What is an exchange-traded fund (ETF)?

Exchange-traded funds (ETFs) offer access to a wide range of Australian and international companies through a selection of pre-mixed portfolios. They are structured like a managed fund and can be traded like shares on the Australian Securities Exchange (ASX).

Benefits of ETFs

  • Low cost
    Compared to other managed investments, ETFs offer a low cost way to invest in a wide range of Australian and international companies.
  • Easy to trade
    ETFs can be traded like shares on the Australian Securities Exchange (ASX) continuously throughout the day, online, and in real time.
  • Provides diversification
    You can use ETFs to spread your money over a range of securities, or gain exposure to a specific sector or investment group.

Available ETFs

Self Invest offers a variety of more than 80 ETFs for you to choose from. A maximum of 85% of your total QSuper Accumulation or Retirement Income account balance can be held in ETFs, and maximum exposure limits apply to each (represented as a percentage of your total balance, at the time of transacting).1

You can invest in ETFs with themes such as Global Cybersecurity, Global Robotics and Automation, and FANG+, as well as ETFs in other asset classes and ETFs that are more broadly diversified across markets.

Show all available ETFs Hide all

Description ASX code Maximum exposure
BetaShares Australia 200 ETF A200 No limit
BetaShares Australian Ex-20 Portfolio Diversifier ETF EX20 50% limit
BetaShares Australian Sustainability Leaders ETF FAIR 50% limit
BetaShares FTSE RAFI Australia 200 ETF QOZ No limit
BetaShares S&P/ASX Australian Technology ETF ATEC 50% limit
iShares Core S&P/ASX 200 ETF IOZ No limit
iShares S&P/ASX 20 ETF ILC 50% limit
iShares S&P/ASX Dividend Opportunities ETF IHD 50% limit
Russell Investments Australian Responsible Investment ETF RARI 50% limit
Russell Investments High Dividend Australian Shares ETF RDV 50% limit
SPDR MSCI Australia Select High Dividend Yield Fund  SYI 50% limit
SPDR S&P/ASX 200  STW No limit
SPDR S&P/ASX 50  SFY 50% limit
VanEck Vectors Australian Bank ETF MVB 50% limit
VanEck Vectors Australian Equal Weight ETF MVW No limit
VanEck Vectors Australian Resources ETF MVR 50% limit
Vanguard Australian Shares High Yield ETF VHY 50% limit
Vanguard Australian Shares Index ETF VAS No limit
Vanguard MSCI Australian Small Companies Index ETF VSO 50% limit
Description ASX code Maximum exposure
SPDR Dow Jones Global Select Real Estate Fund DJRE 50% limit
VanEck Vectors Australian Property ETF MVA 50% limit
Vanguard Australian Property Securities Index ETF VAP 50% limit
Description ASX code Maximum exposure
BetaShares Asia Technology Tigers ETF ASIA 50% limit
BetaShares FTSE 100 ETF F100 50% limit
BetaShares Global Cybersecurity ETF HACK 50% limit
BetaShares Global Sustainability Leaders ETF ETHI 50% limit
BetaShares NASDAQ 100 ETF NDQ 50% limit
ETFS FANG+ ETF FANG 50% limit
ETFS Morningstar Global Technology ETF TECH 50% limit
ETFS ROBO Global Robotics and Automation ETF ROBO 50% limit
iShares Asia 50 ETF IAA 50% limit
iShares Core MSCI World All Cap (AUD Hedged) ETF IHWL No limit
iShares Edge MSCI World Minimum Volatility ETF WVOL 50% limit
iShares Edge MSCI World Multifactor ETF WDMF 50% limit
iShares Global 100 ETF IOO No limit
iShares Global Consumer Staples ETF IXI 50% limit
iShares Global Healthcare ETF IXJ 50% limit
iShares MSCI EAFE ETF IVE No limit
iShares MSCI Emerging Markets ETF IEM 50% limit
iShares MSCI Japan ETF IJP 50% limit
iShares S&P 500 AUD Hedged ETF IHVV No limit
iShares S&P 500 ETF IVV No limit
iShares S&P Midcap ETF IJH 50% limit
iShares S&P Small-Cap ETF IJR 50% limit
SPDR S&P Global Dividend Fund WDIV 50% limit
VanEck Vectors China New Economy ETF CNEW 50% limit
VanEck Vectors Gold Miners ETF GDX 50% limit
VanEck Vectors Morningstar Wide Moat ETF MOAT 50% limit
VanEck Vectors MSCI World Ex-Australia Quality (Hedged) ETF QHAL 50% limit
VanEck Vectors MSCI World Ex-Australia Quality ETF QUAL 50% limit
Vanguard All-World ex US Shares Index ETF VEU No limit
Vanguard Ethically Conscious International Shares Index ETF VESG 50% limit
Vanguard FTSE Asia Ex-Japan Shares Index ETF VAE 50% limit
Vanguard FTSE Emerging Markets Shares ETF VGE 50% limit
Vanguard FTSE Europe Shares ETF VEQ 50% limit
Vanguard MSCI Index International Shares (Hedged) ETF VGAD No limit
Vanguard MSCI Index International Shares ETF VGS No limit
Vanguard US Total Market Shares Index ETF VTS No limit
Description ASX code Maximum exposure
BetaShares Active Australian Hybrids Fund HBRD 50% limit
BetaShares Australian Bank Senior Floating Rate Bond ETF QPON 50% limit
BetaShares Australian High Interest Cash ETF AAA No limit
BetaShares Australian Investment Grade Bond ETF CRED 50% limit
iShares Core Cash ETF BILL No limit
iShares Core Composite Bond ETF IAF No limit
iShares Core Global Corporate Bond (AUD Hedged) ETF IHCB 50% limit
iShares Enhanced Cash ETF ISEC No limit
iShares Government Inflation ETF ILB 50% limit
iShares Treasury ETF IGB No limit
VanEck Vectors Australian Corporate Bond Plus ETF PLUS 50% limit
VanEck Vectors Australian Floating Rate ETF FLOT No limit
Vanguard Australian Corporate Fixed Interest Index ETF VACF 50% limit
Vanguard Australian Fixed Interest Index ETF VAF No limit
Vanguard Australian Government Bond Index ETF VGB No limit
Vanguard Global Aggregate Bond Index (Hedged) ETF VBND No limit
Vanguard International Credit Securities Index (Hedged) ETF VCF 50% limit
Vanguard International Fixed Interest Index (Hedged) ETF VIF No limit
Description ASX code Maximum exposure
BetaShares Gold Bullion ETF (Currency Hedged)2 QAU 25% limit
ETFS Physical Gold GOLD 25% limit
ETFS Physical Silver  ETPMAG 25% limit
Description ASX code Maximum exposure
VanEck Vectors FTSE Global Infrastructure (Hedged) ETF IFRA 50% limit
Description ASX code Maximum exposure
Vanguard Diversified Balanced Index ETF VDBA No limit
Vanguard Diversified Conservative Index ETF2 VDCO No limit
Vanguard Diversified Growth Index ETF VDGR No limit
Vanguard Diversified High Growth Index ETF VDHG No limit

Please check the provider's target market determination before choosing their product in Self Invest.

How much it costs

Fees and costs apply for investing your super in Self Invest, and are also charged when you buy and sell an ETF. Most of the fees and costs will be deducted from your Self Invest transaction account. An ETF management fee also applies, which will be deducted from the ETF by the ETF manager before the return is declared.

Find out more about fees and costs in Self Invest or see the Investment Choice Guide (pdf).

Risks of ETFs

As an asset class, ETFs are considered to be a high risk investment, however individual ETFs can carry a lower risk, such as one that invests in a diverse range of bonds. When you invest in ETFs, you need to be prepared to accept a level of volatility and the possibility of negative returns.

You can find out more in the Investment Choice Guide (pdf).

You should also check the provider's website for their ETF product's target market determination before choosing the ETF in Self Invest.

How we select ETFs

The ETFs listed in the tables above have been selected based on the following criteria. Each ETF must have:

  • Product quality: Lonsec ETF rating of 'Recommended' or 'Highly Recommended' at each review
  • Scale and liquidity: Funds under management (FUM) of at least $100 million
  • Liquidity: Average monthly trading volume of at least $10 million (measured over the past 12 months)
  • Low fees: Cost no greater than 1% p.a.
  • Class category: Excluding currency and leveraged ETFs.

Watch list

ETFs that no longer meet the ETF criteria at the time of review will be placed on the watch list below at our discretion.

Please note:

  • You can continue to invest in the ETFs listed on the watch list
  • We may remove these ETFs in the future if they continue not to meet our selection criteria
  • When an ETF is no longer available on Self Invest, you can continue to hold that ETF but you cannot increase the amount you have invested in that ETF.

Description ASX code Reason for no longer meeting the ETF criteria
BetaShares Gold Bullion ETF (Currency Hedged) QAU Insufficient Lonsec Research rating
Vanguard Diversified Conservative Index ETF VDCO Failed liquidity criteria

How much can you invest in each ETF?

To help you keep your super investments diversified, we set a maximum exposure limit on how much of your Self Invest balance you can invest in each particular ETF. There are currently a range of ETFs with a maximum exposure limit of 25% or 50%.

This approach benefits you as an investor because it identifies high quality ETF providers, with ETFs of significant scale, liquidity, and affordability.

Register for Self Invest today

Once you've decided Self Invest is right for you, it takes less than 5 minutes to sign up in Member Online.

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1. The ETFs available through Self Invest could change from time to time.
2. At the time of the last ETF review in July 2021, this ETF no longer met the ETF criteria detailed on this page, but will remain on the ETF list and also be included on our watch list from 1 July 2021.