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Launched · SEC filings

VanEck Africa Index ETF

AFKNYSE ArcaD

$26.60−0.09 (−0.34%)

As of Oct 13, 2026, 3:59 PM

D38/ 100

Rank 17 of 22 in Emerging Markets Stocks

D38/100Rank 17 of 22inEmerging Markets Stocks
Intraday session: down, 33 prints from 26.69 to 26.60. Range 26.55 to 26.99. Use the arrow keys to read each point.26.8026.9027.0010 AM12 PM2 PM4 PM
Expense ratio
0.76%
Fund size
$97M
1Y total return
+13.8%
Yield · Last 12 months
1.02%
Holdings
80
Avg volume · 30D
0.1M sh
NAV per share
$26.87
52W range
low $23.00high $30.85
Launched
Filings
SEC EDGAR

The ETF.net AFK Grade

D

Score 38 out of 100

Category
Emerging Markets Stocks⁠
Rank
17 of 22
Six-pillar profile for AFK. Scores out of 100: Cost 12, Risk 31, Mission 62, Tradability 52, Holdings 37, Durability 62. Strongest: Mission (62). Weakest: Cost (12). Leans toward Mission and Durability.

Score 38 of 100 falls in the D band. A is 70 or higher, B 55 to under 70, C 40 to under 55, D 25 to under 40, F under 25.

  • Cost

    The fund’s net expense ratio, ranked against its category.
    F12 out of 100
    Rank 19 of 22

  • Mission

    Whether the fund did what it promised, tested against its stated mandate.
    B62 out of 100
    Rank 15 of 17

  • Risk

    How the fund held up when markets fell: downside volatility, drawdowns and tail loss.
    D31 out of 100
    Rank 22 of 22

  • Tradability

    How easy the fund is to trade: daily volume, and how far its price strays from net asset value.
    C52 out of 100
    Rank 13 of 22

  • Holdings

    How concentrated the fund is, and how complete and current its disclosed holdings are.
    D37 out of 100
    Rank 14 of 19

  • Durability

    Whether the fund is likely to stay open, judged by its age, its assets and its issuer’s assets.
    B62 out of 100
    Rank 8 of 22

Our read on AFK

ETF.net Research

DAfrica barely registers inside a standard emerging-markets fund. AFK makes it the whole trip: a 2008-vintage index fund holding roughly 80 African companies and tracking the MVIS GDP Africa Index.

Stated mandate

The fund seeks to track, before fees and expenses, the price and yield performance of the MVIS® GDP Africa Index.

Why people hold it

  1. 01One ticker, one continent: roughly 80 companies tracking the MVIS GDP Africa Index rather than a single-country wager.
  2. 02Live since 2008, so it has traded through commodity booms, currency shocks and multiple global selloffs. Rare longevity for a market this hard to reach.
  3. 03Moderately traded for a frontier-flavored corner of the market, so building or unwinding a position is not an expedition.

Worth knowing

  1. 010.76% a year sits well above the median for its emerging-markets peer group, and broad EM index peers like VEXC and BKEM charge a small fraction of that.
  2. 02A concentrated regional slice: roughly 80 stocks exposed to currency moves, commodity prices and single-country politics, a narrower base than a diversified EM fund.
  3. 03Distributions land annually or semiannually, not quarterly, so any cash arrives in lumps.

AFK Holdings

As of Oct 13, 2026
Asset class
Stocks
Holdings
80
Top-10 weight
34%
Largest holding
Attijariwafa Bank4.5%

Sectors

  • Materials32.4%
  • Financials32.0%
  • Communication13.6%
  • Energy10.4%
  • Consumer Discretionary6.3%
  • Industrials2.5%
  • Consumer Staples1.8%
  • Health Care0.6%
  • Real Estate0.3%
  • Utilities0.2%

Geography

  • South Africa33.12%
  • Canada14.94%
  • Nigeria14.89%
  • Morocco11.07%
  • United Kingdom8.24%
  • Kenya5.56%
  • United States4.59%
  • Australia2.80%
  • Other countries (6)4.78%

Developed 28% · Emerging 72% of the foreign sleeve

The fund’s holdings, weight-ordered — page 1 of 6.
#TickerCompanyWeight %SharesMarket valueIn ETFs
001—Attijariwafa Bank4.53%63,856$4M1
002AUAnglogold Ashanti Plc4.16%42,785$4M107
003NPN.JONaspers Ltd3.37%74,804$3M87
004—Aradel Holdings Plc3.34%3,126,673$3M1
005EDV.LEndeavour Mining Plc3.27%57,966$3M98
006FSR.JOFirstrand Ltd3.25%595,413$3M93
007GFIGold Fields Ltd3.18%83,692$3M53
008IVN.TOIvanhoe Mines Ltd3.16%377,075$3M66
009SEPL.LSeplat Energy Plc2.93%274,363$3M1
010—Guaranty Trust Holding Co Plc2.83%27,686,928$3M1
011AYAAya Gold & Silver Inc2.81%99,160$3M9
012—Mtn Nigeria Communications Plc2.80%4,294,137$3M1
013—Safaricom Plc2.80%9,831,457$3M2
014—Zenith Bank Plc2.80%26,755,066$3M1
015—Equity Group Holdings Plc/Kenya2.67%3,222,516$3M1

Showing 1–15 of 80 holdings

AFK Performance

Launched Jul 10, 2008

Shows how $10,000 changes over the selected period, with cash distributions reinvested at the closing price on each ex-dividend date.

AFK$11,377
SPY tracks large US stocks. It provides market context, rather than representing this fund’s strategy, asset class or investment benchmark.$12,044
Oct 10, 2025 to Oct 12, 2026. AFK $11,377. SPY $12,044. Use the arrow keys to read each point.$9,505$11,396$13,288Oct 2025Apr 2026Oct 2026

Oct 10, 2025 – Oct 12, 2026

Returns run to the Oct 12, 2026 close, with cash distributions reinvested. Each period starts on the same date that many months or years earlier. Periods over one year show the average yearly return.

Trailing total return for AFK. Periods over one year show the average yearly return.
PeriodAFK
Year to date−0.2%
1 month−7.9%
3 months+2.2%
1 year+13.8%
3 yearsper year+26.1%
5 yearsper year+6.9%
10 yearsper year+5.7%

As of the close, with distributions reinvested.

Calendar-year total return with cash distributions hypothetically reinvested at the ex-dividend date’s closing price. The current year shows year to date.

Annual total returns for AFK
YearReturn barAFK
2026 YTD−0.2%
2025+74.7%
2024+12.1%
2023−12.1%
2022−17.3%
2021+3.0%
2020+4.3%

AFK in the news

Filtered to AFK · Emerging Markets Stocks

AFK Dividends

Adds up every distribution paid per share over the last 12 months, divided by the last completed close. Distributions are counted by ex-date. Data through Oct 12, 2026.
1.02%Last 12 months
Payout per share
$0.27Last 12 months
Last payment
$0.27 per share
Paid on
Shares bought on or after this date do not qualify for this distribution.
Frequency
Irregular

Distribution history

2017–2026

One bar per payment. 8 payments from 2017 to 2026 YTD. Dec 18, 2017 $0.49; Dec 20, 2018 $0.34; Dec 23, 2019 $1.29; Dec 21, 2020 $0.80; Dec 20, 2021 $0.84; Dec 19, 2022 $0.58; Dec 18, 2023 $0.31; Dec 22, 2025 $0.27. Use the arrow keys to read each point.2017201820192020202120222023202420252026YTD
Ex-datePay dateAmount per share
Dec 22, 2025Dec 26, 2025$0.27
Dec 18, 2023Dec 22, 2023$0.31
Dec 19, 2022Dec 23, 2022$0.58
Dec 20, 2021Dec 27, 2021$0.84
Dec 21, 2020Dec 28, 2020$0.80
Dec 23, 2019Dec 30, 2019$1.29
Dec 20, 2018Dec 27, 2018$0.34
Dec 18, 2017Dec 22, 2017$0.49
Dec 19, 2016Dec 23, 2016$0.53
Dec 21, 2015Dec 28, 2015$0.39
Dec 22, 2014Dec 29, 2014$0.76
Dec 23, 2013Dec 30, 2013$0.83

AFK Risk

How much the fund’s monthly returns vary, scaled to a year.
19.8%
Annualised · 36 months to Sep 2026
How it’s calculated: standard deviation

The sample standard deviation of monthly total returns, multiplied by the square root of 12.

Uses up to 36 complete months, with at least 12 required. Total returns include reinvested distributions.

Return above 3-month US Treasury bills per unit of volatility.
1.06
vs 3-month T-bills · to Sep 2026
How it’s calculated: Sharpe ratio

Subtract each month’s Treasury-bill return from the fund’s monthly total return.

Divide the average of those excess returns by their sample standard deviation, then multiply by the square root of 12.

Uses up to 36 complete months, with at least 12 required. Each month uses the Treasury yield quoted at the end of the previous month.

The largest fall from a peak to the low that followed.
−37.6%
Trough Oct 2023
How it’s calculated: maximum drawdown

The largest percentage decline from an earlier peak, using total returns with reinvested distributions.

Uses up to five years through the last close, with at least 12 months required.

How strongly the fund’s returns move with its asset-class index.
1.12
vs its asset-class index
How it’s calculated: beta

The beta figure is supplied by FMP. The comparison index depends on the fund’s broad asset class.

AFK Cost

Expense ratio0.76%
  • The middle half of Emerging Markets Stocks funds
  • Median 0.53%

19 of the 22 Emerging Markets Stocks funds charge less.

AFK costs $76.00 a year on $10,000. The median Emerging Markets Stocks fund costs $52.50.

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