt Index, may negatively affect the Fund's ability to replicate the performance of the Egypt Index. The issuers of depositary receipts may discontinue issuing new depositary receipts and withdraw existing depositary receipts at any time, which may result in costs and delays in the distribution of the underlying assets to the Fund and may negatively impact the Fund's performance and the Fund's ability to replicate/track the performance of its Index.
Risk of Investing in the Real Estate Sector. Companies in the real estate sector include companies that invest in real estate, such as REITs and real estate management and development companies. The Fund will be sensitive to changes in, and its performance will depend to a greater extent on, the overall condition of the real estate sector. Companies that invest in real estate are subject to the risks of owning real estate directly as well as to risks that relate specifically to the way that such companies operate, including management risk (such companies are dependent upon the management skills of a few key individuals and may have limited financial resources). Adverse economic, business or political developments affecting real estate could have a major effect on the values of the Fund's investments. Investing in real estate is subject to such risks as decreases in real estate values, overbuilding, increased competition and other risks related to local or general economic conditions, increases in operating costs and property taxes, changes in zoning laws, casualty or condemnation losses, possible environmental liabilities, regulatory limitations on rent, possible lack of availability of mortgage financing, market saturation, fluctuations in rental income and the value of underlying properties and extended vacancies of properties. Certain real estate securities have a relatively small market capitalization, which may tend to increase the volatility of the market price of these securities. Real estate securities have limited diversification and are, therefore, subject to risks inherent in operating and financing a limited number of projects. Real estate securities are also subject to heavy cash flow dependency and defaults by borrowers or tenants.
Risk of Investing in the Financials Sector. The Fund will be sensitive to, and its performance will depend to a greater extent on, the overall condition of the financials sector. Companies in the financials sector may be subject to extensive government regulation that affects the scope of their activities, the prices they can charge and the amount of capital they must maintain. The profitability of companies in the financials sector may be adversely affected by increases in interest rates, by loan losses, which usually increase in economic downturns, and by credit rating downgrades. In addition, the financials sector is undergoing numerous changes, including continuing consolidations, development of new products and structures and changes to its regulatory framework. Furthermore, some companies in the financials sector perceived as benefitting from government intervention in the past may be subject to future government-imposed restrictions on their businesses or face increased government involvement in their operations. Increased government involvement in the financials sector, including measures such as taking ownership positions in financial institutions, could result in a dilution of the Fund's investments in financial institutions.
Index Tracking Risk. The Fund's return may not match the return of the Egypt Index for a number of reasons. For example, the Fund incurs a number of operating expenses, including taxes, not applicable to the Egypt Index and incurs costs associated with buying and selling securities, especially when rebalancing the Fund's securities holdings to reflect changes in the composition of the Egypt Index, or (to the extent the Fund effects creations and redemptions for cash) raising cash to meet redemptions or deploying cash in connection with newly created Creation Units, which are not factored into the return of the Egypt Index. Transaction costs, including brokerage costs, will decrease the Fund's NAV to the extent not offset by the transaction fee payable
by an Authorized Participant ("AP"). Market disruptions and regulatory restrictions could have an adverse effect on the Fund's ability to adjust its exposure to the required levels in order to track the Egypt Index. Errors in the Egypt Index data, the Egypt Index computations and/or the construction of the Egypt Index in accordance with its methodology may occur from time to time and may not be identified and corrected by the Egypt Index provider for a period of time or at all, which may have an adverse impact on the Fund and its shareholders. Shareholders should understand that any gains from the Egypt Index provider's errors will be kept by the Fund and its shareholders and any losses or costs resulting from the Egypt Index provider's errors will be borne by the Fund and its shareholders. When the Egypt Index is rebalanced and the Fund in turn rebalances its portfolio to attempt to increase the correlation between the Fund's portfolio and the Egypt Index, any transaction costs and market exposure arising from such portfolio rebalancing will be borne directly by the Fund and its shareholders. The Fund may not be fully invested at times either as a result of cash flows into the Fund (if the Fund effects creations and redemptions for cash) or reserves of cash held by the Fund to meet redemptions or pay expenses. Apart from scheduled rebalances, the Egypt Index provider or its agents may carry out additional ad hoc rebalances to the Egypt Index. Therefore, errors and additional ad hoc rebalances carried out by the Egypt Index provider or its agents to the Egypt Index may increase the costs to and the tracking error risk of the Fund. In addition, the Fund may not be able to invest in certain securities included in the Egypt Index, or invest in them in the exact proportions in which they are represented in the Egypt Index. The Fund's performance may also deviate from the return of the Egypt Index due to legal restrictions or limitations imposed by the governments of certain countries, certain listing standards of the Fund's listing exchange (the "Exchange"), a lack of liquidity on stock exchanges in which such securities trade, potential adverse tax consequences or other regulatory reasons or legal restrictions or limitations (such as diversification requirements). Additionally, the Fund may not invest in certain securities included in the Egypt Index due to limitations or delays in the convertibility or repatriation of the Egyptian pound. The Fund may value certain of its investments, underlying securities, underlying currencies and/or other assets based on fair value prices. To the extent the Fund calculates its NAV based on fair value prices and the value of the Egypt Index is based on securities' closing prices on local foreign markets (i.e., the value of the Egypt Index is not based on fair value prices), the Fund's ability to track the Egypt Index may be adversely affected. In addition, any issues the Fund encounters with regard to currency convertibility (including the cost of borrowing funds, if any) and repatriation may also increase the index tracking risk. When markets are volatile, the ability to sell securities at fair value prices may be adversely impacted and may result in additional trading costs and/or increase the index tracking risk. The Fund may also need to rely on borrowings to meet redemptions, which may lead to increased expenses. For tax efficiency purposes, the Fund may sell certain securities, and such sale may cause the Fund to realize a loss and deviate from the performance of the Egypt Index. In light of the factors discussed above, the Fund's return may deviate significantly from the return of the Egypt Index. Changes to the composition of the Egypt Index in connection with a rebalancing or reconstitution of the Egypt Index may cause the Fund to experience increased volatility, during which time the Fund's index tracking risk may be heightened.
Passive Management Risk. An investment in the Fund involves risks similar to those of investing in any fund invested in equity securities traded on an exchange, such as market fluctuations caused by such factors as economic and political developments, changes in interest rates and perceived trends in security prices. However, because the Fund is not "actively" managed, unless a specific security is removed from the Egypt Index, the Fund generally would not sell a security because the security's issuer was in financial trouble. Additionally, unusual market conditions may cause the Egypt Index provider to postpone a scheduled rebalance or reconstitution, which could cause the Egypt Index to vary from its normal or expected composition. Therefore, the Fund's performance could be lower than funds that may actively shift their portfolio assets to take advantage of market opportunities or to lessen the impact of a market decline or a decline in the value of one or more issuers.
Fund Shares Trading, Premium/Discount Risk and Liquidity of Fund Shares. The market price of the Shares may fluctuate in response to the Fund's NAV, the intraday value of the Fund's holdings and supply and demand for Shares. The Adviser cannot predict whether Shares will trade above, below, or at their most recent NAV. Disruptions to creations and redemptions, the existence of market volatility or potential lack of an active trading market for Shares (including through a trading
halt), as well as other factors, may result in Shares trading at a significant premium or discount to NAV or to the intraday value of the Fund's holdings. If a shareholder purchases Shares at a time when the market price is at a premium to the NAV or sells Shares at a time when the market price is at a discount to the NAV, the shareholder may pay significantly more or receive significantly less than the underlying value of the Shares that were bought or sold or the shareholder may be unable to sell his or her Shares. The securities held by the Fund may be traded in markets that close at a different time than the Exchange. Liquidity in those securities may be reduced after the applicable closing times. Accordingly, during the time when the Exchange is open but after the applicable market closing, fixing or settlement times, bid/ask spreads on the Exchange and the resulting premium or discount to the Shares' NAV may widen. Additionally, in stressed market conditions, the market for the Fund's Shares may become less liquid in response to deteriorating liquidity in the markets for the Fund's underlying portfolio holdings. There are various methods by which investors can purchase and sell Shares. Investors should consult their financial intermediaries before purchasing or selling Shares of the Fund.
Issuer-Specific Changes Risk. The value of individual securities or particular types of securities in the Fund's portfolio can be more volatile than the market as a whole and can perform differently from the value of the market as a whole, which may have a greater impact if the Fund's portfolio is concentrated in a country, group of countries, region, market, industry, group of industries, sector or asset class. The value of securities of smaller issuers can be more volatile than that of larger issuers.
Non-Diversified Risk. The Fund is classified as a "non-diversified" fund under the 1940 Act. Therefore, the Fund may invest a relatively high percentage of its assets in a smaller number of issuers or may invest a larger proportion of its assets in a single issuer. Moreover, the gains and losses on a single investment may have a greater impact on the Fund's NAV and may make the Fund more volatile than more diversified funds. The Fund may be particularly vulnerable to this risk because the Egypt Index is comprised of a limited number of companies.
Concentration Risk. The Fund's assets may be concentrated in a particular sector or sectors or industry or group of industries to the extent the Egypt Index concentrates in a particular sector or sectors or industry or group of industries. To the extent that the Fund is concentrated in a particular sector or sectors or industry or group of industries, the Fund will be subject to the risk that economic, political or other conditions that have a negative effect on those sectors and/or industries may negatively impact the Fund to a greater extent than if the Fund's assets were invested in a wider variety of sectors or industries.
VanEck Egypt Index ETF (return before taxes) 8.36% 2.73% -1.08%
VanEck Egypt Index ETF (return after taxes on distributions) 7.89% 2.52% -1.58%
VanEck Egypt Index ETF (return after taxes on distributions and sale of Fund Shares) 5.54% 2.35% -0.60%
MVIS Egypt Index (reflects no deduction for fees, expenses or taxes, except withholding taxes) 10.80% 4.49% 1.91%
Peter H. Liao Portfolio Manager February 2010
VANECK® INDIA GROWTH LEADERS ETF
VanEck® India Growth Leaders ETF1 (the "Fund") seeks to replicate as closely as possible, before fees and expenses, the price and yield performance of the MarketGrader India All-Cap Growth Leaders Index (the "India Index").
Other Expenses(a)
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses(b)
Fee Waivers and Expense Reimbursement(b)(c)
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waivers and Expense Reimbursement(b)(c)
(a) "Other Expenses" reflects the expenses of both the Fund and the Fund's wholly-owned subsidiary (the "Subsidiary").
(b) Van Eck Associates Corporation (the "Adviser") has agreed to waive fees and/or pay Fund and Subsidiary expenses to the extent necessary to prevent the operating expenses of the Fund (excluding acquired fund fees and expenses, interest expense, trading expenses, taxes and extraordinary expenses of the Fund and the Subsidiary) from exceeding 0.75% of the Fund's average daily net assets per year until at least May 1, 2023. During such time, the expense limitation is expected to continue until the Fund's Board of Trustees acts to discontinue all or a portion of such expense limitation.
(c) "Fee Waivers and Expense Reimbursement" have been restated to reflect the current expense limitation.
1Prior to September 1, 2021, the Fund's name was VanEck Vectors® India Growth Leaders ETF.
The Fund currently intends to achieve its investment objective by investing substantially all of its assets in the Subsidiary, a wholly-owned subsidiary located in the Republic of Mauritius ("Mauritius"). The Subsidiary in turn will normally invest at least 80% of its total assets in securities that comprise the Fund's benchmark index, and depositary receipts based on the securities in the Fund's benchmark index. The India Index is comprised of equity securities which are generally considered by MarketGrader.com Corp. (the "Index Provider") to exhibit favorable fundamental characteristics according to the Index Provider's proprietary scoring methodology. For each company eligible for the India Index, the Index Provider creates a numerical score based on indicators measuring four fundamental characteristics, derived from public company filings and stock prices. The four fundamental characteristics are growth, value, profitability and cash flow. The resulting score is a weighted average of these indicators. To be initially eligible for inclusion in the India Index, companies must be domiciled in India and listed on an eligible stock exchange, as determined by the Index Provider. From this universe of companies, the top-ranked names according to the Index Provider's proprietary score are included, and then weighted according to their free-float market capitalization.
As of December 31, 2021, the India Index included 78 securities of companies with a market capitalization range of between approximately $0.3 billion and $183.5 billion and a weighted average market capitalization of $26.7 billion. These amounts are subject to change. The Fund's 80% investment policy is non-fundamental and may be changed without shareholder approval upon 60 days' prior written notice to shareholders.
The Adviser serves as investment adviser to both the Fund and the Subsidiary. Except where otherwise indicated, the term "Fund," as used throughout this Summary Section, refers to the Fund and/or the Subsidiary, as applicable.
The Fund, using a "passive" or indexing investment approach, attempts to approximate the investment performance of the India Index by investing in a portfolio of securities that generally replicates the India Index. Unlike many investment companies that try to "beat" the performance of a benchmark index, the Fund does not try to "beat" the India Index and does not seek temporary defensive positions that are inconsistent with its investment objective of seeking to replicate the India Index.
The Fund may become "non-diversified" as defined under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the "1940 Act"), solely as a result of a change in relative market capitalization or index weighting of one or more constituents of the India Index. This means that the Fund may invest a greater percentage of its assets in a limited number of issuers than would be the case if the Fund were always managed as a diversified management investment company. The Fund intends to be diversified in approximately the same proportion as the India Index. Shareholder approval will not be sought when the Fund crosses from diversified to non-diversified status due solely to a change in the relative market capitalization or index weighting of one or more constituents of the India Index.
The Fund may concentrate its investments in a particular industry or group of industries to the extent that the India Index concentrates in an industry or group of industries. As of December 31, 2021, each of the information technology, basic materials and health care sectors represented a significant portion of the Fund.
Special Risk Considerations of Investing in Indian Issuers. Investments in securities of Indian issuers involve risks and special considerations not typically associated with investments in the U.S. securities markets. Such heightened risks include, among others, greater government control over the economy, including the risk that the Indian government may decide not to continue to support economic reform programs, political and legal uncertainty, competition from low-cost issuers of other emerging economies in Asia, currency fluctuations or blockage of foreign currency exchanges and the risk of nationalization or expropriation of assets. Issuers in India are subject to less stringent requirements regarding accounting, auditing, financial reporting and record keeping than are issuers in more developed markets, and therefore, all material information may not be available or reliable. India is also located in a part of the world that has historically been prone to natural disasters, such as earthquakes and tsunamis. Any such natural disaster could cause a significant impact on the Indian economy and could impact operations of the Subsidiary, causing an adverse impact on the Fund. In addition, religious and border disputes persist in India. Moreover, India has experienced civil unrest and hostilities with neighboring countries, including Pakistan, and the Indian government has confronted separatist movements in several Indian states. India has experienced acts of terrorism that has targeted foreigners. Such acts of terrorism have had a negative impact on tourism, an important sector of the Indian economy.
The securities market of India is considered an emerging market characterized by a small number of listed companies with significantly smaller market capitalizations, greater price volatility and substantially less liquidity than developed markets, such as the United States. These factors, coupled with restrictions on foreign investment and other factors, limit the supply of securities available for investment by the Fund. This will affect the rate at which the Fund is able to invest in India, the purchase and sale prices for such securities and the timing of purchases and sales. Emerging markets can experience high rates of inflation, deflation
and currency devaluation. Certain restrictions on foreign investment may decrease the liquidity of the Fund's portfolio or inhibit the Fund's ability to track the India Index. In addition, the Reserve Bank of India ("RBI"), the Indian counterpart of the Federal Reserve Bank in the United States, imposes certain limits on the foreign ownership of Indian securities. These restrictions and/or controls may at times limit or prevent foreign investment in securities of issuers located or operating in India and may inhibit the Fund's ability to track the India Index.
Risk of Investing in Depositary Receipts. The Fund may invest in depositary receipts which involve similar risks to those associated with investments in foreign securities. Depositary receipts are receipts listed on U.S. or foreign exchanges issued by banks or trust companies that entitle the holder to all dividends and capital gains that are paid out on the underlying foreign shares. Investments in depositary receipts may be less liquid than the underlying shares in their primary trading market and, if not included in the India Index, may negatively affect the Fund's ability to replicate the performance of the India Index. The issuers of depositary receipts may discontinue issuing new depositary receipts and withdraw existing depositary receipts at any time, which may result in costs and delays in the distribution of the underlying assets to the Fund and may negatively impact the Fund's performance and the Fund's ability to replicate/track the performance of its Index.
Risk of Investing in the Information Technology Sector. The Fund will be sensitive to, and its performance will depend to a greater extent on, the overall condition of the information technology sector. Information technology companies face intense competition, both domestically and internationally, which may have an adverse effect on profit margins. Information technology companies may have limited product lines, markets, financial resources or personnel. The products of information technology companies may face product obsolescence due to rapid technological developments and frequent new product introduction, unpredictable changes in growth rates and competition for the services of qualified personnel. Companies in the information technology sector are heavily dependent on patent protection and the expiration of patents may adversely affect the profitability of these companies.
Risk of Investing in the Health Care Sector. The Fund will be sensitive to, and its performance will depend to a greater extent on, the overall condition of the health care sector. Companies in the health care sector may be affected by extensive government regulation, restrictions on government reimbursement for medical expenses, rising costs of medical products and services, pricing pressure, an increased emphasis on outpatient services, limited number of products, industry innovation, changes in technologies and other market developments. Many health care companies are heavily dependent on patent protection and are subject to extensive litigation based on product liability and similar claims.
Index Tracking Risk. The Fund's return may not match the return of the India Index for a number of reasons. For example, the Fund incurs a number of operating expenses, including taxes, not applicable to the India Index and incurs costs associated with buying and selling securities, especially when rebalancing the Fund's securities holdings to reflect changes in the composition of the India Index, or (to the extent the Fund effects creations and redemptions for cash) raising cash to meet redemptions or deploying cash in connection with newly created Creation Units, which are not factored into the return of the India Index. Transaction costs, including brokerage costs, will decrease the Fund's net asset value ("NAV") to the extent not offset by the transaction fee payable by an Authorized Participant ("AP"). Market disruptions and regulatory restrictions could have an adverse effect on the Fund's ability to adjust its exposure to the required levels in order to track the India Index. Errors in the India Index data, the India Index computations and/or the construction of the India Index in accordance with its methodology may occur from time to time and may not be identified and corrected by the India Index provider for a period of time or at all, which may have an adverse impact on the Fund and its shareholders. Shareholders should understand that any gains from the India Index provider's errors will be kept by the Fund and its shareholders and any losses or costs resulting from the India Index provider's errors will be borne by the Fund and its shareholders. When the India Index is rebalanced and the Fund in turn rebalances its portfolio to attempt to increase the correlation between the Fund's portfolio and the India Index, any transaction costs and market exposure arising from such portfolio rebalancing will be borne directly by the Fund and its shareholders. The Fund may not be fully invested at times either as a result of cash flows into the Fund (if the Fund effects creations and redemptions for cash) or reserves of cash held by the Fund to meet redemptions or pay expenses. Apart from scheduled rebalances, the India Index provider or its agents may carry out additional ad hoc rebalances to the India Index. Therefore, errors and additional ad hoc rebalances carried out by the India Index provider or its agents to the India Index may increase the costs to and the tracking error risk of the Fund. In addition, the Fund may not be able to invest in certain securities included in the India Index, or invest in them in the exact proportions in which they are represented in the India Index. The Fund's performance may also deviate from the return of the India Index due to legal restrictions or limitations imposed by the governments of certain countries, certain listing standards of the Fund's listing exchange (the "Exchange"), a lack of liquidity on stock exchanges in which such securities trade, potential adverse
tax consequences or other regulatory reasons or legal restrictions or limitations (such as diversification requirements). The Fund may value certain of its investments, underlying securities, underlying currencies and/or other assets based on fair value prices. To the extent the Fund calculates its NAV based on fair value prices and the value of the India Index is based on securities' closing prices on local foreign markets (i.e., the value of the India Index is not based on fair value prices), the Fund's ability to track the India Index may be adversely affected. In addition, any issues the Fund encounters with regard to currency convertibility (including the cost of borrowing funds, if any) and repatriation may also increase the index tracking risk. When markets are volatile, the ability to sell securities at fair value prices may be adversely impacted and may result in additional trading costs and/or increase the index tracking risk. The Fund may also need to rely on borrowings to meet redemptions, which may lead to increased expenses. For tax efficiency purposes, the Fund may sell certain securities, and such sale may cause the Fund to realize a loss and deviate from the performance of the India Index. In light of the factors discussed above, the Fund's return may deviate significantly from the return of the India Index. Changes to the composition of the India Index in connection with a rebalancing or reconstitution of the India Index may cause the Fund to experience increased volatility, during which time the Fund's index tracking risk may be heightened.
Passive Management Risk. An investment in the Fund involves risks similar to those of investing in any fund invested in equity securities traded on an exchange, such as market fluctuations caused by such factors as economic and political developments, changes in interest rates and perceived trends in security prices. However, because the Fund is not "actively" managed, unless a specific security is removed from the India Index, the Fund generally would not sell a security because the security's issuer was in financial trouble. Additionally, unusual market conditions may cause the India Index provider to postpone a scheduled rebalance or reconstitution, which could cause the India Index to vary from its normal or expected composition. Therefore, the Fund's performance could be lower than funds that may actively shift their portfolio assets to take advantage of market opportunities or to lessen the impact of a market decline or a decline in the value of one or more issuers.
Non-Diversification Risk. The Fund may become classified as non-diversified under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended, solely as a result of a change in relative market capitalization or index weighting of one or more constituents of the India Index. If the Fund becomes non-diversified, it may invest a greater portion of assets in securities of a smaller number of individual issuers than a diversified fund. As a result, changes in the market value of a single investment could cause greater fluctuations in share price than would occur in a more diversified fund.
Concentration Risk. The Fund's assets may be concentrated in a particular sector or sectors or industry or group of industries to the extent the India Index concentrates in a particular sector or sectors or industry or group of industries. To the extent that the Fund is concentrated in a particular sector or sectors or industry or group of industries, the Fund will be subject to the risk that economic, political or other conditions that have a negative effect on those sectors and/or industries may negatively impact the Fund to a greater extent than if the Fund's assets were invested in a wider variety of sectors or industries.
The bar chart that follows shows how the Fund performed for the calendar years shown. The table below the bar chart shows the Fund's average annual returns (before and after taxes). The bar chart and table provide an indication of the risks of investing in the Fund by showing the Fund's performance from year to year and by showing how the Fund's average annual returns for the one year, five year, ten year and/or since inception periods, as applicable, compared with the Fund's benchmark index and a broad measure of market performance. Prior to May 1, 2020, the Fund sought to replicate as closely as possible, before fees and expenses, the price and yield performance of the MVIS® India Small-Cap Index (the "Prior Index"). Therefore, performance information prior to May 1, 2020 reflects the performance of the Fund while seeking to track the Prior Index. As a result, the Fund's future performance may differ substantially from the performance information shown below. All returns assume reinvestment of dividends and distributions. The Fund's past performance (before and after income taxes) is not necessarily indicative of how the Fund will perform in the future. Updated performance information is available online at www.vaneck.com.
VanEck India Growth Leaders ETF (return before taxes) 29.15% 1.08% 2.68%
VanEck India Growth Leaders ETF (return after taxes on distributions) 29.15% 1.01% 2.45%
VanEck India Growth Leaders ETF (return after taxes on
distributions and sale of Fund Shares) 17.26% 0.83% 2.05%
MarketGrader India All-Cap Growth Leaders Index (reflects no deduction for fees, expenses or taxes, except withholding taxes)*
31.20% 2.08% 3.46%
*Prior to May 1, 2020, the Fund sought to replicate as closely as possible, before fees and expenses, the price and yield performance of the Prior Index. Therefore, the performance information prior to May 1, 2020 reflects the performance of the Fund while seeking to track the Prior Index. Prior to May 1, 2020, the index data included in this table reflects that of the Prior Index. From May 1, 2020, the index data reflects that of the India Index.
Peter H. Liao Portfolio Manager August 2010
VANECK® INDONESIA INDEX ETF
VanEck® Indonesia Index ETF1 (the "Fund") seeks to replicate as closely as possible, before fees and expenses, the price and yield performance of the MVIS® Indonesia Index (the "Indonesia Index").
The Fund normally invests at least 80% of its total assets in securities that comprise the Fund's benchmark index. The Indonesia Index includes securities of Indonesian companies. A company is generally considered to be an Indonesian company if it is incorporated in Indonesia or is incorporated outside of Indonesia but has at least 50% of its revenues/related assets in Indonesia. Such companies may include small- and medium-capitalization companies. As of December 31, 2021, the Indonesia Index
1Prior to September 1, 2021, the Fund's name was VanEck Vectors® Indonesia Index ETF.
included 53 securities of companies with a market capitalization range of between approximately $0.7 billion and $63.14 billion and a weighted average market capitalization of $16.5 billion. These amounts are subject to change. The Fund's 80% investment policy is non-fundamental and may be changed without shareholder approval upon 60 days' prior written notice to shareholders.
The Fund, using a "passive" or indexing investment approach, attempts to approximate the investment performance of the Indonesia Index by investing in a portfolio of securities that generally replicates the Indonesia Index. Unlike many investment companies that try to "beat" the performance of a benchmark index, the Fund does not try to "beat" the Indonesia Index and does not seek temporary defensive positions that are inconsistent with its investment objective of seeking to replicate the Indonesia Index.
The Fund is classified as a non-diversified fund under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the "1940 Act"), and, therefore, may invest a greater percentage of its assets in a particular issuer. The Fund may concentrate its investments in a particular industry or group of industries to the extent that the Indonesia Index concentrates in an industry or group of industries. As of December 31, 2021, each of the financials, basic materials, communication services and consumer staples sectors represented a significant portion of the Fund.
Special Risk Considerations of Investing in Indonesian Issuers. Investments in securities of Indonesian issuers, including issuers located outside of Indonesia that generate significant revenues from Indonesia, involve risks and special considerations not typically associated with investments in the U.S. securities markets. Such heightened risks include, among others, expropriation and/or nationalization of assets, restrictions on and government intervention in international trade, confiscatory taxation, currency devaluations, high rates of inflation, corruption, political instability, including authoritarian and/or military involvement in governmental decision making, sectarian and separatist violence, armed conflict, acts of terrorism, the impact on the economy as a result of civil war, and social instability as a result of religious, ethnic and/or socioeconomic unrest. In addition, the Indonesian economy is dependent upon trade with other nations, including China, Japan, Singapore and the United States. Adverse conditions or changes in relationships with Indonesia's major trading partners may significantly impact the Indonesian economy. Indonesia has experienced acts of terrorism that have targeted foreigners. Such acts of terrorism have had a negative impact on tourism, an important sector of the Indonesian economy.
The securities markets of Indonesia are characterized by a small number of company listings and are underdeveloped and often considered to be less correlated to global economic cycles than those markets located in more developed countries. As a result, securities markets in Indonesia are subject to greater risks associated with market volatility, lower market capitalization, lower trading volume, illiquidity, inflation, greater price fluctuations, uncertainty regarding the existence of trading markets, governmental control and heavy regulation of labor and industry. Moreover, trading on securities markets may be suspended altogether.
The government in Indonesia may restrict or control to varying degrees the ability of foreign investors to invest in securities of issuers located or operating in Indonesia. These restrictions and/or controls may at times limit or prevent foreign investment in securities of issuers located or operating in Indonesia. Moreover, governmental approval or special licenses may be required prior to investments by foreign investors and may limit the amount of investments by foreign investors in a particular industry and/or issuer and may limit such foreign investment to a certain class of securities of an issuer that may have less advantageous rights than the classes available for purchase by domiciliaries of Indonesia and/or impose additional taxes on foreign investors. Indonesia's securities laws are unsettled and judicial enforcement of contracts with foreign entities is inconsistent and, as a result of pervasive corruption, is subject to the risk that cases will not be judged impartially. These factors, among others, make investing in issuers located or operating in Indonesia significantly riskier than investing in issuers located or operating in more developed countries, and any one of them could cause a decline in the value of the Fund's Shares.
Risk of Investing in Emerging Market Issuers. Investments in securities of emerging market issuers are exposed to a number of risks that may make these investments volatile in price or difficult to trade. Emerging markets are more likely than developed markets to experience problems with the clearing and settling of trades, as well as the holding of securities by local banks, agents and depositories. Political risks may include unstable governments, nationalization, restrictions on foreign
ownership, laws that prevent investors from getting their money out of a country and legal systems that do not protect property rights as well as the laws of the United States. Market risks may also include economies that concentrate in only a few industries, securities issues that are held by only a few investors, liquidity issues and limited trading capacity in local exchanges and the possibility that markets or issues may be manipulated by foreign nationals who have inside information. The frequency, availability and quality of financial information about investments in emerging markets varies. The Fund has limited rights and few practical remedies in emerging markets and the ability of U.S. authorities to bring enforcement actions in emerging markets may be limited, and the Fund's passive investment approach does not take account of these risks. All of these factors can make emerging market securities more volatile and potentially less liquid than securities issued in more developed markets.
Risk of Investing in Depositary Receipts. The Fund may invest in depositary receipts which involve similar risks to those associated with investments in foreign securities. Depositary receipts are receipts listed on U.S. or foreign exchanges issued by banks or trust companies that entitle the holder to all dividends and capital gains that are paid out on the underlying foreign shares. Investments in depositary receipts may be less liquid than the underlying shares in their primary trading market and, if not included in the Indonesia Index, may negatively affect the Fund's ability to replicate the performance of the Indonesia Index. The issuers of depositary receipts may discontinue issuing new depositary receipts and withdraw existing depositary receipts at any time, which may result in costs and delays in the distribution of the underlying assets to the Fund and may negatively impact the Fund's performance and the Fund's ability to replicate/track the performance of its Index.
Equity Securities Risk. The value of the equity securities held by the Fund may fall due to general market and economic conditions, perceptions regarding the markets in which the issuers of securities held by the Fund participate, or factors relating to
specific issuers in which the Fund invests. Equity securities are subordinated to preferred securities and debt in a company's capital structure with respect to priority in right to a share of corporate income, and therefore will be subject to greater dividend risk than preferred securities or debt instruments. In addition, while broad market measures of equity securities have historically generated higher average returns than fixed income securities, equity securities have generally also experienced significantly more volatility in those returns, although under certain market conditions fixed income securities may have comparable or greater price volatility.
Index Tracking Risk. The Fund's return may not match the return of the Indonesia Index for a number of reasons. For example, the Fund incurs a number of operating expenses, including taxes, not applicable to the Indonesia Index and incurs costs associated with buying and selling securities, especially when rebalancing the Fund's securities holdings to reflect changes in the composition of the Indonesia Index, or (to the extent the Fund effects creations and redemptions for cash) raising cash to meet redemptions or deploying cash in connection with newly created Creation Units, which are not factored into the return of the Indonesia Index. Transaction costs, including brokerage costs, will decrease the Fund's net asset value ("NAV") to the extent not offset by the transaction fee payable by an Authorized Participant ("AP"). Market disruptions and regulatory restrictions could have an adverse effect on the Fund's ability to adjust its exposure to the required levels in order to track the Indonesia Index. Errors in the Indonesia Index data, the Indonesia Index computations and/or the construction of the Indonesia Index in accordance with its methodology may occur from time to time and may not be identified and corrected by the Indonesia Index provider for a period of time or at all, which may have an adverse impact on the Fund and its shareholders. Shareholders should understand that any gains from the Indonesia Index provider's errors will be kept by the Fund and its shareholders and any losses or costs resulting from the Indonesia Index provider's errors will be borne by the Fund and its shareholders. When the Indonesia Index is rebalanced and the Fund in turn rebalances its portfolio to attempt to increase the correlation between the Fund's portfolio and the Indonesia Index, any transaction costs and market exposure arising from such portfolio rebalancing will be borne directly by the Fund and its shareholders. The Fund may not be fully invested at times either as a result of cash flows into the Fund (if the Fund effects creations and redemptions for cash) or reserves of cash held by the Fund to meet redemptions or pay expenses. Apart from scheduled rebalances, the Indonesia Index provider or its agents may carry out additional ad hoc rebalances to the Indonesia Index. Therefore, errors and additional ad hoc rebalances carried out by the Indonesia Index provider or its agents to the Indonesia Index may increase the costs to and the tracking error risk of the Fund. In addition, the Fund may not be able to invest in certain securities included in the Indonesia Index, or invest in them in the exact proportions in which they are represented in the Indonesia Index. The Fund's performance may also deviate from the return of the Indonesia Index due to legal restrictions or limitations imposed by the governments of certain countries, certain listing standards of the Fund's listing exchange (the "Exchange"), a lack of liquidity on stock exchanges in which such securities trade, potential adverse tax consequences or other regulatory reasons or legal restrictions or limitations (such as diversification requirements). The Fund may value certain of its investments, underlying securities, underlying currencies and/or other assets based on fair value prices. To the extent the Fund calculates its NAV based on fair value prices and the value of the Indonesia Index is based on securities' closing prices on local foreign markets (i.e., the value of the Indonesia Index is not based on fair value prices), the Fund's ability to track the Indonesia Index may be adversely affected. In addition, any issues the Fund encounters with regard to currency convertibility (including the cost of borrowing funds, if any) and repatriation may also increase the index tracking risk. When markets are volatile, the ability to sell securities at fair value prices may be adversely impacted and may result in additional trading costs and/or increase the index tracking risk. The Fund may also need to rely on borrowings to meet redemptions, which may lead to increased expenses. For tax efficiency purposes, the Fund may sell certain securities, and such sale may cause the Fund to realize a loss and deviate from the performance of the Indonesia Index. In light of the factors discussed above, the Fund's return may deviate significantly from the return of the Indonesia Index. Changes to the composition of the Indonesia Index in connection with a rebalancing or reconstitution of the Indonesia Index may cause the Fund to experience increased volatility, during which time the Fund's index tracking risk may be heightened.
Passive Management Risk. An investment in the Fund involves risks similar to those of investing in any fund invested in equity securities traded on an exchange, such as market fluctuations caused by such factors as economic and political developments, changes in interest rates and perceived trends in security prices. However, because the Fund is not "actively" managed, unless a specific security is removed from the Indonesia Index, the Fund generally would not sell a security because the security's issuer was in financial trouble. Additionally, unusual market conditions may cause the Indonesia Index provider to postpone a scheduled rebalance or reconstitution, which could cause the Indonesia Index to vary from its normal or expected composition. Therefore, the Fund's performance could be lower than funds that may actively shift their portfolio assets to take advantage of market opportunities or to lessen the impact of a market decline or a decline in the value of one or more issuers.
Non-Diversified Risk. The Fund is classified as a "non-diversified" fund under the 1940 Act. Therefore, the Fund may invest a relatively high percentage of its assets in a smaller number of issuers or may invest a larger proportion of its assets in a single issuer. Moreover, the gains and losses on a single investment may have a greater impact on the Fund's NAV and may make the Fund more volatile than more diversified funds.
Concentration Risk. The Fund's assets may be concentrated in a particular sector or sectors or industry or group of industries to the extent the Indonesia Index concentrates in a particular sector or sectors or industry or group of industries. To the extent that the Fund is concentrated in a particular sector or sectors or industry or group of industries, the Fund will be subject to the risk that economic, political or other conditions that have a negative effect on those sectors and/or industries may negatively impact the Fund to a greater extent than if the Fund's assets were invested in a wider variety of sectors or industries.
VanEck Indonesia Index ETF (return before taxes) -1.65% 0.43% -1.59%
VanEck Indonesia Index ETF (return after taxes on distributions) -1.70% 0.32% -1.89%
VanEck Indonesia Index ETF (return after taxes on distributions and sale of Fund Shares) -0.60% 0.66% -1.04%
MVIS Indonesia Index (reflects no deduction for fees, expenses
or taxes, except withholding taxes) -1.66% 0.67% -1.11%
Peter H. Liao Portfolio Manager January 2009
VANECK® ISRAEL ETF
VanEck® Israel ETF1 (the "Fund") seeks to replicate as closely as possible, before fees and expenses, the price and yield performance of the BlueStar Israel Global Index® (the "Israel Index").
The Fund normally invests at least 80% of its total assets in securities that comprise the Fund's benchmark index. The Israel Index is comprised of equity securities, which may include depositary receipts, of publicly traded companies that are generally considered by MV Index Solutions GmbH ("MVIS" or the "Index Provider") to be Israeli companies. The Index Provider considers a range of factors such as domicile, country of company formation/founding, primary location of management, operations and/or
1Prior to September 1, 2021, the Fund's name was VanEck Vectors® Israel ETF.
research and development facilities, tax status, location of revenues and employees, among others, when determining whether a company will be included in the Israel Index. The Israel Index generally only includes the largest and most liquid companies as well as medium-capitalization and small-capitalization companies that display sufficient liquidity for global investors, as determined by the Index Provider. The Fund may also utilize depositary receipts to seek performance that corresponds to the Fund's benchmark index. Investments in depositary receipts of Israeli companies whose securities are represented in the Israel Index will count towards satisfaction of the Fund's 80% investment policy. As of December 31, 2021, the Israel Index included 111 securities of companies with a market capitalization range of between approximately $0.36 billion and $19.16 billion and a weighted average market capitalization of $8.27 billion. These amounts are subject to change. The Fund's 80% investment policy is non-fundamental and may be changed without shareholder approval upon 60 days' prior written notice to shareholders.
The Fund, using a "passive" or indexing investment approach, attempts to approximate the investment performance of the Israel Index by investing in a portfolio of securities that generally replicates the Israel Index. Unlike many investment companies that try to "beat" the performance of a benchmark index, the Fund does not try to "beat" the Israel Index and does not seek temporary defensive positions that are inconsistent with its investment objective of seeking to replicate the Israel Index.
The Fund is classified as a non-diversified fund under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the "1940 Act"), and, therefore, may invest a greater percentage of its assets in a particular issuer. The Fund may concentrate its investments in a particular industry or group of industries to the extent that the Israel Index concentrates in an industry or group of industries. As of December 31, 2021, each of the information technology and financials sectors represented a significant portion of the Fund.
Special Risk Considerations of Investing in Israeli Issuers. Investments in securities of Israeli issuers, including issuers located outside of Israel that generate significant revenues from Israel, involve risks and special considerations not typically associated with investments in the U.S. securities markets. Among other things, Israel's economy depends on imports of certain key items, such as crude oil, natural gas, coal, grains, raw materials, and military equipment. Israel's relations with the Palestinian Authority and certain neighboring countries such as Lebanon, Syria and Iran, among others, have at times been strained due to territorial disputes, historical animosities or security concerns, which may cause uncertainty in the Israeli markets and adversely affect the overall economy. The Israeli economy is also dependent upon external trade with other economies, notably the United States, China, Japan, Canada and European Union ("EU") countries. Any reduction in these trade flows may have an adverse impact on the Fund's investments.
Israel has experienced a history of hostile relations with several countries in the Middle-East region. Israel and its citizens have also been the target of periodic acts of terrorism that have the potential to disrupt economic activity in the country, and certain terrorist groups are committed to violence against Israel. Current hostilities and the potential for future hostilities may diminish the value of companies whose principal operations or headquarters are located in Israel. Actual hostilities or the threat of future hostilities may cause significant volatility in the share price of companies based in or having significant operations in Israel.
Risk of Investing in Depositary Receipts. The Fund may invest in depositary receipts which involve similar risks to those associated with investments in foreign securities. Depositary receipts are receipts listed on U.S. or foreign exchanges issued by banks or trust companies that entitle the holder to all dividends and capital gains that are paid out on the underlying foreign shares. Investments in depositary receipts may be less liquid than the underlying shares in their primary trading market and, if not included in the Israel Index, may negatively affect the Fund's ability to replicate the performance of the Israel Index. The issuers of depositary receipts may discontinue issuing new depositary receipts and withdraw existing depositary receipts at any time,
which may result in costs and delays in the distribution of the underlying assets to the Fund and may negatively impact the Fund's performance and the Fund's ability to replicate/track the performance of its Index.
Index Tracking Risk. The Fund's return may not match the return of the Israel Index for a number of reasons. For example, the Fund incurs a number of operating expenses, including taxes, not applicable to the Israel Index and incurs costs associated with buying and selling securities, especially when rebalancing the Fund's securities holdings to reflect changes in the composition of the Israel Index, or (to the extent the Fund effects creations and redemptions for cash) raising cash to meet redemptions or deploying cash in connection with newly created Creation Units, which are not factored into the return of the Israel Index. Transaction costs, including brokerage costs, will decrease the Fund's net asset value ("NAV") to the extent not offset by the transaction fee payable by an Authorized Participant ("AP"). Market disruptions and regulatory restrictions could have an adverse
effect on the Fund's ability to adjust its exposure to the required levels in order to track the Israel Index. Errors in the Israel Index data, the Israel Index computations and/or the construction of the Israel Index in accordance with its methodology may occur from time to time and may not be identified and corrected by the Israel Index Provider for a period of time or at all, which may have an adverse impact on the Fund and its shareholders. Shareholders should understand that any gains from the Israel Index provider's errors will be kept by the Fund and its shareholders and any losses or costs resulting from the Israel Index provider's errors will be borne by the Fund and its shareholders. When the Israel Index is rebalanced and the Fund in turn rebalances its portfolio to attempt to increase the correlation between the Fund's portfolio and the Israel Index, any transaction costs and market exposure arising from such portfolio rebalancing will be borne directly by the Fund and its shareholders. The Fund may not be fully invested at times either as a result of cash flows into the Fund (if the Fund effects creations and redemptions for cash) or reserves of cash held by the Fund to meet redemptions or pay expenses. Apart from scheduled rebalances, the Israel Index provider or its agents may carry out additional ad hoc rebalances to the Israel Index. Therefore, errors and additional ad hoc rebalances carried out by the Israel Index provider or its agents to the Israel Index may increase the costs to and the tracking error risk of the Fund. In addition, the Fund may not be able to invest in certain securities included in the Israel Index, or invest in them in the exact proportions in which they are represented in the Israel Index. The Fund's performance may also deviate from the return of the Israel Index due to legal restrictions or limitations imposed by the governments of certain countries, certain listing standards of the Fund's listing exchange (the "Exchange"), a lack of liquidity on stock exchanges in which such securities trade, potential adverse tax consequences or other regulatory reasons or legal restrictions or limitations (such as diversification requirements). The Fund may value certain of its investments, underlying securities, underlying currencies and/or other assets based on fair value prices. To the extent the Fund calculates its NAV based on fair value prices and the value of the Israel Index is based on securities' closing prices on local foreign markets (i.e., the value of the Israel Index is not based on fair value prices), the Fund's ability to track the Israel Index may be adversely affected. In addition, any issues the Fund encounters with regard to currency convertibility (including the cost of borrowing funds, if any) and repatriation may also increase the index tracking risk. When markets are volatile, the ability to sell securities at fair value prices may be adversely impacted and may result in additional trading costs and/or increase the index tracking risk. The Fund may also need to rely on borrowings to meet redemptions, which may lead to increased expenses. For tax efficiency purposes, the Fund may sell certain securities, and such sale may cause the Fund to realize a loss and deviate from the performance of the Israel Index. In light of the factors discussed above, the Fund's return may deviate significantly from the return of the Israel Index. Changes to the composition of the Israel Index in connection with a rebalancing or reconstitution of the Israel Index may cause the Fund to experience increased volatility, during which time the Fund's index tracking risk may be heightened.
Passive Management Risk. An investment in the Fund involves risks similar to those of investing in any fund invested in equity securities traded on an exchange, such as market fluctuations caused by such factors as economic and political developments, changes in interest rates and perceived trends in security prices. However, because the Fund is not "actively" managed, unless a specific security is removed from the Israel Index, the Fund generally would not sell a security because the security's issuer was in financial trouble. Additionally, unusual market conditions may cause the Israel Index provider to postpone a scheduled rebalance or reconstitution, which could cause the Israel Index to vary from its normal or expected composition. Therefore, the Fund's performance could be lower than funds that may actively shift their portfolio assets to take advantage of market opportunities or to lessen the impact of a market decline or a decline in the value of one or more issuers.
Fund Shares Trading, Premium/Discount Risk and Liquidity of Fund Shares. The market price of the Shares may fluctuate in response to the Fund's NAV, the intraday value of the Fund's holdings and supply and demand for Shares. The Adviser cannot predict whether Shares will trade above, below, or at their most recent NAV. Disruptions to creations and redemptions, the existence of market volatility or potential lack of an active trading market for Shares (including through a trading halt), as well as other factors, may result in Shares trading at a significant premium or discount to NAV or to the intraday value of the Fund's holdings. If a shareholder purchases Shares at a time when the market price is at a premium to the NAV or sells Shares at a time when the market price is at a discount to the NAV, the shareholder may pay significantly more or receive
significantly less than the underlying value of the Shares that were bought or sold or the shareholder may be unable to sell his or her Shares. The securities held by the Fund may be traded in markets that close at a different time than the Exchange. Liquidity in those securities may be reduced after the applicable closing times. Accordingly, during the time when the Exchange is open but after the applicable market closing, fixing or settlement times, bid/ask spreads on the Exchange and the resulting premium or discount to the Shares' NAV may widen. Additionally, in stressed market conditions, the market for the Fund's Shares may become less liquid in response to deteriorating liquidity in the markets for the Fund's underlying portfolio holdings. There are various methods by which investors can purchase and sell Shares. Investors should consult their financial intermediaries before purchasing or selling Shares of the Fund.
Concentration Risk. The Fund's assets may be concentrated in a particular sector or sectors or industry or group of industries to the extent the Israel Index concentrates in a particular sector or sectors or industry or group of industries. To the extent that the Fund is concentrated in a particular sector or sectors or industry or group of industries, the Fund will be subject to the risk that economic, political or other conditions that have a negative effect on those sectors and/or industries may negatively impact the Fund to a greater extent than if the Fund's assets were invested in a wider variety of sectors or industries.
Five Years
Since Inception (6/25/2013)
VanEck Israel ETF (return before taxes) 10.20% 13.85% 9.42%
VanEck Israel ETF (return after taxes on distributions) 10.17% 13.75% 9.16%
VanEck Israel ETF (return after taxes on distributions
and sale of Fund Shares) 6.57% 11.26% 7.64%
BlueStar Israel Global Index® (reflects no deduction for fees,
expenses or taxes, except withholding taxes)
Peter H. Liao Portfolio Manager June 2013
VANECK® RUSSIA ETF
VanEck® Russia ETF1 (the "Fund") seeks to replicate as closely as possible, before fees and expenses, the price and yield performance of the MVIS® Russia Index (the "Russia Index").
Other Expenses(b)
(a) Van Eck Associates Corporation (the "Adviser") has agreed to waive fees and/or pay Fund expenses to the extent necessary to prevent the operating expenses of the Fund (excluding acquired fund fees and expenses, interest expense, depositary receipt fees up to 0.10% of the Fund's average daily net assets, trading expenses, taxes and extraordinary expenses) from exceeding 0.62% of the Fund's average daily net assets per year until at least May 1, 2023. During such time, the expense limitation is expected to continue until the Fund's Board of Trustees acts to discontinue all or a portion of such expense limitation.
(b) "Other Expenses" have been restated to reflect current fees.
The Fund normally invests at least 80% of its total assets in securities that comprise the Fund's benchmark index. The Russia Index includes securities, which may include depositary receipts, of Russian companies. A company is generally considered to be a Russian company if it is incorporated in Russia or is incorporated outside of Russia but has at least 50% of its revenues/related
1Prior to September 1, 2021, the Fund's name was VanEck Vectors® Russia ETF.
assets in Russia. Such companies may include medium-capitalization companies. The Fund may utilize depositary receipts to seek performance that corresponds to the Fund's benchmark index. Investments in depositary receipts of Russian companies whose securities are represented in the Russia Index, and investments in securities of Russian companies for which the Russia Index holds depositary receipts, will count towards the Fund's 80% investment policy. As of December 31, 2021, the Russia Index included 28 securities of companies with a market capitalization range of between approximately $2.64 billion and $109 billion and a weighted average market capitalization of $39.76 billion. These amounts are subject to change. The Fund's 80% investment policy is non-fundamental and may be changed without shareholder approval upon 60 days' prior written notice to shareholders.
The Fund, using a "passive" or indexing investment approach, attempts to approximate the investment performance of the Russia Index by investing in a portfolio of securities that generally replicates the Russia Index. Unlike many investment companies that try to "beat" the performance of a benchmark index, the Fund does not try to "beat" the Russia Index and does not seek temporary defensive positions that are inconsistent with its investment objective of seeking to replicate the Russia Index.
The Fund is classified as a non-diversified fund under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the "1940 Act"), and, therefore, may invest a greater percentage of its assets in a particular issuer. The Fund may concentrate its investments in a particular industry or group of industries to the extent that the Russia Index concentrates in an industry or group of industries. As of December 31, 2021, each of the energy, basic materials and financials sectors represented a significant portion of the Fund.
Special Risk Considerations of Investing in Russian Issuers. Investments in securities of Russian issuers, including issuers located outside of Russia that generate significant revenues from Russia, involve risks and special considerations not typically associated with investments in the U.S. securities markets. Such heightened risks include, among others, expropriation and/or nationalization of assets, restrictions on and government intervention in international trade, confiscatory or punitive taxation, regional conflict, political instability, including authoritarian and/or military involvement in governmental decision making, armed conflict, the imposition of economic sanctions by other nations, the impact on the economy as a result of civil unrest, and social instability as a result of religious, ethnic and/or socioeconomic unrest.
The securities markets of Russia are underdeveloped and are often considered to be less correlated to global economic cycles than those markets located in more developed countries. As a result, securities markets in Russia are subject to greater risks associated with market volatility, lower market capitalization, lower trading volume, inflation, greater price fluctuations, uncertainty regarding the existence of trading markets, governmental control and heavy regulation of labor and industry. Securities markets in Russia are subject to additional risks relating to the settlement, clearing and registration of securities transactions. Additionally, certain investments in Russia may become less liquid in response to market developments or adverse investor perceptions, or become illiquid after purchase by the Fund, particularly during periods of market turmoil. When the Fund holds illiquid investments, its portfolio may be harder to value, especially in changing markets. Moreover, trading on securities markets in Russia may be suspended altogether.
The government in Russia may restrict or control to varying degrees the ability of foreign investors to invest in securities of issuers located or operating in Russia. These restrictions and/or controls may at times limit or prevent foreign investment in securities of issuers located or operating in Russia. Moreover, governmental approval or special licenses may be required prior to investments by foreign investors and may limit the amount of investments by foreign investors in a particular industry and/or issuer and may limit such foreign investment to a certain class of securities of an issuer that may have less advantageous rights than the classes available for purchase by domiciliaries of Russia and/or impose additional taxes on foreign investors. Less information may be available about companies in which the Fund invests because many companies that are tied economically to Russia are not subject to accounting, auditing and financial reporting standards or to other regulatory practices required by U.S. companies. These factors, among others, make investing in issuers located or operating in Russia significantly riskier than investing in issuers located or operating in more developed countries, and any one of them could cause a decline in the value of the Fund's Shares.
As a result of events involving Russia, the United States and the European Union ("EU") have imposed sanctions on certain Russian entities and individuals and certain sectors of Russia's economy, which may result in, among other things, the devaluation of Russian currency, a downgrade in the country's credit rating, and/or a decline in the value and liquidity of Russian securities, property or interests. Sanctions may also include banning Russia from global payments systems that facilitate cross-border payments. The United States and other nations or international organizations may impose additional economic sanctions or take other actions in the future that may adversely affect Russia-exposed issuers and companies in various sectors of the Russian economy, including, but not limited to, the financials, energy, metals and mining, engineering, and defense and defense-related materials sectors. These sanctions, any future sanctions or other actions, the threat of further sanctions or other actions or actions by the United States to modify or ease sanctions may negatively affect the value and/or liquidity of the Fund's portfolio, may affect the Fund's ability to operate and to qualify for the favorable tax treatment afforded to regulated investment companies for U.S.
federal income tax purposes, and may impair the Fund's ability to achieve its investment objective. For example, the Fund may be prohibited from investing in securities issued by companies subject to such sanctions. In addition, the sanctions may require the Fund to freeze its existing investments in Russian companies, prohibit the Fund from buying, selling or otherwise transacting in these investments, or significantly delay or prevent the settlement of securities transactions. Any retaliatory actions by Russia may further impair the value and liquidity of the Fund's portfolio and potentially disrupt its operations. Uncertainty as to future relations between Russia and the United States or EU countries may also cause a decline in the value of the Fund's Shares.
Current or future sanctions may result in Russia taking counter measures or retaliatory actions, which may further impair the value and liquidity of Russian securities. These retaliatory measures may include the immediate freeze of Russian assets held by a Fund. In the event of such a freeze of any Fund assets, including depositary receipts, a Fund may need to liquidate non-restricted assets in order to satisfy any Fund redemption orders. The liquidation of Fund assets during this time may also result in a Fund receiving substantially lower prices for its securities. In addition, Russia is alleged to have participated in state-sponsored cyberattacks against foreign companies and foreign governments.
For these or other reasons, the Fund could seek to suspend redemptions of Creation Units (defined herein), including in the event that an emergency exists in which it is not reasonably practicable for the Fund to dispose of its securities or to determine its net asset value ("NAV"). The Fund could also, among other things, limit or suspend creations of Creation Units. During the period that creations or redemptions are affected, the Fund's shares could trade at a significant premium or discount to their NAV. In the case of a period during which creations are suspended, the Fund could experience substantial redemptions, which may exacerbate the discount to NAV at which the Fund's shares trade, cause the Fund to experience increased transaction costs, and cause the Fund to make greater taxable distributions to shareholders of the Fund. The Fund may also change its investment objective by, for example, seeking to track an alternative index, or the Fund could liquidate all or a portion of its assets, which may be at unfavorable prices.
The Russian government continues to control a large share of economic activity in the region. The Russian government owns shares in corporations in a range of sectors including banking, energy production and distribution, automotive, transportation and telecommunications. Additionally, because Russia produces and exports large volumes of oil and gas, the Russian economy is particularly sensitive to the price of oil and gas on the world market, and a decline in the price of oil and gas could have a significant negative impact on the Russian economy. Political and economic events in Russia may have significant adverse effects on the Russian ruble and on the value and liquidity of the Fund's investments.
Risk of Investing in Depositary Receipts. The Fund may invest in depositary receipts which involve similar risks to those associated with investments in foreign securities. Depositary receipts are receipts listed on U.S. or foreign exchanges issued by banks or trust companies that entitle the holder to all dividends and capital gains that are paid out on the underlying foreign shares. Investments in depositary receipts may be less liquid than the underlying shares in their primary trading market and, if not included in the Russia Index, may negatively affect the Fund's ability to replicate the performance of the Russia Index. The issuers of depositary receipts may discontinue issuing new depositary receipts and withdraw existing depositary receipts at any
time, which may result in costs and delays in the distribution of the underlying assets to the Fund and may negatively impact the Fund's performance and the Fund's ability to replicate/track the performance of its Index.
Risk of Investing in the Energy Sector. The Fund will be sensitive to, and its performance will depend to a greater extent on, the overall condition of the energy sector. Companies operating in the energy sector are subject to risks including, but not limited to, economic growth, worldwide demand, political instability in the regions that the companies operate, government regulation stipulating rates charged by utilities, interest rate sensitivity, oil price volatility, energy conservation, environmental policies, depletion of resources, the cost of providing the specific utility services and other factors that they cannot control. In addition, these companies are at risk of civil liability from accidents resulting in injury, loss of life or property, pollution or other environmental damage claims and risk of loss from terrorism and natural disasters. A downturn in the energy sector of the economy, adverse political, legislative or regulatory developments or other events could have a larger impact on the Fund than on an investment company that does not invest a substantial portion of its assets in the energy sector. At times, the performance of securities of companies in the energy sector may lag the performance of other sectors or the broader market as a whole. The price of oil, natural gas and other fossil fuels may decline and/or experience significant volatility, which could adversely impact companies operating in the energy sector.
Risk of Investing in Medium-Capitalization Companies. Medium-capitalization companies may be more volatile and more likely than large-capitalization companies to have narrower product lines, fewer financial resources, less management depth and experience and less competitive strength. In addition, these companies often have greater price volatility, lower trading volume and less liquidity than larger more established companies. Returns on investments in securities of medium-capitalization companies could trail the returns on investments in securities of large-capitalization companies.
Index Tracking Risk. The Fund's return may not match the return of the Russia Index for a number of reasons. For example, the Fund incurs a number of operating expenses, including taxes, not applicable to the Russia Index and incurs costs associated with buying and selling securities, especially when rebalancing the Fund's securities holdings to reflect changes in the composition of the Russia Index, or (to the extent the Fund effects creations and redemptions for cash) raising cash to meet redemptions or
deploying cash in connection with newly created Creation Units, which are not factored into the return of the Russia Index. Transaction costs, including brokerage costs, will decrease the Fund's NAV to the extent not offset by the transaction fee payable by an Authorized Participant ("AP"). Market disruptions and regulatory restrictions could have an adverse effect on the Fund's ability to adjust its exposure to the required levels in order to track the Russia Index. Errors in the Russia Index data, the Russia Index computations and/or the construction of the Russia Index in accordance with its methodology may occur from time to time and may not be identified and corrected by the Russia Index provider for a period of time or at all, which may have an adverse impact on the Fund and its shareholders. Shareholders should understand that any gains from the Russia Index provider's errors will be kept by the Fund and its shareholders and any losses or costs resulting from the Russia Index provider's errors will be borne by the Fund and its shareholders. When the Russia Index is rebalanced and the Fund in turn rebalances its portfolio to attempt to increase the correlation between the Fund's portfolio and the Russia Index, any transaction costs and market exposure arising from such portfolio rebalancing will be borne directly by the Fund and its shareholders. The Fund may not be fully invested at times either as a result of cash flows into the Fund (if the Fund effects creations and redemptions for cash) or reserves of cash held by the Fund to meet redemptions or pay expenses. Apart from scheduled rebalances, the Russia Index provider or its agents may carry out additional ad hoc rebalances to the Russia Index. Therefore, errors and additional ad hoc rebalances carried out by the Russia Index provider or its agents to the Russia Index may increase the costs to and the tracking error risk of the Fund. In addition, the Fund may not be able to invest in certain securities included in the Russia Index, or invest in them in the exact proportions in which they are represented in the Russia Index. The Fund's performance may also deviate from the return of the Russia Index due to legal restrictions or limitations imposed by the governments of certain countries, certain listing standards of the Fund's listing exchange (the "Exchange"), a lack of liquidity on stock exchanges in which such securities trade, potential adverse tax consequences or other regulatory reasons or legal restrictions or limitations (such as diversification requirements). The Fund may value certain of its investments, underlying securities, underlying currencies and/or other assets based on fair value prices. To the extent the Fund calculates its NAV based on fair value prices and the value of the Russia Index is based on securities' closing prices on local foreign markets (i.e., the value of the Russia Index is not based on fair value prices), the Fund's ability to track the Russia Index may be adversely affected. In the event economic sanctions are imposed by the United States against certain Russian companies, the Fund may not be able to fully replicate the Russia Index by investing in the relevant securities, which may lead to increased tracking error. In addition, any issues the Fund encounters with regard to currency convertibility (including the cost of borrowing funds, if any) and repatriation may also increase the index tracking risk. When markets are volatile, the ability to sell securities at fair value prices may be adversely impacted and may result in additional trading costs and/or increase the index tracking risk. The Fund may also need to rely on borrowings to meet redemptions, which may lead to increased expenses. For tax efficiency purposes, the Fund may sell certain securities, and such sale may cause the Fund to realize a loss and deviate from the performance of the Russia Index. In light of the factors discussed above, the Fund's return may deviate significantly from the return of the Russia Index. Changes to the composition of the Russia Index in connection with a rebalancing or reconstitution of the Russia Index may cause the Fund to experience increased volatility, during which time the Fund's index tracking risk may be heightened.
Passive Management Risk. An investment in the Fund involves risks similar to those of investing in any fund invested in equity securities traded on an exchange, such as market fluctuations caused by such factors as economic and political developments, changes in interest rates and perceived trends in security prices. However, because the Fund is not "actively" managed, unless a specific security is removed from the Russia Index, the Fund generally would not sell a security because the security's issuer was in financial trouble. Additionally, unusual market conditions may cause the Russia Index provider to postpone a scheduled rebalance or reconstitution, which could cause the Russia Index to vary from its normal or expected composition. Therefore, the Fund's performance could be lower than funds that may actively shift their portfolio assets to take advantage of market opportunities or to lessen the impact of a market decline or a decline in the value of one or more issuers.
Concentration Risk. The Fund's assets may be concentrated in a particular sector or sectors or industry or group of industries to the extent the Russia Index concentrates in a particular sector or sectors or industry or group of industries. To the extent that the Fund is concentrated in a particular sector or sectors or industry or group of industries, the Fund will be subject to the risk that economic, political or other conditions that have a negative effect on those sectors and/or industries may negatively impact the Fund to a greater extent than if the Fund's assets were invested in a wider variety of sectors or industries.
The bar chart that follows shows how the Fund performed for the calendar years shown. The table below the bar chart shows the Fund's average annual returns (before and after taxes). The bar chart and table provide an indication of the risks of investing in the Fund by comparing the Fund's performance from year to year and by showing how the Fund's average annual returns for the one year, five year, ten year and/or since inception periods, as applicable, compared with the Fund's benchmark index and a broad measure of market performance. Prior to March 19, 2012, the Fund sought to replicate as closely as possible, before fees and expenses, the price and yield performance of the DAXglobal® Russia+Index (the "Prior Index"). Therefore, performance information prior to March 19, 2012 reflects the performance of the Fund while seeking to track the Prior Index. All returns assume reinvestment of dividends and distributions. The Fund's past performance (before and after taxes) is not necessarily indicative of how the Fund will perform in the future. Updated performance information is available online at www.vaneck.com.