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PROSPECTUS
          October 14, 2022



VanEck® Green Infrastructure ETF        RNEW
    















































Principal U.S. Listing Exchange for the Fund: The NASDAQ Stock Market LLC.
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC“) has not approved or
disapproved these securities or passed upon the accuracy or adequacy of this
Prospectus. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.
800.826.2333     vaneck.com


VANECK® GREEN INFRASTRUCTURE ETF

 

TABLE OF CONTENTS



VANECK® GREEN INFRASTRUCTURE ETF
SUMMARY INFORMATION
INVESTMENT OBJECTIVE
VanEck® Green Infrastructure ETF (the “Fund”) seeks to track as closely as possible, before fees and expenses, the price and yield performance of the Indxx US Green Infrastructure - MCAP Weighted Index (the “Index”).
FUND FEES AND EXPENSES
The following tables describe the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy, hold and sell shares of the Fund (“Shares”). You may pay other fees, such as brokerage commissions and other fees to financial intermediaries, which are not reflected in the tables and examples below.
Shareholder Fees (fees paid directly from your investment) None
Annual Fund Operating Expenses
(expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)
Management Fee 0.45  %
Other Expenses(a) (b)
0.00  %
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses(b)
0.45  %
(a)    “Other Expenses” are based on estimated amounts for the current fiscal year.
(b)    Van Eck Associates Corporation (the “Adviser”) will pay all expenses of the Fund, except for the fee payment under the investment management agreement, acquired fund fees and expenses, interest expense, offering costs, trading expenses, taxes and extraordinary expenses. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Adviser has agreed to pay the offering costs until at least February 1, 2024.
EXPENSE EXAMPLE
This example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Fund with the cost of investing in other funds. This example does not take into account brokerage commissions that you pay when purchasing or selling Shares of the Fund.
The example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then sell or hold all of your Shares at the end of those periods. The example also assumes that your investment has a 5% annual return and that the Fund’s operating expenses remain the same. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions, your costs would be:
YEAR EXPENSES
1 $46
3 $144
PORTFOLIO TURNOVER
The Fund will pay transaction costs, such as commissions, when it purchases and sells securities (or “turns over” its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover will cause the Fund to incur additional transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when Fund Shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in annual fund operating expenses or in the example, may affect the Fund’s performance. Because the Fund is newly organized, no portfolio turnover figures are available.
PRINCIPAL INVESTMENT STRATEGIES
The Fund normally invests at least 80% of its total assets in securities of Green Infrastructure Companies, as defined below. The Index is a U.S. index that tracks the performance of Green Infrastructure Companies. “Green Infrastructure Companies” are companies that seek to positively impact the environment through the production, transmission, or distribution of green energy and/or through the establishment of sustainable infrastructure to facilitate the use of green energy. To be initially eligible for inclusion in the Index, a company must generate at least 50% of its revenues from green infrastructure activities, and must be listed and domiciled in the U.S. Green infrastructure activities are comprised of the following sub-themes: green transportation, green energy, green fuel, green infrastructure and equipment, pollution control, waste management and green construction. These sub-themes are subject to change in the discretion of Indxx, LLC (the “Index Provider” or “Indxx”). The Index, which currently targets a selection of 50 Index components, is modified market capitalization weighted and is published by Indxx.

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The green energy sub-theme includes companies involved in generating power through environmentally friendly sources that can replace or supplement traditional fossil-fuel sources and that may reduce the global carbon footprint, including power derived principally from bio fuels (such as ethanol), wind, solar, hydro and geothermal sources. Green energy is also referred to as renewable or low carbon energy because its sources are naturally replenished and it produces less carbon emissions than fossil-fuel. Investments may be made in companies that produce biogas, biomass or similar energy sources from household or other wastes.
The green transportation sub-theme includes companies focusing on the sustainable use of energy resources by creating environmentally friendly travel solutions and modifying the conventional transportation system to an eco-friendly one. Investments may be made in companies that are involved in the manufacture of ecofriendly transport solutions or in the provision of support for the implementation of a green transport system, including hybrid/electric vehicles, electric vehicle charging stations, lithium-ion batteries, and compressed natural gas (“CNG”)/liquefied natural gas (“LNG” ) gas stations.
The green fuel sub-theme includes companies involved in the production and distribution of clean fuels such as biodiesel fuel, hydrogen fuel, fuel cell, ethanol fuel, LNG, and CNG. Investments may be made in companies utilizing the various technologies that support the production, use and storage of these power sources.
The green infrastructure and equipment sub-theme includes companies involved in the transmission, distribution, and provision of infrastructure for the transmission and distribution of electricity generated using clean energy sources, including smart grid operators, manufacturers of smart meters, turbines, solar panels and other equipment required for the successful deployment and maintenance of clean energy.
The pollution control sub-theme includes companies seeking to reduce the negative effects of any kind of pollution, such as waste-water treatment, manufacture of pollution control equipment like emission control systems for automobiles, sedimentation tanks for sewer systems, and any other product or service that reduces pollution or the harmful effects of pollution on air, water, or soil.
The waste management sub-theme includes companies that are involved in the safe disposal, recycling or treatment of hazardous and non-hazardous wastes such as industrial effluents and radioactive wastes.
The green construction sub-theme includes companies that are engaged in the development, management and maintenance of green buildings or engaged in the construction of systems that help to efficiently use energy and other natural resources with the aim of reducing the degradation of the environment. These systems can be dams, green streets and alleys, green roofs, permeable pavements, rainwater harvesting, man-made wetlands and sustainable drainage.
Green infrastructure companies may include small- and medium-capitalization companies, including micro-capitalization companies. As of September 30, 2022, the Index included 48 securities of companies with a market capitalization range of between approximately $74.36 million and $831.15 billion and a weighted average market capitalization of $62.121 billion. These amounts are subject to change. The Fund’s 80% investment policy is non-fundamental and may be changed without shareholder approval upon 60 days’ prior written notice to shareholders.
The Fund, using a “passive” or indexing investment approach, attempts to approximate the investment performance of the Index by investing in a portfolio of securities that generally replicates the Index. Unlike many investment companies that try to “beat” the performance of a benchmark index, the Fund does not try to “beat” the Index and does not seek temporary defensive positions that are inconsistent with its investment objective of seeking to track the Index.
The Fund is classified as a non-diversified fund under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “1940 Act”) and, therefore, may invest a greater percentage of its assets in a particular issuer. The Fund may concentrate its investments in a particular industry or group of industries to the extent that the Index concentrates in an industry or group of industries. As of September 30, 2022, the industrials, utilities, energy, information technology and consumer discretionary sectors represented a significant portion of the Index.
The Fund is classified as a non-diversified fund and, therefore, may invest a greater percentage of its assets in a particular issuer.
PRINCIPAL RISKS OF INVESTING IN THE FUND
Investors in the Fund should be willing to accept a high degree of volatility in the price of the Fund’s Shares and the possibility of significant losses. An investment in the Fund involves a substantial degree of risk. An investment in the Fund is not a deposit with a bank and is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency. Therefore, you should consider carefully the following risks before investing in the Fund, each of which could significantly and adversely affect the value of an investment in the Fund.
Risk of Investing in Green Infrastructure Companies. The Fund will be sensitive to, and its performance will depend to a great extent on, the overall condition of the green infrastructure companies. Green infrastructure-related companies are subject to a variety of factors that may adversely affect their business or operations including high interest costs, costs associated with compliance with and changes in environmental and other regulations, zoning laws, difficulty in raising capital, increased competition, uncertainty concerning the availability of energy, including renewable energy, at reasonable prices, economic
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conditions and world events, taxation, real estate values, overbuilding and labor relations. Infrastructure-related securities may be issued by companies that are highly leveraged, less creditworthy or financially distressed. These investments are considered to be speculative and are subject to greater risk of loss, greater sensitivity to interest rate and economic changes, valuation difficulties, and potential illiquidity. The Fund’s investments may be dependent on supportive government policies, including tax incentives and subsidies, and the support for such policies may fluctuate over time.
Risk of Investing in Green Energy Companies. The Fund will be sensitive to, and its performance will depend to a greater extent on, the overall condition of green or low carbon energy companies. Renewable energy companies may be significantly affected by the competition from new and existing market entrants, obsolescence of technology, short product cycles, production spending, varying prices and profits, commodity price volatility, changes in exchange rates, imposition of import controls, depletion of resources, seasonal weather conditions, technological developments and general economic conditions, market sentiment, fluctuations in energy prices and supply and demand of renewable energy fuels, fluctuations in the price of oil and gas, energy conservation efforts, the success of exploration projects, tax and other government regulations (such as incentives and subsidies) and international political events. Additionally, adverse weather conditions may cause fluctuations in renewable energy generation and adversely affect the cash flows associated with these assets.
Further, renewable energy companies may be subject to risks associated with hazardous materials and can be significantly and adversely affected by legislation resulting in more strict government regulations and enforcement policies and specific expenditures for environmental cleanup efforts. There are also risks associated with a failure to enforce environmental law. If the government reduces environmental regulations or their enforcement, companies that produce products designed to provide a clean environment are less likely to prosper. Renewable energy companies may be more volatile than companies operating in more established industries. Certain valuation methods used to value renewable energy companies have not been in widespread use for a significant period of time. As a result, the use of these valuation methods may serve to further increase the volatility of certain renewable and transitional energy company share prices. If government subsidies and incentives for renewable energy sources are reduced or eliminated, the demand for renewable energy may decline and cause corresponding declines in the revenues and profits of renewable energy companies. In addition, changes in government policies towards renewable energy technology also may have an adverse effect on the Fund’s performance. Furthermore, the Fund may invest in the shares of companies with a limited operating history, some of which may never have operated profitably. Investment in young companies with a short operating history is generally riskier than investing in companies with a longer operating history. The Fund will carry greater risk and may be more volatile than a portfolio composed of securities issued by companies operating in a wide variety of different or more established industries. This industry is relatively nascent and under-researched in comparison to more established and mature sectors, and should therefore be regarded as having greater investment risk.
Risk of Investing in the Environmental Services Industry. The Fund will be sensitive to, and its performance may depend to a greater extent on, the overall condition of the environmental services industry. Companies in the environmental services industry are engaged in a variety of activities related to environmental services and consumer and industrial waste management. These companies may be adversely affected by a decrease in demand for waste disposal, removal or storage of industrial by-products, and the management of associated resources. Competitive pressures may have a significant effect on the financial condition of such companies. These prices may fluctuate substantially over short periods of time so the Fund may be more volatile than other types of investments. Environmental services companies must comply with various regulations and the terms of their operating permits and licenses. Failure to comply with or to renew permits and licenses or changes in government regulations can adversely impact their operations. Waste management companies are also affected by demand cycles, world events, increased outsourcing and economic conditions. In addition, these companies are subject to liability for environmental damage claims.
Risk of Investing in Green Investing Strategy. The Index’s green investing focus could cause the Fund to perform differently compared to funds that do not have a sustainability focus. The Index’s green investing focus may result in the Fund investing in securities or industry sectors that underperform other securities or underperform the market as a whole. The companies included in the Index may differ from companies included in other indices that use similar sustainability screens. The Fund is also subject to the risk that the companies identified by the Index Provider do not operate as expected when addressing sustainability issues. Additionally, the Index Provider’s proprietary valuation model may not perform as intended, which may adversely affect an investment in the Fund. Regulatory changes or interpretations regarding the definitions and/or use of green criteria could have a material adverse effect on the Fund’s ability to implement its green strategy.
Risk of Investing in the Industrials Sector. The Fund will be sensitive to, and its performance will depend to a greater extent on, the overall condition of the industrials sector. The industrials sector comprises companies who produce capital goods used in construction and manufacturing, such as companies that make and sell machinery, equipment and supplies that are used to produce other goods. Companies in the industrials sector may be adversely affected by changes in government regulation, world events and economic conditions. In addition, companies in the industrials sector may be adversely affected by environmental damages, product liability claims and exchange rates.
Risk of Investing in the Utilities Sector. The Fund will be sensitive to, and its performance will depend to a greater extent on, the overall condition of the utilities sector. Companies in the utilities sector may be adversely affected by changes in exchange rates, domestic and international competition, difficulty in raising adequate amounts of capital and governmental limitation on rates charged to customers.
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Risk of Investing in the Energy Sector. The Fund will be sensitive to, and its performance will depend to a greater extent on, the overall condition of the energy sector. Companies operating in the energy sector are subject to risks including, but not limited to, economic growth, worldwide demand, political instability in the regions that the companies operate in, government regulation stipulating rates charged by utilities, interest rate sensitivity, oil price volatility, energy conservation, environmental policies, depletion of resources, the cost of providing the specific utility services and other factors that they cannot control. In addition, these companies are at risk of civil liability from accidents resulting in injury, loss of life or property, pollution or other environmental damage claims and risk of loss from terrorism and natural disasters. A downturn in the energy sector of the economy, adverse political, legislative or regulatory developments or other events could have a larger impact on the Fund than on an investment company that does not invest a substantial portion of its assets in the energy sector. At times, the performance of securities of companies in the energy sector may lag the performance of other sectors or the broader market as a whole. The price of oil, natural gas and other fossil fuels may decline and/or experience significant volatility, which could adversely impact companies operating in the energy sector.
Risk of Investing in the Information Technology Sector. The Fund will be sensitive to, and its performance will depend to a greater extent on, the overall condition of the information technology sector. Information technology companies face intense competition, both domestically and internationally, which may have an adverse effect on profit margins. Information technology companies may have limited product lines, markets, financial resources or personnel. The products of information technology companies may face product obsolescence due to rapid technological developments and frequent new product introduction, unpredictable changes in growth rates and competition for the services of qualified personnel. Companies in the information technology sector are heavily dependent on patent protection and the expiration of patents may adversely affect the profitability of these companies.
Risk of Investing in the Consumer Discretionary Sector. The Fund will be sensitive to, and its performance will depend to a greater extent on, the overall condition of the consumer discretionary sector. The consumer discretionary sector comprises companies whose businesses are sensitive to economic cycles, such as manufacturers of high-end apparel and automobile and leisure companies. Companies engaged in the consumer discretionary sector are subject to fluctuations in supply and demand. These companies may also be adversely affected by changes in consumer spending as a result of world events, political and economic conditions, commodity price volatility, changes in exchange rates, imposition of import controls, increased competition, depletion of resources and labor relations.
Equity Securities Risk. The value of the equity securities held by the Fund may fall due to general market and economic conditions, perceptions regarding the markets in which the issuers of securities held by the Fund participate, or factors relating to specific issuers in which the Fund invests. Equity securities are subordinated to preferred securities and debt in a company’s capital structure with respect to priority in right to a share of corporate income, and therefore will be subject to greater dividend risk than preferred securities or debt instruments. In addition, while broad market measures of equity securities have historically generated higher average returns than fixed income securities, equity securities have generally also experienced significantly more volatility in those returns, although under certain market conditions fixed income securities may have comparable or greater price volatility.
Risk of Investing in Micro-Capitalization Companies. Micro-capitalization companies are subject to substantially greater risks of loss and price fluctuations because their earnings and revenues tend to be less predictable (and some companies may be experiencing significant losses), and their share prices tend to be more volatile and their markets less liquid than companies with larger market capitalizations. The shares of micro-capitalization companies tend to trade less frequently than those of larger, more established companies, which can adversely affect the pricing of these securities and the future ability to sell those securities.
Risk of Investing in Small- and Medium-Capitalization Companies. Small- and medium-capitalization companies may be more volatile and more likely than large-capitalization companies to have narrower product lines, fewer financial resources, less management depth and experience and less competitive strength. In addition, these companies often have greater price volatility, lower trading volume and less liquidity than larger more established companies. Returns on investments in securities of small- and medium-capitalization companies could trail the returns on investments in securities of large-capitalization companies.
Market Risk. The prices of the securities in the Fund are subject to the risks associated with investing in the securities market, including general economic conditions, sudden and unpredictable drops in value, exchange trading suspensions and closures and public health risks. These risks may be magnified if certain social, political, economic and other conditions and events (such as natural disasters, epidemics and pandemics, terrorism, conflicts and social unrest) adversely interrupt the global economy; in these and other circumstances, such events or developments might affect companies world-wide. An investment in the Fund may lose money.
Operational Risk. The Fund is exposed to operational risk arising from a number of factors, including, but not limited to, human error, processing and communication errors, errors of the Fund’s service providers, counterparties or other third parties, failed or inadequate processes and technology or system failures.
Index Tracking Risk. The Fund’s return may not match the return of the Index for a number of reasons. For example, the Fund incurs a number of operating expenses, including taxes, not applicable to the Index and incurs costs associated with buying and selling securities, especially when rebalancing the Fund’s securities holdings to reflect changes in the composition of the Index, or (to the extent the Fund effects creations and redemptions for cash) raising cash to meet redemptions or deploying cash in connection with newly created Creation Units, which are not factored into the return of the Index. Transaction costs, including
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brokerage costs, will decrease the Fund’s net asset value (“NAV”) to the extent not offset by the transaction fee payable by an Authorized Participant (“AP”). Market disruptions and regulatory restrictions could have an adverse effect on the Fund’s ability to adjust its exposure to the required levels in order to track the Index. Errors in the Index data, the Index computations and/or the construction of the Index in accordance with its methodology may occur from time to time and may not be identified and corrected by the Index provider for a period of time or at all, which may have an adverse impact on the Fund and its shareholders. Shareholders should understand that any gains from the Index provider’s errors will be kept by the Fund and its shareholders and any losses or costs resulting from the Index provider’s errors will be borne by the Fund and its shareholders. When the Index is rebalanced and the Fund in turn rebalances its portfolio to attempt to increase the correlation between the Fund’s portfolio and the Index, any transaction costs and market exposure arising from such portfolio rebalancing will be borne directly by the Fund and its shareholders. Apart from scheduled rebalances, the Index provider or its agents may carry out additional ad hoc rebalances to the Index. Therefore, errors and additional ad hoc rebalances carried out by the Index provider or its agents to the Index may increase the costs to and the tracking error risk of the Fund. The Fund may not be fully invested at times, either as a result of cash flows into the Fund (if the Fund effects creations and redemptions for cash) or reserves of cash held by the Fund to pay expenses or meet redemptions. In addition, the Fund may not invest in certain securities included in the Index, or invest in them in the exact proportions in which they are represented in the Index. The Fund’s performance may also deviate from the return of the Index due to legal restrictions or limitations imposed by the governments of certain countries, certain listing standards of the Fund’s listing exchange (the “Exchange”), a lack of liquidity on stock exchanges in which such securities trade, potential adverse tax consequences or other regulatory reasons (such as diversification requirements). The Fund may value certain of its investments, underlying currencies and/or other assets based on fair value prices. To the extent the Fund calculates its NAV based on fair value prices and the value of the Index is based on securities’ closing prices on foreign markets (i.e., the value of the Index is not based on fair value prices), the Fund’s ability to track the Index may be adversely affected. In addition, any issues the Fund encounters with regard to currency convertibility (including the cost of borrowing funds, if any) and repatriation may also increase the index tracking risk. The Fund may also need to rely on borrowings to meet redemptions, which may lead to increased expenses. When markets are volatile, the ability to sell securities at fair value prices may be adversely impacted and may result in additional trading costs and/or increase the index tracking risk. For tax efficiency purposes, the Fund may sell certain securities, and such sale may cause the Fund to realize a loss and deviate from the performance of the Index. In light of the factors discussed above, the Fund’s return may deviate significantly from the return of the Index. Changes to the composition of the Index in connection with a rebalancing or reconstitution of the Index may cause the Fund to experience increased volatility, during which time the Fund’s index tracking risk may be heightened.
Authorized Participant Concentration Risk. The Fund may have a limited number of APs, none of which are obligated to engage in creation and/or redemption transactions. To the extent that those APs exit the business, or do not process creation and/or redemption orders, there may be a significantly diminished trading market for Shares or Shares may trade like closed-end funds at a discount (or premium) to NAV and possibly face trading halts and/or de-listing. This can be reflected as a spread between the bid-ask prices for the Fund. The AP concentration risk may be heightened in cases where APs have limited or diminished access to the capital required to post collateral.
New Fund Risk. The Fund is a new fund, with a limited or no operating history and a small asset base. There can be no assurance that the Fund will grow to or maintain a viable size. Due to the Fund's small asset base, certain of the Fund's expenses and its portfolio transaction costs may be higher than those of a fund with a larger asset base. To the extent that the Fund does not grow to or maintain a viable size, it may be liquidated, and the expenses, timing and tax consequences of such liquidation may not be favorable to some shareholders.
Absence of Prior Active Market. The Fund is a newly organized series of an investment company and thus has no operating history. While the Fund’s Shares are expected to be listed on the Exchange, there can be no assurance that active trading markets for the Shares will develop or be maintained. Further, secondary markets may be subject to irregular trading activity, wide bid/ask spreads and extended trade settlement periods in times of market stress because market makers and APs may step away from making a market in the Shares and in executing creation and redemption orders, which could cause a material deviation in the Fund’s market price from its NAV.
Trading Issues. Trading in Shares on the Exchange may be halted due to market conditions or for reasons that, in the view of the Exchange, make trading in Shares inadvisable. In addition, trading in Shares on the Exchange is subject to trading halts caused by extraordinary market volatility pursuant to the Exchange’s “circuit breaker” rules. There can be no assurance that the requirements of the Exchange necessary to maintain the listing of the Fund will continue to be met or will remain unchanged.
Passive Management Risk. An investment in the Fund involves risks similar to those of investing in any fund invested in equity securities traded on an exchange, such as market fluctuations caused by such factors as economic and political developments, changes in interest rates and perceived trends in security prices. However, because the Fund is not “actively” managed, unless a specific security is removed from the Index, the Fund generally would not sell a security because the security’s issuer was in financial trouble. Additionally, unusual market conditions may cause the Index provider to postpone a scheduled rebalance or reconstitution, which could cause the Index to vary from its normal or expected composition. Therefore, the Fund’s performance could be lower than funds that may actively shift their portfolio assets to take advantage of market opportunities or to lessen the impact of a market decline or a decline in the value of one or more issuers.
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Fund Shares Trading, Premium/Discount Risk and Liquidity of Fund Shares. The market price of the Shares may fluctuate in response to the Fund’s NAV, the intraday value of the Fund’s holdings and supply and demand for Shares. The Adviser cannot predict whether Shares will trade above, below, or at their most recent NAV. Disruptions to creations and redemptions, the existence of market volatility or potential lack of an active trading market for Shares (including through a trading halt), as well as other factors, may result in Shares trading at a significant premium or discount to NAV or to the intraday value of the Fund’s holdings. If a shareholder purchases Shares at a time when the market price is at a premium to the NAV or sells Shares at a time when the market price is at a discount to the NAV, the shareholder may pay significantly more or receive significantly less than the underlying value of the Shares that were bought or sold or the shareholder may be unable to sell his or her Shares. The securities held by the Fund may be traded in markets that close at a different time than the Exchange. Liquidity in those securities may be reduced after the applicable closing times. Accordingly, during the time when the Exchange is open but after the applicable market closing, fixing or settlement times, bid-ask spreads on the Exchange and the resulting premium or discount to the Shares’ NAV may widen. Additionally, in stressed market conditions, the market for the Fund’s Shares may become less liquid in response to deteriorating liquidity in the markets for the Fund’s underlying portfolio holdings. There are various methods by which investors can purchase and sell Shares. Investors should consult their financial intermediaries before purchasing or selling Shares of the Fund.
Non-Diversified Risk. The Fund is classified as a “non-diversified” fund under the 1940 Act. Therefore, the Fund may invest a relatively high percentage of its assets in a smaller number of issuers or may invest a larger proportion of its assets in a single issuer. Moreover, the gains and losses on a single investment may have a greater impact on the Fund’s NAV and may make the Fund more volatile than more diversified funds.
Concentration Risk. The Fund’s assets may be concentrated in a particular sector or sectors or industry or group of industries to the extent the Index concentrates in a particular sector or sectors or industry or group of industries. To the extent that the Fund is concentrated in a particular sector or sectors or industry or group of industries, the Fund will be subject to the risk that economic, political or other conditions that have a negative effect on those sectors and/or industries may negatively impact the Fund to a greater extent than if the Fund’s assets were invested in a wider variety of sectors or industries.
PERFORMANCE
The Fund has not yet commenced operations and therefore does not have a performance history. Once available, the Fund’s performance information will be accessible on the Fund’s website at www.vaneck.com.
PORTFOLIO MANAGEMENT
Investment Adviser. Van Eck Associates Corporation.
Portfolio Manager. The following individual is primarily responsible for the day-to-day management of the Fund’s portfolio:
Name Title with Adviser Date Began Managing the Fund
Peter H. Liao Portfolio Manager Since Inception
PURCHASE AND SALE OF FUND SHARES
For important information about the purchase and sale of Fund Shares, tax information and payments to broker-dealers and other financial intermediaries, please turn to the “Summary Information About Purchases and Sales of Fund Shares, Taxes and Payments to Broker-Dealers and Other Financial Intermediaries” section of this Prospectus.

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SUMMARY INFORMATION ABOUT PURCHASES AND SALES OF FUND SHARES, TAXES
AND PAYMENTS TO BROKER-DEALERS AND OTHER FINANCIAL INTERMEDIARIES
PURCHASE AND SALE OF FUND SHARES
Individual Shares of the Fund may only be purchased and sold in secondary market transactions through a broker or dealer at a market price. Shares of the Fund are listed on the Exchange, and because Shares trade at market prices rather than NAV, Shares of the Fund may trade at a price greater than NAV (i.e., a “premium”) or less than NAV (i.e., a “discount”).
An investor may incur costs attributable to the difference between the highest price a buyer is willing to pay to purchase Shares of the Fund (bid) and the lowest price a seller is willing to accept for Shares (ask) when buying or selling Shares in the secondary market (the “bid-ask spread”).
Recent information, including information about the Fund’s NAV, market price, premiums and discounts, and bid-ask spreads, is included on the Fund’s website at www.vaneck.com.
TAX INFORMATION
The Fund’s distributions are taxable and will generally be taxed as ordinary income or capital gains.
PAYMENTS TO BROKER-DEALERS AND OTHER FINANCIAL INTERMEDIARIES
The Adviser and its related companies may pay broker-dealers or other financial intermediaries (such as a bank) for the sale of the Fund Shares and related services. These payments may create a conflict of interest by influencing your broker-dealer or other intermediary or its employees or associated persons to recommend the Fund over another investment. Ask your financial adviser or visit your financial intermediary’s website for more information.

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ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ABOUT THE FUND’S INVESTMENT STRATEGIES AND RISKS
PRINCIPAL INVESTMENT STRATEGIES
The Fund normally invests at least 80% of its total assets in securities of Green Infrastructure Companies, as defined below. The Index is a U.S. index that tracks the performance of Green Infrastructure Companies. “Green Infrastructure Companies” are companies that seek to positively impact the environment through the production, transmission, or distribution of green energy and/or through the establishment of sustainable infrastructure to facilitate the use of green energy. To be initially eligible for inclusion in the Index, a company must generate at least 50% of its revenues from green infrastructure activities, and must be listed and domiciled in the U.S. Green infrastructure activities are comprised of the following sub-themes: green transportation, green energy, green fuel, green infrastructure and equipment, pollution control, waste management and green construction. These sub-themes are subject to change in the discretion of Indxx, LLC (the “Index Provider” or “Indxx”). The Index, which currently targets a selection of 50 Index components, is modified market capitalization weighted and is published by Indxx.
The green energy sub-theme includes companies involved in generating power through environmentally friendly sources that can replace or supplement traditional fossil-fuel sources and that may reduce the global carbon footprint, including power derived principally from bio fuels (such as ethanol), wind, solar, hydro and geothermal sources. Green energy is also referred to as renewable or low carbon energy because its sources are naturally replenished and it produces less carbon emissions than fossil-fuel. Investments may be made in companies that produce biogas, biomass or similar energy sources from household or other wastes.
The green transportation sub-theme includes companies focusing on the sustainable use of energy resources by creating environmentally friendly travel solutions and modifying the conventional transportation system to an eco-friendly one. Investments may be made in companies that are involved in the manufacture of ecofriendly transport solutions or in the provision of support for the implementation of a green transport system, including hybrid/electric vehicles, electric vehicle charging stations, lithium-ion batteries, and compressed natural gas (“CNG”)/liquefied natural gas (“LNG”) gas stations.
The green fuel sub-theme includes companies involved in the production and distribution of clean fuels such as biodiesel fuel, hydrogen fuel, fuel cell, ethanol fuel, LNG, and CNG. Investments may be made in companies utilizing the various technologies that support the production, use and storage of these power sources.
The green infrastructure and equipment sub-theme includes companies involved in the transmission, distribution, and provision of infrastructure for the transmission and distribution of electricity generated using clean energy sources, including smart grid operators, manufacturers of smart meters, turbines, solar panels and other equipment required for the successful deployment and maintenance of clean energy.
The pollution control sub-theme includes companies seeking to reduce the negative effects of any kind of pollution, such as waste-water treatment, manufacture of pollution control equipment like emission control systems for automobiles, sedimentation tanks for sewer systems, and any other product or service that reduces pollution or the harmful effects of pollution on air, water, or soil.
The waste management sub-theme includes companies that are involved in the safe disposal, recycling or treatment of hazardous and non-hazardous wastes such as industrial effluents and radioactive wastes.
The green construction sub-theme includes companies that are engaged in the development, management and maintenance of green buildings or engaged in the construction of systems that help to efficiently use energy and other natural resources with the aim of reducing the degradation of the environment. These systems can be dams, green streets and alleys, green roofs, permeable pavements, rainwater harvesting, man-made wetlands and sustainable drainage.
Green infrastructure companies may include small- and medium-capitalization companies, including micro-capitalization companies. As of September 30, 2022, the Index included 48 securities of companies with a market capitalization range of between approximately $74.36 million and $831.15 billion and a weighted average market capitalization of $62.121 billion. These amounts are subject to change. The Fund’s 80% investment policy is non-fundamental and may be changed without shareholder approval upon 60 days’ prior written notice to shareholders.
The Fund, using a “passive” or indexing investment approach, attempts to approximate the investment performance of the Index by investing in a portfolio of securities that generally replicates the Index. Unlike many investment companies that try to “beat” the performance of a benchmark index, the Fund does not try to “beat” the Index and does not seek temporary defensive positions that are inconsistent with its investment objective of seeking to track the Index.
The Fund is classified as a non-diversified fund under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “1940 Act”) and, therefore, may invest a greater percentage of its assets in a particular issuer. The Fund may concentrate its investments in a particular industry or group of industries to the extent that the Index concentrates in an industry or group of industries. As of September 30, 2022, the industrials, utilities, energy, information technology and consumer discretionary sectors represented a significant portion of the Index.
The Fund is classified as a non-diversified fund and, therefore, may invest a greater percentage of its assets in a particular issuer.

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FUNDAMENTAL AND NON-FUNDAMENTAL POLICIES
The Fund’s investment objective and each of its other investment policies are non-fundamental policies that may be changed by the Board of Trustees of the Trust (the “Board of Trustees”) without shareholder approval, except as noted in this Prospectus or the Statement of Additional Information (“SAI”) under the section entitled “Investment Policies and Restrictions— Investment Restrictions.”
RISKS OF INVESTING IN THE FUND
The following section provides additional information regarding the principal risks identified under “Principal Risks of Investing in the Fund” in the Fund’s “Summary Information” section followed by additional risk information.
Investors in the Fund should be willing to accept a high degree of volatility in the price of the Fund’s Shares and the possibility of significant losses. An investment in the Fund involves a substantial degree of risk. An investment in the Fund is not a deposit with a bank and is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency. Therefore, you should consider carefully the following risks before investing in the Fund, each of which could significantly and adversely affect the value of an investment in the Fund.
Risk of Investing in Green Infrastructure Companies. The Fund will be sensitive to, and its performance will depend to a greater extent on, the overall condition of the green infrastructure companies. Green infrastructure-related companies are subject to a variety of factors that may adversely affect their business or operations including high interest costs, costs associated with compliance with and changes in environmental and other regulations, zoning laws, difficulty in raising capital, increased competition, uncertainty concerning the availability of energy, including renewable energy, at reasonable prices, economic conditions and world events, taxation, real estate values, overbuilding and labor relations. Infrastructure-related securities may be issued by companies that are highly leveraged, less creditworthy or financially distressed. These investments are considered to be speculative and are subject to greater risk of loss, greater sensitivity to interest rate and economic changes, valuation difficulties, and potential illiquidity. The Fund’s investments may be dependent on supportive government policies, including tax incentives and subsidies, and the support for such policies may fluctuate over time.
Risk of Investing in Green Energy Companies. The Fund will be sensitive to, and its performance will depend to a greater extent on, the overall condition of green or low carbon energy companies. Renewable energy companies may be significantly affected by the competition from new and existing market entrants, obsolescence of technology, short product cycles, production spending, varying prices and profits, commodity price volatility, changes in exchange rates, imposition of import controls, depletion of resources, seasonal weather conditions, technological developments and general economic conditions, market sentiment, fluctuations in energy prices and supply and demand of renewable energy fuels, fluctuations in the price of oil and gas, energy conservation efforts, the success of exploration projects, tax and other government regulations (such as incentives and subsidies) and international political events. Additionally, adverse weather conditions may cause fluctuations in renewable energy generation and adversely affect the cash flows associated with these assets.
Further, renewable energy companies may be subject to risks associated with hazardous materials and can be significantly and adversely affected by legislation resulting in more strict government regulations and enforcement policies and specific expenditures for environmental cleanup efforts. There are also risks associated with a failure to enforce environmental law. If the government reduces environmental regulations or their enforcement, companies that produce products designed to provide a clean environment are less likely to prosper. Renewable energy companies may be more volatile than companies operating in more established industries. Certain valuation methods used to value renewable energy companies have not been in widespread use for a significant period of time. As a result, the use of these valuation methods may serve to further increase the volatility of certain renewable and transitional energy company share prices. If government subsidies and incentives for renewable energy sources are reduced or eliminated, the demand for renewable energy may decline and cause corresponding declines in the revenues and profits of renewable energy companies. In addition, changes in government policies towards renewable energy technology also may have an adverse effect on the Fund’s performance. Furthermore, the Fund may invest in the shares of companies with a limited operating history, some of which may never have operated profitably. Investment in young companies with a short operating history is generally riskier than investing in companies with a longer operating history. The Fund will carry greater risk and may be more volatile than a portfolio composed of securities issued by companies operating in a wide variety of different or more established industries. This industry is relatively nascent and under-researched in comparison to more established and mature sectors, and should therefore be regarded as having greater investment risk.
Risk of Investing in the Environmental Services Industry. The Fund will be sensitive to, and its performance may depend to a greater extent on, the overall condition of the environmental services industry. Companies in the environmental services industry are engaged in a variety of activities related to environmental services and consumer and industrial waste management. These companies may be adversely affected by a decrease in demand for waste disposal, removal or storage of industrial by-products, and the management of associated resources. Competitive pressures may have a significant effect on the financial condition of such companies. These prices may fluctuate substantially over short periods of time so the Fund may be more volatile than other types of investments. Environmental services companies must comply with various regulations and the terms of their operating permits and licenses. Failure to comply with or to renew permits and licenses or changes in government regulations can adversely impact their operations. Waste management companies are also affected by demand cycles, world events, increased outsourcing and economic conditions. In addition, these companies are subject to liability for environmental damage claims.
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Risk of Investing in Green Investing Strategy. The Index’s green investing focus could cause the Fund to perform differently compared to funds that do not have a sustainability focus. The Index’s green investing focus may result in the Fund investing in securities or industry sectors that underperform other securities or underperform the market as a whole. The companies included in the Index may differ from companies included in other indices that use similar sustainability screens. The Fund is also subject to the risk that the companies identified by the Index Provider do not operate as expected when addressing sustainability issues. Additionally, the Index Provider’s proprietary valuation model may not perform as intended, which may adversely affect an investment in the Fund. Regulatory changes or interpretations regarding the definitions and/or use of green criteria could have a material adverse effect on the Fund’s ability to implement its green strategy.
Risk of Investing in the Industrials Sector. The Fund will be sensitive to, and its performance will depend to a greater extent on, the overall condition of the industrials sector. The industrials sector comprises companies who produce capital goods used in construction and manufacturing, such as companies that make and sell machinery, equipment and supplies that are used to produce other goods. Companies in the industrials sector may be adversely affected by changes in government regulation, world events and economic conditions. In addition, companies in the industrials sector may be adversely affected by environmental damages, product liability claims and exchange rates.
Risk of Investing in the Utilities Sector. The Fund will be sensitive to, and its performance will depend to a greater extent on, the overall condition of the utilities sector. Companies in the utilities sector may be adversely affected by changes in exchange rates, domestic and international competition, difficulty in raising adequate amounts of capital and governmental limitation on rates charged to customers.
Risk of Investing in the Energy Sector. The Fund will be sensitive to, and its performance will depend to a greater extent on, the overall condition of the energy sector. Companies operating in the energy sector are subject to risks including, but not limited to, economic growth, worldwide demand, political instability in the regions that the companies operate in, government regulation stipulating rates charged by utilities, interest rate sensitivity, oil price volatility, energy conservation, environmental policies, depletion of resources, the cost of providing the specific utility services and other factors that they cannot control. In addition, these companies are at risk of civil liability from accidents resulting in injury, loss of life or property, pollution or other environmental damage claims and risk of loss from terrorism and natural disasters. A downturn in the energy sector of the economy, adverse political, legislative or regulatory developments or other events could have a larger impact on the Fund than on an investment company that does not invest a substantial portion of its assets in the energy sector. At times, the performance of securities of companies in the energy sector may lag the performance of other sectors or the broader market as a whole. The price of oil, natural gas and other fossil fuels may decline and/or experience significant volatility, which could adversely impact companies operating in the energy sector.
Risk of Investing in the Information Technology Sector. The Fund will be sensitive to, and its performance will depend to a greater extent on, the overall condition of the information technology sector. Information technology companies face intense competition, both domestically and internationally, which may have an adverse effect on profit margins. Information technology companies may have limited product lines, markets, financial resources or personnel. The products of information technology companies may face product obsolescence due to rapid technological developments and frequent new product introduction, unpredictable changes in growth rates and competition for the services of qualified personnel. Companies in the information technology sector are heavily dependent on patent protection and the expiration of patents may adversely affect the profitability of these companies.
Risk of Investing in the Consumer Discretionary Sector. The Fund will be sensitive to, and its performance will depend to a greater extent on, the overall condition of the consumer discretionary sector. The consumer discretionary sector comprises companies whose businesses are sensitive to economic cycles, such as manufacturers of high-end apparel and automobile and leisure companies. Companies engaged in the consumer discretionary sector are subject to fluctuations in supply and demand. These companies may also be adversely affected by changes in consumer spending as a result of world events, political and economic conditions, commodity price volatility, changes in exchange rates, imposition of import controls, increased competition, depletion of resources and labor relations.
Equity Securities Risk. The value of the equity securities held by the Fund may fall due to general market and economic conditions, perceptions regarding the markets in which the issuers of securities held by the Fund participate, or factors relating to specific issuers in which the Fund invests. For example, an adverse event, such as an unfavorable earnings report, may result in a decline in the value of equity securities of an issuer held by the Fund; the price of the equity securities of an issuer may be particularly sensitive to general movements in the securities markets; or a drop in the securities markets may depress the price of most or all of the equities securities held by the Fund. In addition, the equity securities of an issuer in the Fund’s portfolio may decline in price if the issuer fails to make anticipated dividend payments. Equity securities are subordinated to preferred securities and debt in a company’s capital structure with respect to priority in right to a share of corporate income, and therefore will be subject to greater dividend risk than preferred securities or debt instruments. In addition, while broad market measures of equity securities have historically generated higher average returns than fixed income securities, equity securities have generally also experienced significantly more volatility in those returns, although under certain market conditions fixed income securities may have comparable or greater price volatility. A change in the financial condition, market perception or the credit rating of an issuer of securities included in the Index may cause the value of its securities to decline.
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Risk of Investing in Micro-Capitalization Companies. The Fund may invest in micro-capitalization companies. These companies are subject to substantially greater risks of loss and price fluctuations because their earnings and revenues tend to be less predictable (and some companies may be experiencing significant losses), and their share prices tend to be more volatile and their markets less liquid than companies with larger market capitalizations. Micro-capitalization companies may be newly formed or in the early stages of development, with limited product lines, markets or financial resources and may lack management depth. In addition, there may be less public information available about these companies. The shares of micro-capitalization companies tend to trade less frequently than those of larger, more established companies, which can adversely affect the pricing of these securities and the future ability to sell these securities. Also, it may take a long time before the Fund realizes a gain, if any, on an investment in a micro-capitalization company.
Risk of Investing in Small- and Medium-Capitalization Companies. The Fund may invest in small- and/or medium-capitalization companies and, therefore will be subject to certain risks associated with small- and medium- capitalization companies. These companies are often subject to less analyst coverage and may be in early and less predictable periods of their corporate existences, with little or no record of profitability. In addition, these companies often have greater price volatility, lower trading volume and less liquidity than larger more established companies. These companies tend to have smaller revenues, narrower product lines, less management depth and experience, smaller shares of their product or service markets, fewer financial resources and less competitive strength than large-capitalization companies. Returns on investments in securities of small- and medium-capitalization companies could trail the returns on investments in securities of larger companies.
Market Risk. The prices of the securities in the Fund are subject to the risks associated with investing in the securities market, including general economic conditions, sudden and unpredictable drops in value, exchange trading suspensions and closures and public health risks. These risks may be magnified if certain social, political, economic and other conditions and events (such as natural disasters, epidemics and pandemics, terrorism, conflicts and social unrest) adversely interrupt the global economy; in these and other circumstances, such events or developments might affect companies world-wide. Overall securities values could decline generally or could underperform other investments. An investment in the Fund may lose money.
Operational Risk. The Fund is exposed to operational risk arising from a number of factors, including, but not limited to, human error, processing and communication errors, errors of the Fund’s service providers, counterparties or other third parties, failed or inadequate processes and technology or system failures.
Index Tracking Risk. The Fund’s return may not match the return of the Index for a number of reasons. For example, the Fund incurs a number of operating expenses, including taxes, not applicable to the Index and incurs costs associated with buying and selling securities, especially when rebalancing the Fund’s securities holdings to reflect changes in the composition of the Index or (to the extent the Fund effects creations and redemptions for cash) raising cash to meet redemptions or deploying cash in connection with newly created Creation Units, which are not factored into the return of the Index. Transaction costs, including brokerage costs, will decrease the Fund’s NAV to the extent not offset by the transaction fee payable by an AP. Market disruptions and regulatory restrictions could have an adverse effect on the Fund’s ability to adjust its exposure to the required levels in order to track the Index. Unusual market conditions may cause the Index Provider to postpone a scheduled rebalance, which could cause the Index to vary from its normal or expected composition. There is no assurance that the Fund’s Index Provider (defined herein) or any agents that may act on its behalf will compile the Index accurately, or that the Index will be determined, composed or calculated accurately. Errors in respect of the quality, accuracy and completeness of the data used to compile the Index may occur from time to time and may not be identified and corrected by the Index Provider for a period of time or at all, particularly where the Index is less commonly used as benchmarks by funds or managers. Therefore, gains, losses or costs associated with errors of the Index Provider or its agents will generally be borne by the Fund and its shareholders. For example, during a period where the Index contains incorrect constituents, the Fund would have market exposure to such constituents and would be underexposed to the Index’s other constituents. Such errors may negatively or positively impact the Fund and its shareholders. Any gains due to the Index Provider’s or others’ errors will be kept by the Fund and its shareholders and any losses resulting from the Index Provider’s or others’ errors will be borne by the Fund and its shareholders. When the Index is rebalanced and the Fund in turn rebalances its portfolio to attempt to increase the correlation between the Fund’s portfolio and Index, any transaction costs and market exposure arising from such portfolio rebalancing will be borne directly by the Fund and its shareholders. The Fund may not be fully invested at times, either as a result of cash flows into the Fund (if the Fund effects creations and redemptions for cash) or reserves of cash held by the Fund to pay expenses or meet redemptions. In addition, the Fund may not be able to invest in certain securities and/or other assets included in the Index, or invest in them in the exact proportions in which they are represented in the Index, due to legal restrictions or limitations imposed by the governments of certain countries, certain Exchange listing standards, a lack of liquidity on stock exchanges in which such securities trade, potential adverse tax consequences or other regulatory reasons (such as diversification requirements). A lack of liquidity may be due to various events, including market events, economic conditions or investor perceptions. Illiquid securities may be difficult to value and their value may be lower than market price of comparable liquid securities, which would negatively affect the Fund's performance. Moreover, the Fund may be delayed in purchasing or selling securities included in the Index. When markets are volatile, the ability to sell securities at fair value prices may be adversely impacted and may result in additional trading costs and/or increase the index tracking risk. Any issues the Fund encounters with regard to currency convertibility (including the cost of borrowing funds, if any) and repatriation may also increase the index tracking risk. The Fund may also need to rely on borrowings
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to meet redemptions, which may lead to increased expenses. For tax efficiency purposes, the Fund may sell certain securities, and such sale may cause the Fund to realize a loss and deviate from the performance of its Index.
The Fund may accept cash in connection with a purchase of Creation Units (defined herein) or effect its redemptions in cash rather than in-kind and, as a result, the Fund’s ability to match the return of the Index will be affected.
The Fund may fair value certain of the securities, underlying currencies and/or other assets it holds, except those securities primarily traded on exchanges that close at the same time the Fund calculates its NAV. To the extent the Fund calculates its NAV based on fair value prices and the value of the Index is based on securities’ closing prices on local foreign markets (i.e., the value of the Index is not based on fair value prices) or if the Fund otherwise calculates its NAV based on prices that differ from those used in calculating the Index, the Fund’s ability to track the Index may be adversely affected. The need to comply with the tax diversification and other requirements of the Code may also impact the Fund’s ability to track the performance of the Index. In addition, if the Fund utilizes depositary receipts or other derivative instruments that are not included in the Index, its return may not correlate as well with the returns of the Index as would be the case if the Fund purchased all the securities in the Index directly. Actions taken in response to proposed corporate actions could result in increased tracking error. In light of the factors discussed above, the Fund’s return may deviate significantly from the return of the Index.
Apart from scheduled rebalances, the Index Provider or its agents may carry out additional ad hoc rebalances to the Index in order, for example, to correct an error in the selection of index constituents. When the Index is rebalanced and the Fund in turn rebalances its portfolio to attempt to increase the correlation between the Fund’s portfolio and the Index, any transaction costs and market exposure arising from such portfolio rebalancing will be borne directly by the Fund and its shareholders. Therefore, errors and additional ad hoc rebalances carried out by the Index Provider to the Index may increase the costs to and the tracking error risk of the Fund.
Index tracking risk may be heightened during times of increased market volatility or other unusual market conditions. Changes to the composition of the Index in connection with a rebalancing or reconstitution of the Index may cause the Fund to experience increased volatility, during which time the Fund’s index tracking risk may be heightened.
Authorized Participant Concentration Risk. The Fund may have a limited number of APs, none of which are obligated to engage in creation and/or redemption transactions. To the extent that those APs exit the business, or do not process creation and/or redemption orders, there may be a significantly diminished trading market for Shares or Shares may trade like closed-end funds at a discount (or premium) to NAV and possibly face trading halts and/or de-listing. This can be reflected as a spread between the bid-ask prices for the Fund. The AP concentration risk may be heightened in cases where APs have limited or diminished access to the capital required to post collateral.
New Fund Risk. The Fund is a new fund, with a limited or no operating history and a small asset base. There can be no assurance that the Fund will grow to or maintain a viable size. Due to the Fund's small asset base, certain of the Fund's expenses and its portfolio transaction costs may be higher than those of a fund with a larger asset base. To the extent that the Fund does not grow to or maintain a viable size, it may be liquidated, and the expenses, timing and tax consequences of such liquidation may not be favorable to some shareholders.
Absence of Prior Active Market. The Fund is a newly organized series of an investment company and thus has no operating history. While Shares are expected to be listed on the Exchange, there can be no assurance that an active trading market for the Shares will develop or be maintained. Further, secondary markets may be subject to irregular trading activity, wide bid/ask spreads and extended trade settlement periods in times of market stress because market makers and APs may step away from making a market in the Shares and in executing creation and redemption orders, which could cause a material deviation in the Fund’s market price from its NAV. Van Eck Securities Corporation, the distributor of the Shares (the “Distributor”), does not maintain a secondary market in the Shares. Investors purchasing and selling Shares in the secondary market may not experience investment results consistent with those experienced by those APs creating and redeeming directly with the Fund.
Decisions by market makers or APs to reduce their role or “step away” from these activities in times of market stress could inhibit the effectiveness of the arbitrage process in maintaining the relationship between the underlying value of the Fund’s portfolio securities and the Fund’s market price. This reduced effectiveness could result in Fund Shares trading at a price which differs materially from NAV and also in greater than normal intraday bid/ask spreads for Fund Shares.
Trading Issues. Trading in Shares on the Exchange may be halted due to market conditions or for reasons that, in the view of the Exchange, make trading in Shares inadvisable. In addition, trading in Shares on the Exchange is subject to trading halts caused by extraordinary market volatility pursuant to the Exchange’s “circuit breaker” rules. If a trading halt or unanticipated early close of the Exchange occurs, a shareholder may be unable to purchase or sell Shares of the Fund. There can be no assurance that the requirements of the Exchange necessary to maintain the listing of the Fund will continue to be met or will remain unchanged.
Passive Management Risk. Unlike many investment companies, the Fund is not “actively” managed. Therefore, unless a specific security is removed from the Index, the Fund generally would not sell a security because the security’s issuer is in financial trouble. If a specific security is removed from the Index, the Fund may be forced to sell such security at an inopportune time or for prices other than at current market values. An investment in the Fund involves risks similar to those of investing in any fund that
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invests in equity securities traded on an exchange, such as market fluctuations caused by such factors as economic and political developments, changes in interest rates and perceived trends in security prices. The Index may not contain the appropriate or a diversified mix of securities for any particular economic cycle. The timing of changes in the securities of the Fund’s portfolio in seeking to track the Index could have a negative effect on the Fund. Unlike with an actively managed fund, the Adviser does not use techniques or defensive strategies designed to lessen the effects of market volatility or to reduce the impact of periods of market decline. Additionally, unusual market conditions may cause the Fund’s Index Provider to postpone a scheduled rebalance or reconstitution, which could cause the Index to vary from its normal or expected composition. This means that, based on market and economic conditions, the Fund’s performance could be lower than funds that may actively shift their portfolio assets to take advantage of market opportunities or to lessen the impact of a market decline or a decline in the value of one or more issuers.
Fund Shares Trading, Premium/Discount Risk and Liquidity of Fund Shares. Disruptions to creations and redemptions, the existence of market volatility or potential lack of an active trading market for Shares (including through a trading halt), as well as other factors, may result in Shares trading at a significant premium or discount to NAV or to the intraday value of the Fund’s holdings. The NAV of the Shares may fluctuate with changes in the market value of the Fund’s securities holdings. The market price of Shares will fluctuate, in some cases materially, in accordance with changes in NAV and the intraday value of the Fund’s holdings as well as supply and demand on the Exchange. The Adviser cannot predict whether Shares will trade below, at or above their NAV. Given the fact that Shares can be created and redeemed by APs in Creation Units, the Adviser believes that large discounts or premiums to the NAV of Shares should not be sustained in the long-term. While the creation/redemption feature is designed to make it likely that Shares normally will trade close to the value of the Fund’s holdings, market prices are not expected to correlate exactly to the Fund’s NAV due to timing reasons, supply and demand imbalances and other factors. The price differences may be due, in large part, to the fact that supply and demand forces at work in the secondary trading market for Shares may be closely related to, but not necessarily identical to, the same forces influencing the prices of the securities of the Fund’s portfolio of investments trading individually or in the aggregate at any point in time. If a shareholder purchases Shares at a time when the market price is at a premium to the NAV or sells Shares at a time when the market price is at a discount to the NAV, the shareholder may pay significantly more or receive significantly less than the underlying value of the Shares that were bought or sold or the shareholder may be unable to sell his or her Shares. Any of these factors, discussed above and further below, may lead to the Shares trading at a premium or discount to the Fund’s NAV. In addition, because certain of the Fund’s underlying securities trade on exchanges that are closed when the Exchange (i.e., the exchange that Shares of the Fund trade on) is open, there are likely to be deviations between the expected value of an underlying security and the closing security’s price (i.e., the last quote from its closed foreign market) resulting in premiums or discounts to NAV that may be greater than those experienced by other ETFs. In addition, the securities held by the Fund may be traded in markets that close at a different time than the Exchange. Liquidity in those securities may be reduced after the applicable closing times. Accordingly, during the time when the Exchange is open but after the applicable market closing, fixing or settlement times, bid/ask spreads and the resulting premium or discount to the Shares’ NAV may widen. Additionally, in stressed market conditions, the market for the Fund’s Shares may become less liquid in response to deteriorating liquidity in the markets for the Fund’s underlying portfolio holdings. There are various methods by which investors can purchase and sell Shares. Investors should consult their financial intermediaries before purchasing or selling Shares of the Fund.
When you buy or sell Shares of the Fund through a broker, you will likely incur a brokerage commission or other charges imposed by brokers. In addition, the market price of Shares, like the price of any exchange-traded security, includes a bid/ask spread charged by the market makers or other participants that trade the particular security. The spread of the Fund’s Shares varies over time based on the Fund’s trading volume and market liquidity and may increase if the Fund’s trading volume, the spread of the Fund’s underlying securities, or market liquidity decrease. In times of severe market disruption, including when trading of the Fund’s holdings may be halted, the bid/ask spread may increase significantly. This means that Shares may trade at a discount to the Fund’s NAV, and the discount is likely to be greatest during significant market volatility.
Non-Diversified Risk. The Fund is a separate investment portfolio of VanEck ETF Trust (the “Trust”), which is an open-end investment company registered under the 1940 Act. The Fund is classified as a “non-diversified” fund under the 1940 Act. Moreover, the Fund is subject to the risk that it will be more volatile than a diversified fund because the Fund may invest its assets in a smaller number of issuers or may invest a larger proportion of its assets in a single issuer. Moreover, the gains and losses on a single investment may have a greater impact on the Fund’s NAV and may make the Fund more volatile than more diversified funds.
Concentration Risk. The Fund’s assets may be concentrated in a particular sector or sectors or industry or group of industries to the extent that the Index concentrates in a particular sector or sectors or industry or group of industries. The securities of many or all of the companies in the same sector or industry may decline in value due to developments adversely affecting such sector or industry. By concentrating its assets in a particular sector or sectors or industry or group of industries, the Fund is subject to the risk that economic, political or other conditions that have a negative effect on those sectors and/or industries may negatively impact the Fund to a greater extent than if the Fund’s assets were invested in a wider variety of sectors or industries.


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ADDITIONAL NON-PRINCIPAL INVESTMENT STRATEGIES
The Fund may invest in securities not included in the Index, money market instruments, including repurchase agreements or other funds which invest exclusively in money market instruments, convertible securities, structured notes (notes on which the amount of principal repayment and interest payments are based on the movement of one or more specified factors, such as the movement of a particular stock or stock index) and/or certain derivatives, which the Adviser believes will help the Fund track the Index. Depositary receipts not included in the Fund’s Index may be used by the Fund in seeking performance that corresponds to the Index and in managing cash flows, and may count towards compliance with the Fund’s 80% policy. The Fund may also invest, to the extent permitted by the 1940 Act, in other affiliated and unaffiliated funds, such as open-end or closed-end management investment companies, including other ETFs. The Fund does not have a temporary defensive strategy to protect against potential stock market declines.
BORROWING MONEY
The Fund may borrow money from a bank up to a limit of one-third of the market value of its assets. The Fund is expected to enter into a credit facility to borrow money for temporary, emergency or other purposes, including the funding of shareholder redemption requests, trade settlements and as necessary to distribute to shareholders any income required to maintain the Fund’s status as a regulated investment company. To the extent that the Fund borrows money, it may be leveraged; at such times, the Fund will appreciate or depreciate in value more rapidly than the Index. Leverage generally has the effect of increasing the amount of loss or gain the Fund might realize, and may increase volatility in the value of the Fund’s investments.
LENDING PORTFOLIO SECURITIES
The Fund may lend its portfolio securities to brokers, dealers and other financial institutions desiring to borrow securities to complete transactions and for other purposes. In connection with such loans, the Fund receives cash, U.S. government securities and stand-by letters of credit not issued by the Fund’s bank lending agent equal to at least 102% of the value of the portfolio securities being loaned. This collateral is marked-to-market on a daily basis. Although the Fund will receive collateral in connection with all loans of its securities holdings, the Fund would be exposed to a risk of loss should a borrower fail to return the borrowed securities (e.g., the Fund would have to buy replacement securities and the loaned securities may have appreciated beyond the value of the collateral held by the Fund) or become insolvent. The Fund may pay fees to the party arranging the loan of securities. In addition, the Fund will bear the risk that it may lose money because the borrower of the loaned securities fails to return the securities in a timely manner or at all. The Fund could also lose money in the event of a decline in the value of any cash collateral or in the value of investments made with the cash collateral. These events could trigger adverse tax consequences for the Fund. Substitute payments for dividends received by the Fund for securities loaned out by the Fund will not be considered qualified dividend income.
ADDITIONAL NON-PRINCIPAL RISKS
Risk of Investing in Depositary Receipts. The Fund may invest in depositary receipts (including American Depositary Receipts (“ADRs”), which involve similar risks to those associated with investments in foreign securities. Depositary receipts are receipts listed on U.S. or foreign exchanges issued by banks or trust companies that entitle the holder to all dividends and capital gains that are paid out on the underlying foreign shares. The issuers of certain depositary receipts are under no obligation to distribute shareholder communications to the holders of such receipts, or to pass through to them any voting rights with respect to the deposited securities. Investments in depositary receipts may be less liquid than the underlying shares in their primary trading market and, if not included in the Fund’s Index, may negatively affect the Fund’s ability to replicate the performance of its Index. In addition, investments in depositary receipts that are not included in the Fund’s Index may increase tracking error.
Participation Notes. Participation Notes (“P-Notes”) are issued by banks or broker-dealers and are designed to offer a return linked to the performance of a particular underlying equity security or market. P-Notes can have the characteristics or take the form of various instruments, including, but not limited to, certificates or warrants. The holder of a P-Note that is linked to a particular underlying security is entitled to receive any dividends paid in connection with the underlying security. However, the holder of a P-Note generally does not receive voting rights as it would if it directly owned the underlying security. P-Notes constitute direct, general and unsecured contractual obligations of the banks or broker-dealers that issue them, which therefore subject a Fund to counterparty risk, as discussed below. Investments in P-Notes involve certain risks in addition to those associated with a direct investment in the underlying foreign securities or foreign securities markets whose return they seek to replicate. For instance, there can be no assurance that the trading price of a P-Note will equal the value of the underlying foreign security or foreign securities market that it seeks to replicate. As the purchaser of a P-Note, a Fund is relying on the creditworthiness of the counterparty issuing the P-Note and has no rights under a P-Note against the issuer of the underlying security. Therefore, if such counterparty were to become insolvent or default on its obligations, a Fund would lose its investment. The risk that a Fund may lose its investments due to the insolvency of a single counterparty may be amplified to the extent the Fund purchases P-Notes issued by one issuer or a small number of issuers. P-Notes also include transaction costs in addition to those applicable to a direct investment in securities. In addition, a Fund’s use of P-Notes may cause the Fund’s performance to deviate from the performance of the portion of its Index to which the Fund is gaining exposure through the use of P-Notes.
Due to liquidity and transfer restrictions, the secondary markets on which P-Notes are traded may be less liquid than the markets for other securities, which may lead to the absence of readily available market quotations for securities in a Fund’s portfolio and may cause the value of the P-Notes to decline. The ability of a Fund to value its securities may become more difficult and the
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judgment in the application of fair value procedures may play a greater role in the valuation of a Fund’s securities due to reduced availability of reliable objective pricing data. Consequently, while such determinations will be made in good faith, it may nevertheless be more difficult for a Fund to accurately assign a daily value to such securities.
Shareholder Risk. Certain shareholders, including other funds advised by the Adviser, may from time to time own a substantial amount of the Fund’s Shares. In addition, a third party investor, the Adviser or an affiliate of the Adviser, an AP, a market maker, or another entity may invest in the Fund and hold its investment for a limited period of time. There can be no assurance that any large shareholder would not redeem its investment. Redemptions by shareholders could have a negative impact on the Fund. In addition, transactions by large shareholders may account for a large percentage of the trading volume on the Exchange and may, therefore, have a material effect on the market price of the Shares.
Leverage Risk. To the extent that the Fund borrows money or utilizes certain derivatives, it may be leveraged. Leveraging generally exaggerates the effect on NAV of any increase or decrease in the market value of the Fund’s portfolio securities. To manage the risk associated with leveraging, the Fund may segregate liquid assets, or otherwise “cover” its derivatives position in a manner consistent with the 1940 Act and the rules and SEC interpretations thereunder. The Fund may modify its asset segregation policies at any time to comply with any changes in the SEC’s positions regarding asset segregation.
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TAX ADVANTAGED PRODUCT STRUCTURE
Unlike many conventional mutual funds which are only bought and sold at closing NAVs, the Shares of the Fund have been designed to be tradable in a secondary market on an intra-day basis and to be redeemed principally in-kind in Creation Units at each day’s market close. These in-kind arrangements are designed to mitigate the adverse effects on the Fund’s portfolio that could arise from frequent cash redemption transactions that affect the NAV of the Fund. Moreover, in contrast to conventional mutual funds, where frequent redemptions can have an adverse tax impact on taxable shareholders because of the need to sell portfolio securities which, in turn, may generate taxable gain, the in-kind redemption mechanism of the Fund, to the extent used, generally is not expected to lead to a tax event for shareholders whose Shares are not being redeemed.
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PORTFOLIO HOLDINGS
A description of the Fund’s policies and procedures with respect to the disclosure of the Fund’s portfolio securities is available in the Fund’s SAI.
MANAGEMENT OF THE FUND
Board of Trustees. The Board of Trustees of the Trust has responsibility for the general oversight of the management of the Fund, including general supervision of the Adviser and other service providers, but is not involved in the day-to-day management of the Trust. A list of the Trustees and the Trust officers, and their present positions and principal occupations, is provided in the Fund’s SAI.
Investment Adviser. Under the terms of an investment management agreement between the Trust and Van Eck Associates Corporation with respect to the Fund (the “Investment Management Agreement”), Van Eck Associates Corporation serves as the adviser to the Fund and, subject to the supervision of the Board of Trustees, is responsible for the day-to-day investment management of the Fund. As of August 31, 2022 the Adviser managed approximately $66.69 billion in assets. The Adviser has been an investment adviser since 1955 and also acts as adviser or sub-adviser to mutual funds, other ETFs, other pooled investment vehicles and separate accounts. The Adviser’s principal business address is 666 Third Avenue, 9th Floor, New York, New York 10017. A discussion regarding the Board of Trustees’ approval of the Investment Management Agreement will be available in the Trust’s annual report for the period ended September 30, 2022.
Pursuant to the Investment Management Agreement, the Adviser is responsible for all expenses of the Fund, including the costs of transfer agency, custody, fund administration, legal, audit and other services, except for the fee payment under the Investment Management Agreement, acquired fund fees and expenses, interest expense, offering costs, trading expenses, taxes and extraordinary expenses. For its services to the Fund, the Fund has agreed to pay the Adviser an annual unitary management fee equal to 0.45% of its average daily net assets. Offering costs excluded from the annual unitary management fee are: (a) legal fees pertaining to the Fund’s Shares offered for sale, (b) SEC and state registration fees; and (c) initial fees paid for Shares of the Fund to be listed on an exchange. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Adviser has agreed to pay all such offering costs until at least February 1, 2024.
Manager of Managers Structure. The Adviser and the Trust may rely on an exemptive order (the “Order”) from the SEC that permits the Adviser to enter into investment sub-advisory agreements with unaffiliated sub-advisers without obtaining shareholder approval. The Adviser, subject to the review and approval of the Board of Trustees, may select one or more sub- advisers for the Fund and supervise, monitor and evaluate the performance of each sub-adviser.
The Order also permits the Adviser, subject to the approval of the Board of Trustees, to replace sub-advisers and amend investment sub-advisory agreements, including applicable fee arrangements, without shareholder approval whenever the Adviser and the Board of Trustees believe such action will benefit the Fund and its shareholders. The Adviser thus would have the responsibility (subject to the oversight of the Board of Trustees) to recommend the hiring and replacement of sub-advisers as well as the discretion to terminate any sub-adviser and reallocate the Fund’s assets for management among any other sub-adviser(s) and itself. This means that the Adviser would be able to reduce the sub-advisory fees and retain a larger portion of the management fee, or increase the sub-advisory fees and retain a smaller portion of the management fee. The Adviser would compensate each sub-adviser out of its management fee.
Administrator, Custodian and Transfer Agent. Van Eck Associates Corporation is the administrator for the Fund (the “Administrator”), and State Street Bank and Trust Company is the custodian of the Fund’s assets and provides transfer agency and fund accounting services to the Fund. The Administrator is responsible for certain clerical, recordkeeping and/or bookkeeping services which are required to be provided pursuant to the Investment Management Agreement.
Distributor. Van Eck Securities Corporation is the distributor of the Shares (the “Distributor”). The Distributor will not distribute Shares in less than a specified number of Shares, each called a “Creation Unit,” and does not maintain a secondary market in the Shares. The Shares are traded in the secondary market.
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PORTFOLIO MANAGER
The portfolio manager who currently is responsible for the day-to-day management of the Fund’s portfolio is Peter H. Liao, CFA. Mr. Liao has been employed by the Adviser as an analyst since the summer of 2004 and has been a portfolio manager since 2006. Mr. Liao graduated from New York University in 2004 with a Bachelor of Arts in Economics and Mathematics. Mr. Liao serves as portfolio manager for certain other investment companies and pooled investment vehicles advised by the Adviser.
See the Fund’s SAI for additional information about the portfolio manager’s compensation, other accounts managed by the portfolio manager and his ownership of Shares.
SHAREHOLDER INFORMATION
DETERMINATION OF NAV
The NAV per Share for the Fund is computed by dividing the value of the net assets of the Fund (i.e., the value of its total assets less total liabilities) by the total number of Shares outstanding. Expenses and fees, including the management fee, are accrued daily and taken into account for purposes of determining NAV. The NAV of the Fund is determined each business day as of the close of trading (ordinarily 4:00 p.m., Eastern time) on the New York Stock Exchange.
The values of the Fund’s portfolio securities are based on the securities’ closing prices on the markets on which the securities trade, when available. Due to the time differences between the United States and certain countries in which the Fund invests, securities on these exchanges may not trade at times when Shares of the Fund will trade. In the absence of a last reported sales price, or if no sales were reported, and for other assets for which market quotes are not readily available, values may be based on quotes obtained from a quotation reporting system, established market makers or by an outside independent pricing service. Debt instruments with remaining maturities of more than 60 days are valued at the evaluated mean price provided by an outside independent pricing service. If an outside independent pricing service is unable to provide a valuation, the instrument is valued at the mean of the highest bid and the lowest asked quotes obtained from one or more brokers or dealers selected by the Adviser. Prices obtained by an outside independent pricing service may use information provided by market makers or estimates of market values obtained from yield data related to investments or securities with similar characteristics and may use a computerized grid matrix of securities and its evaluations in determining what it believes is the fair value of the portfolio securities. Short-term debt instruments having a maturity of 60 days or less are valued at amortized cost. Any assets or liabilities denominated in currencies other than the U.S. dollar are converted into U.S. dollars at the current market rates on the date of valuation as quoted by one or more sources. If a market quotation for a security or other asset is not readily available or the Adviser believes it does not otherwise accurately reflect the market value of the security or asset at the time the Fund calculates its NAV, the security or asset will be fair valued by the Adviser in accordance with the Trust’s valuation policies and procedures approved by the Board of Trustees. The Fund may also use fair value pricing in a variety of circumstances, including but not limited to, situations when the value of a security in the Fund’s portfolio has been materially affected by events occurring after the close of the market on which the security is principally traded (such as a corporate action or other news that may materially affect the price of a security) or trading in a security has been suspended or halted. In addition, the Fund currently expects that it will fair value certain of the foreign equity securities held by the Fund, if any, each day the Fund calculates its NAV, except those securities principally traded on exchanges that close at the same time the Fund calculates its NAV.
Accordingly, the Fund’s NAV may reflect certain portfolio securities’ fair values rather than their market prices at the time the exchanges on which they principally trade close. Fair value pricing involves subjective judgments and it is possible that a fair value determination for a security or other asset is materially different than the value that could be realized upon the sale of such security or asset. In addition, fair value pricing could result in a difference between the prices used to calculate the Fund’s NAV and the prices used by the Fund’s Index. This may adversely affect the Fund’s ability to track its Index. With respect to securities that are principally traded on foreign exchanges, the value of the Fund’s portfolio securities may change on days when you will not be able to purchase or sell your Shares.
INTRADAY VALUE
The trading prices of the Fund’s Shares in the secondary market generally differ from the Fund’s daily NAV and are affected by market forces such as the supply of and demand for Fund Shares and underlying securities held by the Fund, economic conditions and other factors. Information regarding the intraday value of the Fund’s Shares (“IIV”) may be disseminated throughout each trading day by the Exchange or by market data vendors or other information providers. The IIV is based on the current market value of the securities and/or cash required to be deposited in exchange for a Creation Unit. The IIV does not necessarily reflect the precise composition of the current portfolio of securities held by the Fund at a particular point in time or the best possible valuation of the current portfolio. Therefore, the IIV should not be viewed as a “real-time” update of the Fund’s NAV, which is computed only once a day. The IIV is generally determined by using current market quotations and/or price quotations obtained from broker-dealers and other market intermediaries that may trade in the portfolio securities held by the Fund and valuations based on current market rates. The quotations and/or valuations of certain Fund holdings may not be
updated during U.S. trading hours if such holdings do not trade in the United States. The Fund is not involved in, or responsible for, the calculation or dissemination of the IIV and makes no warranty as to its accuracy.
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RULE 144A AND OTHER UNREGISTERED SECURITIES
An AP (i.e., a person eligible to place orders with the Distributor to create or redeem Creation Units of the Fund) that is not a “qualified institutional buyer,” as such term is defined under Rule 144A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), will not be able to receive, as part of a redemption, restricted securities eligible for resale under Rule 144A or other unregistered securities.
BUYING AND SELLING EXCHANGE-TRADED SHARES
The Shares of the Fund are expected to be listed on the Exchange. If you buy or sell Shares in the secondary market, you will incur customary brokerage commissions and charges and may pay some or all of the “spread,” which is any difference between the bid price and the ask price. The spread varies over time for the Fund’s Shares based on the Fund’s trading volume and market liquidity, and is generally lower if the Fund has high trading volume and market liquidity, and generally higher if the Fund has little trading volume and market liquidity (which is often the case for funds that are newly launched or small in size). In times of severe market disruption or low trading volume in the Fund’s Shares, this spread can increase significantly. It is anticipated that the Shares will trade in the secondary market at prices that may differ to varying degrees from the NAV of the Shares. During periods of disruptions to creations and redemptions or the existence of extreme market volatility, the market prices of Shares are more likely to differ significantly from the Shares’ NAV.
The Depository Trust Company (“DTC”) serves as securities depository for the Shares. (The Shares may be held only in book- entry form; stock certificates will not be issued.) DTC, or its nominee, is the record or registered owner of all outstanding Shares. Beneficial ownership of Shares will be shown on the records of DTC or its participants (described below). Beneficial owners of Shares are not entitled to have Shares registered in their names, will not receive or be entitled to receive physical delivery of certificates in definitive form and are not considered the registered holder thereof. Accordingly, to exercise any rights of a holder of Shares, each beneficial owner must rely on the procedures of: (i) DTC; (ii) “DTC Participants,” i.e., securities brokers and dealers, banks, trust companies, clearing corporations and certain other organizations, some of whom (and/or their representatives) own DTC; and (iii) “Indirect Participants,” i.e., brokers, dealers, banks and trust companies that clear through or maintain a custodial relationship with a DTC Participant, either directly or indirectly, through which such beneficial owner holds its interests. The Trust understands that under existing industry practice, in the event the Trust requests any action of holders of Shares, or a beneficial owner desires to take any action that DTC, as the record owner of all outstanding Shares, is entitled to take, DTC would authorize the DTC Participants to take such action and that the DTC Participants would authorize the Indirect Participants and beneficial owners acting through such DTC Participants to take such action and would otherwise act upon the instructions of beneficial owners owning through them. As described above, the Trust recognizes DTC or its nominee as the owner of all Shares for all purposes. For more information, see the section entitled “Book Entry Only System” in the Fund’s SAI.
The Exchange is open for trading Monday through Friday and is closed on weekends and the following holidays: New Year’s Day, Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, Presidents’ Day, Good Friday, Memorial Day, Juneteenth National Independence Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day. Because non-U.S. exchanges may be open on days when the Fund does not price its Shares, the value of the securities in the Fund’s portfolio may change on days when shareholders will not be able to purchase or sell the Fund’s Shares.
The right of redemption by an AP may be suspended or the date of payment postponed (1) for any period during which the Exchange is closed (other than customary weekend and holiday closings); (2) for any period during which trading on the Exchange is suspended or restricted; (3) for any period during which an emergency exists as a result of which disposal of the Shares of the Fund or determination of its NAV is not reasonably practicable; or (4) in such other circumstance as is permitted by the SEC.
Market Timing and Related Matters. The Fund imposes no restrictions on the frequency of purchases and redemptions. Frequent purchases and redemptions of Fund Shares may attempt to take advantage of a potential arbitrage opportunity presented by a lag between a change in the value of the Fund’s portfolio securities after the close of the primary markets for the Fund’s portfolio securities and the reflection of that change in the Fund’s NAV (“market timing”). The Board of Trustees considered the nature of the Fund (i.e., a fund whose Shares are expected to trade intraday), that the Adviser monitors the trading activity of APs for patterns of abusive trading, that the Fund reserves the right to reject orders that may be disruptive to the management of or otherwise not in the Fund’s best interests, and that the Fund may fair value certain of its securities. Given this structure, the Board of Trustees determined that it is not necessary to impose restrictions on the frequency of purchases and redemptions for the Fund at the present time.
DISTRIBUTIONS
Net Investment Income and Capital Gains. As a shareholder of the Fund, you are entitled to your share of the Fund’s distributions of net investment income and net realized capital gains on its investments. The Fund pays out substantially all of its net earnings to its shareholders as “distributions.”
The Fund typically earns income dividends from stocks and interest from debt securities. These amounts, net of expenses, are typically passed along to Fund shareholders as dividends from net investment income. The Fund realizes capital gains or losses whenever it sells securities. Net capital gains are distributed to shareholders as “capital gain distributions.” Distributions from the Fund’s net investment income, including net short-term capital gains, if any, are taxable to you as ordinary income. Any long-term capital gains distributions you receive from the Fund are taxable as long-term capital gains.
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Net investment income and net realized capital gains, if any, is typically distributed to shareholders annually. Dividends may be declared and paid more frequently to improve index tracking or to comply with the distribution requirements of the Code. In addition, in situations where the Fund acquires investment securities after the beginning of a dividend period, the Fund may elect to distribute at least annually amounts representing the full dividend yield net of expenses on the underlying investment securities, as if the Fund owned the underlying investment securities for the entire dividend period. If the Fund so elects, some portion of each distribution may result in a return of capital, which, for tax purposes, is treated as a return of your investment in Shares. You will be notified regarding the portion of the distribution which represents a return of capital.
Distributions in cash may be reinvested automatically in additional Shares of the Fund only if the broker through which you purchased Shares makes such option available.
TAX INFORMATION
As with any investment, you should consider how your Fund investment will be taxed. The tax information in this Prospectus is provided as general information. You should consult your own tax professional about the tax consequences of an investment in the Fund, including the possible application of foreign, state and local taxes. Unless your investment in the Fund is through a tax-exempt entity or tax-deferred retirement account, such as a 401(k) plan, you need to be aware of the possible tax consequences when: (i) the Fund makes distributions, (ii) you sell Shares in the secondary market or (iii) you create or redeem Creation Units.
Taxes on Distributions. As noted above, the Fund expects to distribute net investment income, if any, at least annually, and any net realized long-term or short-term capital gains, if any, annually. The Fund may also pay a special distribution at any time to comply with U.S. federal tax requirements.
In general, your distributions are subject to U.S. federal income tax when they are paid, whether you take them in cash or reinvest them in the Fund. Distributions of net investment income, including net short-term gains, if any, are generally taxable as ordinary income. Whether distributions of capital gains represent long-term or short-term capital gains is determined by how long the Fund owned the investments that generated them, rather than how long you have owned your Shares. Distributions of net short-term capital gains in excess of net long-term capital losses, if any, are generally taxable as ordinary income. Distributions of net long- term capital gains in excess of net short-term capital losses, if any, that are properly reported as capital gain dividends are generally taxable as long-term capital gains. Long-term capital gains of a non-corporate shareholder are generally taxable at a maximum rate of 15% or 20%, depending on whether the shareholder’s income exceeds certain threshold amounts.
The Fund may receive dividends, the distribution of which the Fund may report as qualified dividends. In the event that the Fund receives such a dividend and reports the distribution of such dividend as a qualified dividend, the dividend may be taxed at the maximum capital gains rates of 15% or 20%, provided holding period and other requirements are met at both the shareholder and the Fund level. There can be no assurance that any significant portion of the Fund’s distributions will be eligible for qualified dividend treatment.
Distributions in excess of the Fund’s current and accumulated earnings and profits are treated as a tax-free return of your investment to the extent of your basis in the Shares, and generally as capital gain thereafter. A return of capital, which for tax purposes is treated as a return of your investment, reduces your basis in Shares, thus reducing any loss or increasing any gain on a subsequent taxable disposition of Shares. A distribution will reduce the Fund’s NAV per Share and may be taxable to you as ordinary income or capital gain even though, from an economic standpoint, the distribution may constitute a return of capital.
Dividends, interest and gains from non-U.S. investments of the Fund may give rise to withholding and other taxes imposed by foreign countries. Tax conventions between certain countries and the United States may, in some cases, reduce or eliminate such taxes.
If more than 50% of the Fund’s total assets at the end of its taxable year consist of foreign securities, the Fund may elect to “pass through” to its investors certain foreign income taxes paid by the Fund, with the result that each investor will (i) include in gross income, even though not actually received, the investor’s pro rata share of the Fund’s foreign income taxes, and (ii) either deduct (in calculating U.S. taxable income) or credit (in calculating U.S. federal income), subject to certain holding period and other limitations, the investor’s pro rata share of the Fund’s foreign income taxes.
Backup Withholding. The Fund may be required to withhold a percentage of your distributions and proceeds if you have not provided a taxpayer identification number or social security number or otherwise established a basis for exemption from backup withholding. The backup withholding rate for individuals is currently 24%. This is not an additional tax and may be refunded, or credited against your U.S. federal income tax liability, provided certain required information is furnished to the Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”).
Taxes on the Sale or Cash Redemption of Exchange Listed Shares. Currently, any capital gain or loss realized upon a sale of Shares is generally treated as long-term capital gain or loss if the Shares have been held for more than one year and as a short-term capital gain or loss if held for one year or less. However, any capital loss on a sale of Shares held for six months or less is treated as long-term capital loss to the extent that capital gain dividends were paid with respect to such Shares. The ability to
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deduct capital losses may be limited. To the extent that the Fund shareholder’s Shares are redeemed for cash, this is normally treated as a sale for tax purposes.
Taxes on Creations and Redemptions of Creation Units. A person who exchanges securities for Creation Units generally will recognize a gain or loss. The gain or loss will be equal to the difference between the market value of the Creation Units at the time of exchange and the sum of the exchanger’s aggregate basis in the securities surrendered and the amount of any cash paid for such Creation Units. A person who exchanges Creation Units for securities will generally recognize a gain or loss equal to the difference between the exchanger’s basis in the Creation Units and the sum of the aggregate market value of the securities received. The IRS, however, may assert that a loss realized upon an exchange of primarily securities for Creation Units cannot be deducted currently under the rules governing “wash sales,” or on the basis that there has been no significant change in economic position. Persons exchanging securities for Creation Units or redeeming Creation Units should consult their own tax adviser with respect to whether wash sale rules apply and when a loss might be deductible and the tax treatment of any creation or redemption transaction.
Under current U.S. federal income tax laws, any capital gain or loss realized upon a redemption (or creation) of Creation Units held as capital assets is generally treated as long-term capital gain or loss if the Shares (or securities surrendered) have been held for more than one year and as a short-term capital gain or loss if the Shares (or securities surrendered) have been held for one year or less.
If you create or redeem Creation Units, you will be sent a confirmation statement showing how many Shares you created or sold and at what price.
Medicare Tax. An additional 3.8% Medicare tax is imposed on certain net investment income (including ordinary dividends and capital gain distributions received from the Fund and net gains from redemptions or other taxable dispositions of Fund Shares) of U.S. individuals, estates and trusts to the extent that such person’s “modified adjusted gross income” (in the case of an individual) or “adjusted gross income” (in the case of an estate or trust) exceeds certain threshold amounts.
Non-U.S. Shareholders. Dividends paid by the Fund to non-U.S. shareholders are generally subject to withholding tax at a 30% rate or a reduced rate specified by an applicable income tax treaty to the extent derived from investment income and short-term capital gains. Dividends paid by the Fund from net tax-exempt income or long-term capital gains are generally not subject to such withholding tax. Properly-reported dividends are generally exempt from U.S. federal withholding tax where they (i) are paid in respect of the Fund’s “qualified net interest income” (generally, the Fund’s U.S. source interest income, other than certain contingent interest and interest from obligations of a corporation or partnership in which the Fund is at least a 10% shareholder, reduced by expenses that are allocable to such income); or (ii) are paid in respect of the Fund’s “qualified short-term capital gains” (generally, the excess of the Fund’s net short-term capital gain over the Fund’s long-term capital loss for such taxable year). However, depending on its circumstances, the Fund may report all, some or none of its potentially eligible dividends as such qualified net interest income or as qualified short-term capital gains and/or treat such dividends, in whole or in part, as ineligible for this exemption from withholding.
Any capital gain realized by a Non-U.S. shareholder upon a sale of Shares of the Fund will generally not be subject to U.S. federal income or withholding tax unless (i) the gain is effectively connected with the shareholder’s trade or business in the United States, or in the case of a shareholder who is a nonresident alien individual, the shareholder is present in the United States for 183 days or more during the taxable year and certain other conditions are met or (ii) the Fund is or has been a U.S. real property holding corporation, as defined below, at any time within the five-year period preceding the date of disposition of the Fund’s Shares or, if shorter, within the period during which the Non-U.S. shareholder has held the Shares. Generally, a corporation is a U.S. real property holding corporation if the fair market value of its U.S. real property interests, as defined in the Code and applicable regulations, equals or exceeds 50% of the aggregate fair market value of its worldwide real property interests and its other assets used or held for use in a trade or business. The Fund may be, or may prior to a Non-U.S. shareholder’s disposition of Shares become, a U.S. real property holding corporation. If the Fund is or becomes a U.S. real property holding corporation, so long as the Fund’s Shares are regularly traded on an established securities market, only a Non-U.S. shareholder who holds or held (at any time during the shorter of the five year period preceding the date of disposition or the holder’s holding period) more than 5% (directly or indirectly as determined under applicable attribution rules of the Code) of the Fund’s Shares will be subject to United States federal income tax on the disposition of Shares.
As part of the Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act, (“FATCA”), the Fund may be required to withhold 30% tax on certain types of U.S. sourced income (e.g., dividends, interest, and other types of passive income) paid to (i) foreign financial institutions (“FFIs”), including non-U.S. investment funds, unless they agree to collect and disclose to the IRS information regarding their direct and indirect U.S. account holders and (ii) certain nonfinancial foreign entities (“NFFEs”), unless they certify certain information regarding their direct and indirect U.S. owners. To avoid possible withholding, FFIs will need to enter into agreements with the IRS which state that they will provide the IRS information, including the names, account numbers and balances, addresses and taxpayer identification numbers of U.S. account holders and comply with due diligence procedures with respect to the identification of U.S. accounts as well as agree to withhold tax on certain types of withholdable payments made to non-compliant foreign financial institutions or to applicable foreign account holders who fail to provide the required information to the IRS, or similar account information and required documentation to a local revenue authority, should an applicable intergovernmental agreement be
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implemented. NFFEs will need to provide certain information regarding each substantial U.S. owner or certifications of no substantial U.S. ownership, unless certain exceptions apply, or agree to provide certain information to the IRS.
The Fund may be subject to the FATCA withholding obligation, and also will be required to perform due diligence reviews to classify foreign entity investors for FATCA purposes. Investors are required to agree to provide information necessary to allow the Fund to comply with the FATCA rules. If the Fund is required to withhold amounts from payments pursuant to FATCA, investors will receive distributions that are reduced by such withholding amounts.
Non-U.S. shareholders are advised to consult their tax advisors with respect to the particular tax consequences to them of an investment in the Fund, including the possible applicability of the U.S. estate tax.
The foregoing discussion summarizes some of the consequences under current U.S. federal income tax law of an investment in the Fund. It is not a substitute for personal tax advice. Consult your own tax advisor about the potential tax consequences of an investment in the Fund under all applicable tax laws. Changes in applicable tax authority could materially affect the conclusions discussed above and could adversely affect the Fund, and such changes often occur.


INDEX PROVIDER
The Index is published by Indxx, LLC.
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INDXX US Green Infrastructure - MCAP Weighted INDEX
 
The Indxx US Green Infrastructure - MCAP Weighted Index is a rules based, modified market capitalization weighted index intended to give investors a means of tracking the overall performance of companies engaged in business activities that seek to establish a sustainable infrastructure to facilitate the holistic use of green energy and positively impact the environment.
To be initially eligible for the Index, (i) companies must generate at least 50% of their revenues from green infrastructure (as defined above) and (ii) stocks must have a market capitalization of greater than $500 million as of the nearest Friday falling at least one month before the scheduled reconstitution date. Only securities which are listed and domiciled in the United States are eligible.
The index follows an annual reconstitution and semi-annual rebalancing schedule.
Indxx, LLC may delay or change a scheduled rebalancing or reconstitution of the Index or the implementation of certain rules at its sole discretion.


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LICENSE AGREEMENT AND DISCLAIMERS
The Adviser has entered into a licensing agreement with Indxx to use the Index. The Fund is entitled to use the Index pursuant to a sub-licensing arrangement with the Adviser.
Shares of the Fund are not sponsored, endorsed, sold or promoted by Indxx. Indxx makes no representation or warranty, express or implied, to the owners of Shares of the Fund or any member of the public regarding the advisability of investing in securities generally or in the Shares of the Fund particularly or the ability of the Index to track the performance of its respective securities market. The Index is determined and composed by Indxx without regard to the Adviser or the Shares of the Fund. Indxx has no obligation to take the needs of the Adviser or the owners of Shares of the Fund into consideration in determining and composing the Index.
Indxx is not responsible for and has not participated in the determination of the timing of prices at, or quantities of the Shares of the Fund to be issued or in the determination or calculation of the equation by which the Shares of the Fund are to be converted into cash. Indxx has no obligation or liability in connection with the administration, marketing or trading of the Shares of the Fund.
“Indxx” is a service mark of Indxx and has been licensed for use for certain purposes by the Adviser.
INDXX MAKES NO WARRANTY, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, AS TO THE RESULTS TO BE OBTAINED BY ANY PERSON OR ENTITY FROM THE USE OF THE INDEX(ES), TRADING BASED ON THE INDEX(ES), OR ANY DATA INCLUDED THEREIN IN CONNECTION WITH THE PRODUCTS, OR FOR ANY OTHER USE. INDXX EXPRESSLY DISCLAIMS ALL WARRANTIES AND CONDITIONS, EXPRESS, STATUTORY, OR IMPLIED INCLUDING WARRANTIES AND CONDITIONS OF MERCHANTABILITY, TITLE, OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE OR USE WITH RESPECT TO THE INDEX(ES) OR ANY DATA INCLUDED THEREIN.
INDXX DOES NOT GUARANTEE THE ACCURACY AND/OR THE COMPLETENESS OF ANY DATA SUPPLIED BY IT OR ANY DATA INCLUDED THEREIN. INDXX MAKES NO WARRANTY, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, AS TO RESULTS TO BE OBTAINED BY THE FUNDS, ITS SHAREHOLDERS OR AFFILIATES, OR ANY OTHER PERSON OR ENTITY FROM THE USE OF THE DATA SUPPLIED BY INDXX OR ANY DATA INCLUDED THEREIN. INDXX MAKES NO EXPRESS OR IMPLIED WARRANTIES, AND EXPRESSLY DISCLAIMS ALL WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE OR USE WITH RESPECT TO THE DATA SUPPLIED BY INDXX OR ANY DATA INCLUDED THEREIN. WITHOUT LIMITING ANY OF THE FOREGOING, IN NO EVENT SHALL INDXX HAVE ANY LIABILITY FOR ANY SPECIAL, PUNITIVE, INDIRECT, OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES (INCLUDING LOST PROFITS), EVEN IF NOTIFIED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES.
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FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS
The Fund has not yet commenced operations as of the date of this Prospectus and therefore does not have a financial history.
25

PREMIUM/DISCOUNT INFORMATION
The Fund has not yet commenced operations and, therefore, does not have information about the differences between the Fund’s daily market price on the Exchange and its NAV. Information regarding how often the closing trading price of the Shares of the Fund was above (i.e., at a premium) or below (i.e., at a discount) the NAV of the Fund for the most recently completed calendar year and the most recently completed calendar quarter(s) since that year (or the life of the Fund, if shorter) can be found at www.vaneck.com.
GENERAL INFORMATION
CONTINUOUS OFFERING
The method by which Creation Units are created and traded may raise certain issues under applicable securities laws. Because new Creation Units are issued and sold by the Trust on an ongoing basis, a “distribution,” as such term is used in the Securities Act may occur at any point. Broker dealers and other persons are cautioned that some activities on their part may, depending on the circumstances, result in their being deemed participants in a distribution in a manner which could render them statutory underwriters and subject them to the prospectus delivery and liability provisions of the Securities Act.
For example, a broker dealer firm or its client may be deemed a statutory underwriter if it takes Creation Units after placing an order with the Distributor, breaks them down into constituent Shares, and sells such Shares directly to customers, or if it chooses to couple the creation of a supply of new Shares with an active selling effort involving solicitation of secondary market demand for Shares. A determination of whether one is an underwriter for purposes of the Securities Act must take into account all the facts and circumstances pertaining to the activities of the broker dealer or its client in the particular case, and the examples mentioned above should not be considered a complete description of all the activities that could lead to a categorization as an underwriter.
Broker dealers who are not “underwriters” but are participating in a distribution (as contrasted to ordinary secondary trading transactions), and thus dealing with Shares that are part of an “unsold allotment” within the meaning of Section 4(a)(3)(C) of the Securities Act, would be unable to take advantage of the prospectus delivery exemption provided by Section 4(a)(3) of the Securities Act. This is because the prospectus delivery exemption in Section 4(a)(3) of the Securities Act is not available in respect of such transactions as a result of Section 24(d) of the 1940 Act. As a result, broker dealer firms should note that dealers who are not underwriters but are participating in a distribution (as contrasted with ordinary secondary market transactions) and thus dealing with the Shares that are part of an overallotment within the meaning of Section 4(a)(3)(A) of the Securities Act would be unable to take advantage of the prospectus delivery exemption provided by Section 4(a)(3) of the Securities Act. Firms that incur a prospectus delivery obligation with respect to Shares are reminded that, under Rule 153 of the Securities Act, a prospectus delivery obligation under Section 5(b)(2) of the Securities Act owed to an exchange member in connection with a sale on the Exchange is satisfied by the fact that the prospectus is available at the Exchange upon request. The prospectus delivery mechanism provided in Rule 153 is only available with respect to transactions on an exchange.
In addition, certain affiliates of the Fund and the Adviser may purchase and resell Fund Shares pursuant to this Prospectus.
OTHER INFORMATION
The Trust was organized as a Delaware statutory trust on March 15, 2001. Its Declaration of Trust currently permits the Trust to issue an unlimited number of Shares of beneficial interest. If shareholders are required to vote on any matters, each Share outstanding would be entitled to one vote. Annual meetings of shareholders will not be held except as required by the 1940 Act and other applicable law. See the Fund’s SAI for more information concerning the Trust’s form of organization. Section 12(d)(1) of the 1940 Act restricts investments by investment companies in the securities of other investment companies, including Shares of the Fund. Registered investment companies are permitted to invest in the Fund beyond the limits set forth in Section 12(d)(1) subject to certain terms and conditions set forth in SEC regulations, including that such investment companies enter into an agreement with the Fund.
The Prospectus, SAI and any other Fund communication do not create any contractual obligations between the Fund’s shareholders and the Trust, the Fund, the Adviser and/or the Trustees. Further, shareholders are not intended third party beneficiaries of any contracts entered into by (or on behalf of) the Fund, including contracts with the Adviser or other parties who provide services to the Fund.
Dechert LLP serves as counsel to the Trust, including the Fund. PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP serves as the Trust’s independent registered public accounting firm and will audit the Fund’s financial statements annually.
26

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
This Prospectus does not contain all the information included in the Registration Statement filed with the SEC with respect to the Fund’s Shares. The Fund’s Registration Statement, including this Prospectus, the Fund’s SAI and the exhibits are available on the EDGAR database at the SEC’s website (http://www.sec.gov), and copies may be obtained, after paying a duplicating fee, by electronic request at the following email address: [email protected].
The SAI for the Fund, which has been filed with the SEC, provides more information about the Fund. The SAI for the Fund is incorporated herein by reference and is legally part of this Prospectus. Additional information about the Fund’s investments is available in the Fund’s annual and semi-annual reports to shareholders. In the Fund’s annual report, you will find a discussion of the market conditions and investment strategies that significantly affected the Fund’s performance during its last fiscal year. The SAI and the Fund’s annual and semi-annual reports may be obtained without charge by writing to the Fund at Van Eck Securities Corporation, the Fund’s Distributor, at 666 Third Avenue, 9th Floor, New York, New York 10017 or by calling the Distributor at the following number: Investor Information: 800.826.2333.
Shareholder inquiries may be directed to the Fund in writing to 666 Third Avenue, 9th Floor, New York, New York 10017 or by calling 800.826.2333.
The Fund’s SAI is available at www.vaneck.com.
(Investment Company Act file no. 811-10325)

27


For more detailed information about the Fund, see the SAI dated October 14, 2022, as may be supplemented from time to time. Additional information about the Fund’s investments is or will be available in the Fund’s annual and semi-annual reports to shareholders. In the Fund’s annual report, you will find a discussion of the market conditions and investment strategies that significantly affected the Fund’s performance during its last fiscal year.
Call VanEck at 800.826.2333 to request, free of charge, the annual or semi-annual reports, the SAI, or other information about the Fund or to make shareholder inquiries. You may also obtain the SAI or the Fund’s annual or semi-annual reports, by visiting the VanEck website at www.vaneck.com.
Reports and other information about the Fund are available on the EDGAR Database on the SEC’s internet site at http://www.sec.gov. In addition, copies of this information may be obtained, after paying a duplicating fee, by electronic request at the following email address: [email protected].
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Transfer Agent: State Street Bank and Trust Company
SEC Registration Number: 333-123257
1940 Act Registration Number: 811-10325
RNEWPRO
800.826.2333
www.vaneck.com