ETF Evaluator:
VanEck Digital Native Economy ETF ()
Follow This ETF
(as of Aug 26)
Best Performing in Consumer Cyclical Over the Last Year
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Risk
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Risk
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ETF Details
VanEck Digital Native Economy ETF Overview
VanEck Digital Native Economy ETF (GENZ) is a passively managed Sector Equity Consumer Cyclical exchange-traded fund (ETF). VanEck launched the ETF in 2008.
The investment seeks to replicate as closely as possible, before fees and expenses, the price and yield performance of the MarketVectorTM Digital Native Economy Index.
The fund normally invests at least 80% of its total assets in securities that comprise the fund’s benchmark index. To be initially eligible for the Gaming Index, companies must generate at least 50% of their revenues from gaming. Gaming includes casinos and casino hotels, sports betting (including internet gambling and racetracks) and lottery services as well as gaming services, gaming technology and gaming equipment. It is non-diversified.
About VanEck Digital Native Economy ETF (GENZ)
There are 2 members of the management team with an average tenure of 10.52 years: Peter Liao (2008) and Griffin Driscoll (2024). Management tenure is more important for actively managed ETFs than passive index ETFs.
The ETF has 2 primary benchmarks: MSCI ACWI NR USD index with a weighting of 100% and MarketVector Dgtl Native Economy TR USD index with a weighting of 100%. VanEck Digital Native Economy ETF has 40 securities in its portfolio. The top 10 holdings constitute 64.8% 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.
VanEck Digital Native Economy ETF is part of the Equity global asset class and is within the Sector Equity ETF group. VanEck Digital Native Economy ETF has 19.9% of its portfolio invested in foreign issues. The overall assets allocated to domestic stock is 80.0% There is 19.9% 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). VanEck Digital Native Economy ETF has 0.1% of the portfolio in cash.
Assets Under Management
The fund has $16 million in total assets, which is below the $1 billion average for the Consumer Cyclical 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.
GENZ 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 VanEck Digital Native Economy ETF expense ratio is average compared to funds in the Consumer Cyclical category. VanEck Digital Native Economy ETF has an expense ratio of 0.51%, which is 20% higher than its category average, making the fund expense ratio grade a D. 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. VanEck Digital Native Economy ETF has a portfolio turnover rate of 16%, which indicates that it holds its assets around / 0.1 years. By way of comparison, the average portfolio turnover is 41% for the Consumer Cyclical category.
Recently, in the month of July 2026, VanEck Digital Native Economy ETF returned 0.8%, which earned it a grade of C, as the Consumer Cyclical category had an average return of -0.2%. 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.
VanEck Digital Native Economy ETF has a trailing yield of 3.66%, which is above the 0.97% 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.
VanEck Digital Native Economy ETF Grades
Year to date, the ETF has returned -8.5%, 8.5 percentage points worse than the category, which translates into a grade of F. The fund has returned -14.4% over the past year (grade of F), -4.9% over the past three years (grade of F) and -3.4% per year over the past five years (grade of F) and 3.0% per year over the past 10 years (grade of F).
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GENZ Trailing NAV Total Returns Data as of 7/31/26
| Last Month |
Last Quarter |
Ann'l. 1Yr |
Ann'l. 3Yr |
Ann'l. 5Yr |
Ann'l. 10Yr |
|
| GENZ Return (NAV) | 0.8% | 2.5% | -14.4% | -4.9% | -3.4% | 3.0% |
| GENZ Return (Price) | 0.4% | 2.9% | -14.2% | -4.9% | -3.4% | 3.0% |
| NAV +/- Price Return | 0.421% | -0.380% | -0.144% | -0.047% | 0.002% | 0.025% |
| Consumer Cyclical Avg | -0.2% | 1.5% | 3.6% | 9.5% | 2.6% | 10.2% |
| GENZ Grade (NAV) | C | B | F | F | F | F |
| +/- Category (NAV) | 1.0% | 1.1% | -18.0% | -14.4% | -6.0% | -7.2% |
| GENZ Tax-Cost Ratio | na | na | 1.3% | 1.0% | 0.7% | 0.9% |
GENZ Annual NAV Total ReturnsData as of 7/31/26
| 2026 | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | |
| GENZ Return (NAV) | -8.5% | 3.3% | -1.4% | 12.0% | -12.6% | -4.2% | 11.8% | 30.2% | -26.2% | 39.9% | 11.1% |
| GENZ Return (Price) | -8.9% | 4.1% | -1.4% | 11.5% | -12.8% | -4.3% | 12.7% | 30.2% | -26.7% | 41.0% | 10.0% |
| NAV +/- Price Ret | 0.051% | 0.236% | 0.009% | -0.042% | 0.015% | 0.027% | 0.075% | -0.2% | 1.9% | 2.8% | -9.7% |
| Consumer Cyclical Avg | 0.0% | 8.1% | 17.0% | 30.5% | -30.4% | 17.0% | 38.6% | 26.9% | -8.6% | 25.0% | 5.1% |
| GENZ Grade (NAV) | F | F | F | F | A | F | F | A | F | A | A |
| +/- Category | -8.5% | -4.8% | -18.4% | -18.5% | 17.8% | -21.2% | -26.8% | 3.3% | -17.6% | 14.9% | 6.0% |
| Risk Measures | |
| Beta: | 0.97 |
| R-Squared: | 45% |
| Standard Deviation: | 18.4% |
| Category Risk Index: | 0.91 |
| Category Risk Rating: | Average |
| Total Risk Index: | 1.50 |
| Total Risk Rating: | Above Average |
| Portfolio Characteristics | |
| Yield: | 3.7% |
| Total Assets: | $ 17 Mil |
| Share Class Assets: | $ 17 Mil |
| Turnover: | 16.0% |
| Expense Ratio: | 0.51% |
| Index Fund: | Yes |
| Index Tracked: | MSCI ACWI NR USD |
| Index Weighting: | 100% |
| Leveraged: | No |
| Socially Responsible Fund: | No |
| Capital Gains Distribution Frequency: | Annually |
| Income Distribution Frequency: | Annually |
Management Team
| Number of Managers: 2 | |||
| Longest Tenure: 18.5 years | |||
| Average Tenure: 10.5 years | |||
| Managers (Year): Liao Peter (2008), Driscoll Griffin (2024) | |||
Portfolio Composition (as of 7/31/26)
| # of Holdings: | 40 |
| % in Top 10 Holdings: | 64.8% |
| Fund is Non-Diversified: | Yes |
| % in Foreign Issues: | 19.9% |
Portfolio Allocation |
|
| Domestic Stock: | 80.0% |
| Foreign Stock: | 19.9% |
| Preferred Stock: | 0.0% |
| Domestic Bond: | 0.0% |
| Foreign Bond: | 0.0% |
| Convertible Bond: | 0.0% |
| Other: | 0.0% |
| Cash: | 0.1% |
Purchase Information
| Legal Structure: | Open Ended Investment Company |
| Fund Family: | VanEck |
| Phone Number: | 800-826-2333 |
| Website: | www.marketvectorsetfs.com |
| Inception Date: | January 22, 2008 |
Expenses and Fees
| Expense Ratio (%): | 0.51% (Rating: Avg) |
| Category Average Expense Ratio (%): | 0.43% |
