If something were to happen to the company, like shutting down or staff doing something questionable, how would Betashares compare to a larger provider like Vanguard? I get that ETFs probably wouldn’t lose everything, but I’d like to know if there’s a noticeable difference in risk.
In my view, the top 6 ETF issuers in Australia (Vanguard, Betashares, BlackRock iShares, VanEck, State Street SPDR, Global X) all come with very low risk. I usually pick ETFs from these based on factors like exposure, management expense ratio (MER), tax efficiency, etc.
So to keep it short: I don’t think there’s a meaningful difference in safety.
Pretty much the same in terms of safety.
It’s not impossible for big names like Vanguard or iShares/BlackRock to run into issues, either. Just because a company’s been around longer doesn’t necessarily guarantee safety. Lehman Brothers was around for over 150 years before 2008.
@Wolf
The PDS (product disclosure statement) will explain this.
In Australia, most ETFs work like managed funds. Each fund has a responsible entity (RE) separate from the investment manager. The RE handles compliance and other middle-office functions.
To save on costs, most ETFs also have an external custodian, like BNP, which holds the actual assets. For ETFs traded in Australia, there may also be an additional layer through CHESS (Central Securities Depository).
Unless all these parties work together to do something shady (which is unlikely), it would be very hard to deviate from the fund’s mandate.
From what I know, Betashares is backed by private equity out of Singapore, while Vanguard is owned by its US funds as a mutual. Betashares has a wide range of products that seem to chase growth, while Vanguard tends to focus on long-term, stable investments. Personally, I put my money with Vanguard.
@Leandro
One of Betashares’ main investors is Temasek Holdings, which is owned by the Singapore government. They’re known for being conservative and reliable, so that’s reassuring. I’m not too worried about Betashares.
Both are market leaders, so no huge difference in terms of safety.
With ETFs, the underlying assets are usually held in a separate legal entity (like a trust). If the ETF provider goes bankrupt, creditors can’t access these assets. There’s also a custodian bank that safeguards the assets.
For some numbers, Betashares is the second largest ETF provider in Australia in terms of funds under management (FUM), with Vanguard being the largest. You can check the ASX Investment Products Report from September 2024 for more details.
Betashares might be slightly riskier than Vanguard or BlackRock, but only marginally so.
That said, if you’re only investing in Vanguard or BlackRock ETFs through CHESS, you may end up paying higher brokerage or MER fees because of your caution.
Betashares could theoretically collapse, but for now, I’d rather save on fees and keep investing with them.
Tech Tigers is a solid investment.
(Yeah, I know NASDAQ 100 is the usual go-to.)