BetaShares Asia Technology Tigers ETF (ASIA) — Review & Analysis

ASIA is Australia's largest Asia-focused equity ETF, with $1.5 billion in assets as at May 2026 — about 0.4% of the entire $358 billion Australian ETF market. ASIA is bigger than every other ASX-listed Asia-focused fund combined, including IAA ($1.7B), VAE ($820M) and IZZ ($488M) as at May 2026. Betashares launched ASIA in September 2018 and it has since become the go-to single-trade Asian technology bet for Australian investors. The fund tracks the Solactive Asia ex-Japan Technology & Internet Tigers Index, holding approximately 50 of the largest technology and internet companies across Asia ex-Japan — China, Taiwan, South Korea, India, Hong Kong, Singapore. The management fee is 0.67% per annum — high for a passive product but typical for a thematic Asia exposure.

To compare ASIA side-by-side with every other ETF on the ASX, see the full ETF directory.

ASIA is heavily concentrated. As at May 2026, China makes up around 55% of the fund, Taiwan around 22% (driven by TSMC's enormous weight), South Korea around 16%, India around 4%, and other markets the remainder. Top holdings include TSMC, Samsung Electronics, Tencent, Alibaba, JD.com, Pinduoduo, Meituan, Infosys, Baidu and Naver — together making up roughly 50% of the fund. ASIA had the biggest single-month rerating of any major ETF on the ASX in May 2026 — the 3-year return jumped from +88% to +216% over the past year as the Asian tech complex rallied. Returns: 1Y +105.4%, 3Y +216.2%, 5Y +102.0% as at May 2026.

ASIA pays distributions annually (late June) at a low yield. As at May 2026, the trailing 12-month distribution yield runs around 0.5% — ASIA is a pure capital-growth fund, not an income fund. ASIA was one of the standout-performing ETFs of 2025-2026, recovering from the deep China selloff of 2021-22 with vigour. The risk is sentiment-driven: if Chinese tech regulatory pressure returns or if AI semiconductor demand stalls, ASIA will mark down hard. The fund is currency-unhedged, so AUD/USD moves add another variable to returns.

ASIA is the cleanest way to own the dominant Asian technology mega-caps in one trade. Position size accordingly — at 55% China and concentrated in 50 stocks, ASIA is a satellite, not a core holding for most Australian portfolios. A $10,000 investment in ASIA at its September 2018 launch (with all distributions reinvested) would be worth roughly $30,000 as at May 2026 — an annualised return of about 15.5% per year over the 7.5-year period. For a deeper analysis of the entire Asia and emerging markets ETF universe, see Best Asia, China & Emerging Markets ETFs Australia 2026.