ETF Evaluator:
iShares Asia 50 ETF (AIA)
Follow This ETF
(as of Jul 31)
Best Performing in Pacific/Asia ex-Japan Stk Over the Last Year
| 84.0% | Matthews Asia Innovators Active ETF (MINV) |
| 80.4% | iShares Asia 50 ETF (AIA) |
| 55.8% | First Trust AsiaPac ex-Jpn AlphaDEX® ETF (FPA) |
| 55.3% | Matthews Pacific Tiger Active ETF (ASIA) |
| 47.6% | iShares MSCI All Country Asia ex Jpn ETF (AAXJ) |
Risk
Index
Risk
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ETF Details
iShares Asia 50 ETF Overview
iShares Asia 50 ETF (AIA) is a passively managed International Equity Pacific/Asia ex-Japan Stk exchange-traded fund (ETF). iShares launched the ETF in 2007.
The investment seeks to track the investment results of the S&P Asia 50TM Capped which is a capped float- adjusted, market capitalization- weighted index that is designed to measure the performance of the 50 leading companies listed in four Asian countries or regions.
The fund generally will invest at least 80% of its assets in the component securities of its underlying index and in investments that have economic characteristics that are substantially identical to the component securities of its underlying index and may invest up to 20% of its assets in certain futures, options and swap contracts, cash and cash equivalents. It is non-diversified.
About iShares Asia 50 ETF (AIA)
There are 4 members of the management team with an average tenure of 4.31 years: Jennifer Hsui (2012), Peter Sietsema (2025), Matt Waldron (2025) and Steven White (2025). Management tenure is more important for actively managed ETFs than passive index ETFs.
The ETF has 1 primary benchmark: S&P Asia 50TM Capped TR USD index with a weighting of 100%. iShares Asia 50 ETF has 72 securities in its portfolio. The top 10 holdings constitute 66.8% of the ETF’s assets. The ETF meets the SEC requirement of being classified as a nondiversified fund. The ETF is not considered to have an ESG focus with its investment selection and management.
iShares Asia 50 ETF is part of the Equity global asset class and is within the International Equity ETF group. iShares Asia 50 ETF has 99.3% of its portfolio invested in foreign issues. The overall assets allocated to domestic stock is 0.4% There is 99.3% allocated to foreign stock, and 0.0% is allocated to preferred stocks. The bond allocation as a percentage of total assets is 0.0% (0.0% domestic bond, 0.0% foreign bond and 0.0% convertible bond). iShares Asia 50 ETF has 0.3% of the portfolio in cash.
Assets Under Management
The fund has $5 billion in total assets, which is above the $1 billion average for the Pacific/Asia ex-Japan Stk category. Normally, lower assets under management translates to higher average expense ratios, and greater total assets are desired. However, for some investment categories, such as small-cap investing, it may be difficult for the manager to fully employ the desired active strategy if assets grow too large or too quickly.
AIA Performance and Fees
The expense ratio measures how much of a fund’s assets are used for administrative expenses and operating expenses, including adviser fees and fees for the transfer agent and custodial services. The iShares Asia 50 ETF expense ratio is average compared to funds in the Pacific/Asia ex-Japan Stk category. iShares Asia 50 ETF has an expense ratio of 0.50%, which is 13% lower than its category average, making the fund expense ratio grade a C. While it is difficult to predict returns, it is known that high annual expense ratios reduce your rate of return, and excessive fees are difficult to overcome. Active management normally comes with higher expense ratios than passive index management. Certain investment categories such as small company and foreign also normally have higher expense ratios. It is best to compare fund expense ratios against the category averages for meaningful assessments.
High portfolio turnover can translate to higher expenses and lower aftertax returns. iShares Asia 50 ETF has a portfolio turnover rate of 33%, which indicates that it holds its assets around / 0.0 years. By way of comparison, the average portfolio turnover is 36% for the Pacific/Asia ex-Japan Stk category.
Recently, in the month of June 2026, iShares Asia 50 ETF returned 1.1%, which earned it a grade of A, as the Pacific/Asia ex-Japan Stk category had an average return of -1.2%. The letter grades of A, B, C, D and F are based upon relative rankings within the investment category. A grade of A, for example, would indicate that the return is in the highest 20% for that time period compared to all ETFs in that category.
iShares Asia 50 ETF has a trailing yield of 0.87%, which is below the 2.16% category average.
The fund normally distributes its income semi-annually and its capital gains annually.
It’s natural to seek the best-performing investments, but you must consider the relationship between risk and return and the impact of costs and taxes on your realized returns.
iShares Asia 50 ETF Grades
Year to date, the ETF has returned 46.8%, 21.8 percentage points better than the category, which translates into a grade of A. The fund has returned 80.4% over the past year (grade of A), 37.2% over the past three years (grade of A) and 11.8% per year over the past five years (grade of A) and 14.8% per year over the past 10 years (grade of A).
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AIA Trailing NAV Total Returns Data as of 6/30/26
| Last Month |
Last Quarter |
Ann'l. 1Yr |
Ann'l. 3Yr |
Ann'l. 5Yr |
Ann'l. 10Yr |
|
| AIA Return (NAV) | 1.1% | 35.4% | 80.4% | 37.2% | 11.8% | 14.8% |
| AIA Return (Price) | -0.1% | 33.9% | 78.5% | 36.9% | 11.7% | 14.7% |
| NAV +/- Price Return | 1.180% | 1.470% | 1.888% | 0.322% | 0.046% | 0.148% |
| Pacific/Asia ex-Japan Stk Avg | -1.2% | 21.4% | 41.6% | 22.5% | 7.7% | 10.0% |
| AIA Grade (NAV) | A | A | A | A | A | A |
| +/- Category (NAV) | 2.3% | 14.0% | 38.7% | 14.7% | 4.0% | 4.9% |
| AIA Tax-Cost Ratio | na | na | 0.8% | 0.9% | 0.8% | 0.7% |
AIA Annual NAV Total ReturnsData as of 6/30/26
| 2026 | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | |
| AIA Return (NAV) | 46.8% | 47.0% | 20.4% | 4.8% | -24.1% | -10.8% | 34.0% | 21.8% | -13.9% | 43.5% | 11.8% |
| AIA Return (Price) | 45.8% | 47.8% | 20.3% | 4.9% | -24.1% | -10.9% | 33.7% | 22.2% | -14.2% | 45.0% | 12.0% |
| NAV +/- Price Ret | -0.021% | 0.017% | -0.008% | 0.012% | 0.001% | 0.014% | -0.009% | 1.6% | 2.1% | 3.4% | 1.2% |
| Pacific/Asia ex-Japan Stk Avg | 25.0% | 29.1% | 10.8% | 6.1% | -14.2% | 0.3% | 16.8% | 16.6% | -14.0% | 37.0% | 6.5% |
| AIA Grade (NAV) | A | A | A | F | F | F | A | A | C | A | A |
| +/- Category | 21.8% | 17.9% | 9.7% | -1.3% | -9.9% | -11.1% | 17.2% | 5.3% | 0.1% | 6.5% | 5.4% |
| Risk Measures | |
| Beta: | 1.21 |
| R-Squared: | 64% |
| Standard Deviation: | 21.0% |
| Category Risk Index: | 1.20 |
| Category Risk Rating: | High |
| Total Risk Index: | 1.72 |
| Total Risk Rating: | High |
| Portfolio Characteristics | |
| Yield: | 0.9% |
| Total Assets: | $ 5,222 Mil |
| Share Class Assets: | $ 5,222 Mil |
| Turnover: | 33.0% |
| Expense Ratio: | 0.50% |
| Index Fund: | Yes |
| Index Tracked: | S&P Asia 50TM Capped TR USD |
| Index Weighting: | 100% |
| Leveraged: | No |
| Socially Responsible Fund: | No |
| Capital Gains Distribution Frequency: | Annually |
| Income Distribution Frequency: | Semi-Annually |
Management Team
| Number of Managers: 4 | |||
| Longest Tenure: 13.5 years | |||
| Average Tenure: 4.3 years | |||
| Managers (Year): Hsui Jennifer (2012), Sietsema Peter (2025), Waldron Matt (2025), White Steven (2025) | |||
Portfolio Composition (as of 6/30/26)
| # of Holdings: | 72 |
| % in Top 10 Holdings: | 66.8% |
| Fund is Non-Diversified: | Yes |
| % in Foreign Issues: | 99.3% |
Portfolio Allocation |
|
| Domestic Stock: | 0.4% |
| Foreign Stock: | 99.3% |
| Preferred Stock: | 0.0% |
| Domestic Bond: | 0.0% |
| Foreign Bond: | 0.0% |
| Convertible Bond: | 0.0% |
| Other: | 0.0% |
| Cash: | 0.3% |
Purchase Information
| Legal Structure: | Open Ended Investment Company |
| Fund Family: | iShares |
| Phone Number: | 800-474-2737 |
| Website: | au.ishares.com |
| Inception Date: | November 13, 2007 |
Expenses and Fees
| Expense Ratio (%): | 0.50% (Rating: Avg) |
| Category Average Expense Ratio (%): | 0.57% |
