ETF Evaluator: abrdn International Small Cap Active ETF () Follow This ETF

abrdn International Small Cap Active ETF Overview

abrdn International Small Cap Active ETF (ASCI) is an actively managed International Equity Foreign Small/Mid Growth exchange-traded fund (ETF). Aberdeen launched the ETF in 2009.

The investment seeks long-term growth of capital. The fund seeks to achieve its objective by investing primarily in equity securities of small non-U.S. companies. Equity securities include, but are not limited to, common stock, preferred stock and depositary receipts. As a non-fundamental policy, under normal market conditions, it will invest at least 80% of the value of its net assets, plus any borrowings for investment purposes, in equity securities of non-U.S. small companies.

About abrdn International Small Cap Active ETF (ASCI)

There are 2 members of the management team with an average tenure of 1.79 years: Awais Khan (2025) and Liam Patel (2023). Management tenure is more important for actively managed ETFs than passive index ETFs.

The ETF has 2 primary benchmarks: MSCI ACWI Ex USA NR USD index with a weighting of 100% and MSCI ACWI Ex USA Small NR USD index with a weighting of 100%. abrdn International Small Cap Active ETF has 55 securities in its portfolio. The top 10 holdings constitute 39.1% of the ETF’s assets. The ETF meets the SEC requirement of being classified as a diversified fund. The ETF is not considered to have an ESG focus with its investment selection and management.

abrdn International Small Cap Active ETF is part of the Equity global asset class and is within the International Equity ETF group. abrdn International Small Cap Active ETF has 95.3% of its portfolio invested in foreign issues. The overall assets allocated to domestic stock is 1.2% There is 95.3% 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). abrdn International Small Cap Active ETF has 3.5% of the portfolio in cash.

Assets Under Management

The fund has $78 million in total assets, which is above the $78 million average for the Foreign Small/Mid Growth 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.

ASCI 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 abrdn International Small Cap Active ETF expense ratio is above average compared to funds in the Foreign Small/Mid Growth category. abrdn International Small Cap Active ETF has an expense ratio of 0.70%, which is the same as 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. abrdn International Small Cap Active ETF has a portfolio turnover rate of 20%, which indicates that it holds its assets around / 0.1 years. By way of comparison, the average portfolio turnover is 20% for the Foreign Small/Mid Growth category.

Recently, in the month of July 2026, abrdn International Small Cap Active ETF returned -1.7%, which earned it a grade of A, as the Foreign Small/Mid Growth category had an average return of -1.7%. 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.

abrdn International Small Cap Active ETF has a trailing yield of 0.77%, which is equal to the 0.77% category average. The fund normally distributes its income 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.

abrdn International Small Cap Active ETF Grades

Year to date, the ETF has returned 3.9%, 0.0 percentage points equal to the category, which translates into a grade of C. The fund has returned 5.4% over the past year (grade of C), 9.7% over the past three years (grade of C) and 0.1% per year over the past five years (grade of C) and 7.4% per year over the past 10 years (grade of A).

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