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Prospectus
December 22, 2022
Xtrackers MSCI Emerging Markets ESG Leaders Equity ETF
NYSE Arca, Inc.: EMSG
 

Xtrackers MSCI EAFE ESG Leaders Equity ETF
NYSE Arca, Inc.: EASG
 

Xtrackers Emerging Markets Carbon Reduction and Climate Improvers ETF
NYSE Arca, Inc.: EMCR
 

Xtrackers MSCI USA ESG Leaders Equity ETF
NYSE Arca, Inc.: USSG
 

Xtrackers Net Zero Pathway Paris Aligned US Equity ETF
NYSE Arca, Inc.: USNZ
The Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) has not approved or disapproved these securities or passed upon the adequacy of this Prospectus. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.

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Your investment in a fund is not a bank deposit and is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency, entity or person.


Xtrackers MSCI Emerging Markets ESG Leaders Equity ETF
Ticker: EMSG
Stock Exchange: NYSE Arca, Inc.
Investment Objective
Xtrackers MSCI Emerging Markets ESG Leaders Equity ETF (the “fund”), seeks investment results that correspond generally to the performance, before fees and expenses, of the MSCI Emerging Markets ESG Leaders Index (the “Underlying Index”).
Fees and Expenses
These are the fees and expenses that you will pay when you buy, hold and sell shares. You may also pay other fees, such as brokerage commissions and other fees to financial intermediaries on the purchase and sale of shares of the fund, which are not reflected in the table and example below.
ANNUAL FUND OPERATING EXPENSES
(expenses that you pay each year as a % of the value of your investment)
Management fee
0.20
Other Expenses
None
Total annual fund operating expenses
0.20
EXAMPLE
This Example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the fund with the cost of investing in other funds. The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the fund for the time periods indicated and then sell all of your shares at the end of those periods. The Example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the fund's operating expenses remain the same. The Example does not take into account brokerage commissions that you may pay on your purchases and sales of shares of the fund. It also does not include the transaction fees on purchases and redemptions of Creation Units (defined herein), because those fees will not be
imposed on retail investors. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:
 
1 Year
3 Years
5 Years
10 Years
 
$20
$64
$113
$255
PORTFOLIO TURNOVER 
The fund pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or “turns over” its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover may indicate higher transaction costs and may mean higher taxes if you are investing in a taxable account. These costs are not reflected in annual fund operating expenses or in the expense example, and can affect the fund's performance. During the most recent fiscal year, the fund’s portfolio turnover rate was 24% of the average value of its portfolio.
Principal Investment Strategies
The fund, using a “passive” or indexing investment approach, seeks investment results that correspond generally to the performance, before fees and expenses, of the Underlying Index, which is a capitalization weighted index that provides exposure to companies with high environmental, social and governance (“ESG”) performance relative to their sector peers. The Underlying Index consists of large- and medium-capitalization companies across emerging markets countries, as defined by the index provider. Emerging markets countries are countries that are generally considered to be less economically mature than developed nations. Under normal circumstances, the annual review of the Underlying Index takes place in May and it is rebalanced in August, November and February. The fund rebalances its portfolio in accordance with the Underlying Index, and, therefore, any changes to the Underlying Index's review and rebalance schedule will result in corresponding changes to the fund's rebalance schedule.
Prospectus December 22, 2022 1 Xtrackers MSCI Emerging Markets ESG Leaders Equity ETF

The Underlying Index uses MSCI ESG Ratings, MSCI ESG Controversies and MSCI Business Involvement Screening Research (collectively, “MSCI ESG Research”) to determine index components for the Underlying Index.
◾ MSCI ESG Ratings provides research, analysis and ratings of how well companies manage their ESG risks and opportunities. MSCI ESG Ratings provides a company with an overall ESG rating on a seven point scale, ranging from ‘AAA’ to ‘CCC.’ Existing constituents of the Underlying Index are required to have an MSCI ESG rating of BB or above to remain in the index, and companies that are currently not constituents of the Underlying Index are also required to have an MSCI ESG rating of BB or above to be considered eligible for addition.
◾ MSCI ESG Controversies provides assessments of controversies concerning the negative ESG impact of company operations, products and services. MSCI ESG Controversies score companies on a scale of 0 to 10, with 0 being the most severe controversy. Existing constituents of the Underlying Index are required to have an MSCI ESG Controversies Score of 1 or above to remain in the index, while companies that are currently not constituents of the Underlying Index are required to have an MSCI ESG Controversies Score of 3 or above to be considered eligible for addition.
◾ MSCI ESG Business Involvement Screening Research aims to enable institutional investors to manage ESG standards and restrictions reliably and efficiently. Companies that are involved in specific business activities which have high potential for negative social and/or environmental impact, such as alcohol, gambling, tobacco, nuclear power, fossil fuel extraction, thermal coal power, conventional weapons, nuclear weapons, controversial weapons and civilian firearms, are ineligible for inclusion.
The fund uses a full replication indexing strategy to seek to track the Underlying Index. As such, the fund invests directly in the component securities (or a substantial number of the component securities) of the Underlying Index in substantially the same weightings in which they are represented in the Underlying Index. If it is not possible for the fund to acquire component securities due to limited availability or regulatory restrictions, the fund may use a representative sampling indexing strategy to seek to track the Underlying Index instead of a full replication indexing strategy. “Representative sampling” is an indexing strategy that involves investing in a representative sample of securities that collectively has an investment profile similar to the Underlying Index. The securities selected are expected to have, in the aggregate, investment characteristics (based on factors such as market capitalization and industry weightings), fundamental characteristics (such as return variability and yield), and liquidity measures similar to those of the Underlying Index. The fund may or may not hold all of the securities in the Underlying Index when using a representative sampling indexing strategy. The fund will invest at least
80% of its total assets (but typically far more) in component securities (including depositary receipts in respect of such securities) of the Underlying Index.
As of October 31, 2022, the Underlying Index consisted of 464 securities, with an average market capitalization of approximately $6.18 billion and a minimum market capitalization of approximately $77 million, from issuers in the following countries: Brazil, Chile, China, Colombia, Czech Republic, Egypt, Greece, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Kuwait, Malaysia, Mexico, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey and the United Arab Emirates. The fund will normally invest at least 80% of its net assets, plus the amount of any borrowings for investment purposes, in equity securities of issuers from emerging markets countries. As of October 31, 2022, a significant percentage of the Underlying Index was comprised of securities of issuers from China (25.41%), Taiwan (19.09%) and India (16.07%).
The fund will concentrate its investments (i.e., hold 25% or more of its total assets) in a particular industry or group of industries to the extent that its Underlying Index is concentrated. As of October 31, 2022, a significant percentage of the Underlying Index was comprised of issuers in the financials (23.82%) and information technology (18.35%) sectors. The financials sector includes companies involved in banking, consumer finance, asset management and custody banks, as well as investment banking and brokerage and insurance. The information technology sector includes companies engaged in developing software and providing data processing and outsourced services, along with manufacturing and distributing communications equipment, computers and other electronic equipment and instruments.
To the extent that the fund tracks the Underlying Index, the fund’s investment in certain sectors or countries may change over time.
While the fund is currently classified as “non-diversified” under the Investment Company Act of 1940, it may operate as or become classified as “diversified” over time. The fund could again become non-diversified solely as a result of a change in relative market capitalization or index weighting of one or more constituents of the index that the fund is designed to track. Shareholder approval will not be sought when the fund crosses from diversified to non-diversified status under such circumstances.
The fund or securities referred to herein are not sponsored, endorsed, issued, sold or promoted by MSCI, and MSCI bears no liability with respect to the fund or securities or any index on which the fund or securities are based.
Derivatives. Portfolio management generally may use futures contracts, stock index futures, options on futures, swap contracts and other types of derivatives in seeking performance that corresponds to its Underlying Index and will not use such instruments for speculative purposes.
Prospectus December 22, 2022
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Securities lending. 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 liquid collateral equal to at least 102% of the value of the portfolio securities being lent. This collateral is marked to market on a daily basis. The fund may lend its portfolio securities in an amount up to 33 1/3% of its total assets.
Main Risks
As with any investment, you could lose all or part of your investment in the fund, and the fund’s performance could trail that of other investments. The fund is subject to the main risks noted below, any of which may adversely affect the fund’s net asset value (“NAV”), trading price, yield, total return and ability to meet its investment objective, as well as numerous other risks that are described in greater detail in the section of this Prospectus entitled “Additional Information About Fund Strategies, Underlying Index Information and Risks” and in the Statement of Additional Information (“SAI”).
ESG investment strategy risk. The Underlying Index’s ESG methodology, and thus the fund’s investment strategy, limits the types and number of investment opportunities available to the fund and, as a result, the fund may underperform other funds that do not have an ESG focus. The Underlying Index’s ESG methodology may result in the fund investing in securities or industry sectors that underperform the market as a whole or underperform other funds screened for ESG standards. The ESG scores used in the Underlying Index’s ESG methodology are based on information that is publicly available and/or provided by the companies themselves or by third parties and such information may be unavailable or unreliable. The Underlying Index seeks to include the companies in each sector that have the highest ESG performance relative to the other companies in the sector, and as a result may include companies that do not exhibit positive ESG performance when compared to a broader universe of companies. Additionally, investors may differ in their interpretations of what constitutes positive or negative ESG characteristics of a company. For those reasons, the index provider may be unsuccessful in creating an index composed of companies that exhibit positive ESG characteristics. To the extent that circumstances change between the Underlying Index’s scheduled rebalancing dates, the Underlying Index may include, and the fund may hold for a period of time, securities of companies that do not align with the ESG criteria. The companies identified by the Index Provider as meeting the ESG criteria for the Underlying Index may not be the same companies selected by other index providers for other indices that use similar ESG criteria. Regulatory changes or interpretations regarding the definitions and/or use of ESG criteria could have a material adverse effect on the fund’s ability to invest in accordance with its investment policies and/or achieve its investment objective, as
well as the ability of certain classes of investors to invest in funds following an ESG strategy such as the fund. For example, the SEC has proposed disclosure requirements applicable to funds that consider ESG factors. In addition, recent US state actions could prohibit certain state sponsored pension plans or investment funds from investing in certain funds that consider ESG factors.
Stock market risk. When stock prices fall, you should expect the value of your investment to fall as well. Stock prices can be hurt by poor management on the part of the stock’s issuer, shrinking product demand and other business risks. These may affect single companies as well as groups of companies. The market as a whole may not favor the types of investments the fund makes, which could adversely affect a stock’s price, regardless of how well the company performs, or the fund’s ability to sell a stock at an attractive price. There is a chance that stock prices overall will decline because stock markets tend to move in cycles, with periods of rising and falling prices. Events in the US and global financial markets, including actions taken by the US Federal Reserve or foreign central banks to stimulate or stabilize economic growth, may at times result in unusually high market volatility which could negatively affect performance. To the extent that the fund invests in a particular geographic region, capitalization or sector, the fund’s performance may be affected by the general performance of that region, capitalization or sector.
Market disruption risk. Economies and financial markets throughout the world are becoming increasingly interconnected, which increases the likelihood that events or conditions in one country or region will adversely impact markets or issuers in other countries or regions. The value of the fund’s investments may be negatively affected by adverse changes in overall economic or market conditions, such as the level of economic activity and productivity, unemployment and labor force participation rates, inflation or deflation (and expectations for inflation or deflation), interest rates, demand and supply for particular products or resources including labor, and debt levels and credit ratings, among other factors. Such adverse conditions may contribute to an overall economic contraction across entire economies or markets, which may negatively impact the profitability of issuers operating in those economies or markets, including the investments held by the fund. In addition, geopolitical and other events, including war, terrorism, economic uncertainty, trade disputes, public health crises and related geopolitical events have led, and in the future may lead, to disruptions in the US and world economies and markets, which may increase financial market volatility and have significant adverse direct or indirect effects on the fund and its investments. Adverse market conditions or disruptions could cause the fund to lose money, experience significant redemptions, and encounter operational difficulties. Although multiple asset classes may be affected by adverse market conditions or a particular market disruption, the duration and effects may not be the same for all types of assets.
Prospectus December 22, 2022
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Xtrackers MSCI Emerging Markets ESG Leaders Equity ETF

Russia's recent military incursions in Ukraine have led to, and may lead to, additional sanctions being levied by the United States, European Union and other countries against Russia. Russia's military incursions and the resulting sanctions could adversely affect global energy, commodities and financial markets and thus could affect the value of the fund's investments. The extent and duration of the military action, sanctions and resulting market disruptions are impossible to predict, but could be substantial.
Other market disruption events include the pandemic spread of the novel coronavirus known as COVID-19, which at times has caused significant uncertainty, market volatility, decreased economic and other activity, increased government activity, including economic stimulus measures, and supply chain disruptions. The full effects, duration and costs of the COVID-19 pandemic are impossible to predict, and the circumstances surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic will continue to evolve including the risk of future increased rates of infection due to significant portions of the population remaining unvaccinated and/or the lack of effectiveness of current vaccines against new variants. The pandemic has affected and may continue to affect certain countries, industries, economic sectors, companies and investment products more than others, may exacerbate existing economic, political, or social tensions and may increase the probability of an economic recession or depression. The fund and its investments may be adversely affected by the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Adverse market conditions or particular market disruptions, such as those caused by Russian military action and the COVID-19 pandemic, may magnify the impact of each of the other risks described in this “MAIN RISKS” section and may increase volatility in one or more markets in which the fund invests leading to the potential for greater losses for the fund.
Emerging market securities risk. The securities of issuers located in emerging markets tend to be more volatile and less liquid than securities of issuers located in more mature economies, and emerging markets generally have less diverse and less mature economic structures and less stable political systems than those of developed countries. The securities of issuers located or doing substantial business in emerging markets are often subject to rapid and large changes in price.
Foreign investment risk. The fund faces the risks inherent in foreign investing. Adverse political, economic or social developments could undermine the value of the fund's foreign investments, prevent the fund from realizing the full value of its foreign investments or prevent the fund from selling foreign securities it holds. Financial reporting standards for companies based in foreign markets differ from those in the US. Additionally, foreign securities markets generally are smaller and less liquid than US markets. To the extent that the fund invests in non-US dollar denominated foreign securities, changes in currency
exchange rates may affect the US dollar value of foreign securities or the income or gain received on these securities.
Foreign governments may restrict investment by foreigners, limit withdrawal of trading profit or currency from the country, restrict currency exchange or seize foreign investments. In addition, the fund may be limited in its ability to exercise its legal rights or enforce a counterparty's legal obligations in certain jurisdictions outside of the US. The foreign investments of the fund may also be subject to foreign withholding taxes. Foreign brokerage commissions and other fees are generally higher than those for US investments, and the transactions and custody of foreign assets may involve delays in payment, delivery or recovery of money or investments.
Foreign markets can have liquidity risks beyond those typical of US markets. Because foreign exchanges generally are smaller and less liquid than US exchanges, buying and selling foreign investments can be more difficult and costly. Relatively small transactions can sometimes materially affect the price and availability of securities. In certain situations, it may become virtually impossible to sell an investment at a price that approaches portfolio management’s estimate of its value. For the same reason, it may at times be difficult to value the fund’s foreign investments. In addition, because non-US markets may be open on days when the fund does not price its shares, the value of the foreign securities in the fund’s portfolio may change on days when shareholders will not be able to purchase or sell the fund’s shares.
Depositary receipt risk. Depositary receipts involve similar risks to those associated with investments in securities of non-US issuers. Depositary receipts also may be less liquid than the underlying shares in their primary trading market.
Currency risk. Changes in currency exchange rates and the relative value of non-US currencies may affect the value of the fund’s investment and the value of your fund shares. Because the fund’s NAV is determined on the basis of the US dollar and the fund does not attempt to hedge against changes in the value of non-US currencies, investors may lose money if the foreign currency depreciates against the US dollar, even if the foreign currency value of the fund’s holdings in that market increases. Conversely, the dollar value of your investment in the fund may go up if the value of the foreign currency appreciates against the US dollar. The value of the US dollar measured against other currencies is influenced by a variety of factors. These factors include: interest rates, national debt levels and trade deficits, changes in balances of payments and trade, domestic and foreign interest and inflation rates, global or regional political, economic or financial events, monetary policies of governments, actual or potential government intervention, and global energy prices. Political instability, the possibility of government
Prospectus December 22, 2022
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Xtrackers MSCI Emerging Markets ESG Leaders Equity ETF

intervention and restrictive or opaque business and investment policies may also reduce the value of a country’s currency. Government monetary policies and the buying or selling of currency by a country’s government may also influence exchange rates. Currency exchange rates can be very volatile and can change quickly and unpredictably. Therefore, the value of an investment in the fund may also go up or down quickly and unpredictably and investors may lose money.
Medium-sized company risk. Medium-sized company stocks tend to be more volatile than large company stocks. Because stock analysts are less likely to follow medium-sized companies, less information about them is available to investors. Industry-wide reversals may have a greater impact on medium-sized companies, since they lack the financial resources of larger companies. Medium-sized company stocks are typically less liquid than large company stocks.
Liquidity risk. In certain situations, it may be difficult or impossible to sell an investment at an acceptable price. This risk can be ongoing for any security that does not trade actively or in large volumes, for any security that trades primarily on smaller markets, and for investments that typically trade only among a limited number of large investors (such as restricted securities). In unusual market conditions, even normally liquid securities may be affected by a degree of liquidity risk. This may affect only certain securities or an overall securities market.
Although the fund primarily seeks to redeem shares of the fund on an in-kind basis, if the fund is forced to sell underlying investments at reduced prices or under unfavorable conditions to meet redemption requests or other cash needs, the fund may suffer a loss. This may be magnified in circumstances where redemptions from the fund may be higher than normal.
Focus risk. To the extent that the fund focuses its investments in particular industries, asset classes or sectors of the economy, any market price movements, regulatory or technological changes, or economic conditions affecting companies in those industries, asset classes or sectors may have a significant impact on the fund’s performance.
Financials sector risk. To the extent that the fund invests significantly in the financials sector, the fund will be sensitive to changes in, and the fund’s performance may depend to a greater extent on, the overall condition of the financials sector. The financials sector is subject to extensive government regulation, can be subject to relatively rapid change due to increasingly blurred distinctions between service segments, and can be significantly affected by the availability and cost of capital funds, changes in interest rates, the rate of corporate and consumer debt defaults, and price competition.
Information technology sector risk. To the extent that the fund invests significantly in the information technology sector, the fund will be sensitive to changes in, and the
fund’s performance may depend to a greater extent on, the overall condition of the information technology sector. Information technology companies are particularly vulnerable to government regulation and competition, both domestically and internationally, including competition from foreign competitors with lower production costs. Information technology companies also face competition for services of qualified personnel. Additionally, the products of information technology companies may face obsolescence due to rapid technological development and frequent new product introduction by competitors. Finally, information technology companies are heavily dependent on patent and intellectual property rights, the loss or impairment of which may adversely affect profitability.
Passive investing risk. Unlike a fund that is actively managed, in which portfolio management buys and sells securities based on research and analysis, the fund invests in securities included in, or representative of, the Underlying Index, regardless of their investment merits. Because the fund is designed to maintain a high level of exposure to the Underlying Index at all times, portfolio management generally will not buy or sell a security unless the security is added or removed, respectively, from the Underlying Index, and will not take any steps to invest defensively or otherwise reduce the risk of loss during market downturns.
Index-related risk. The fund seeks investment results that correspond generally to the performance, before fees and expenses, of the Underlying Index as published by the index provider. There is no assurance that the Underlying Index provider will compile the Underlying Index accurately, or that the Underlying Index will be determined, composed or calculated accurately. Market disruptions could cause delays in the Underlying Index’s rebalancing schedule. During any such delay, it is possible that the Underlying Index and, in turn, the fund will deviate from the Underlying Index’s stated methodology and therefore experience returns different than those that would have been achieved under a normal rebalancing schedule. Generally, the index provider does not provide any warranty, or accept any liability, with respect to the quality, accuracy or completeness of the Underlying Index or its related data, and does not guarantee that the Underlying Index will be in line with its stated methodology. Errors in the Underlying Index data, the Underlying Index computations and/or the construction of the Underlying Index in accordance with its stated 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. The Advisor may have limited ability to detect such errors and neither the Advisor nor its affiliates provide any warranty or guarantee against such errors. Therefore, the gains, losses or costs associated with the index provider’s errors will generally be borne by the fund and its shareholders.
Prospectus December 22, 2022
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Xtrackers MSCI Emerging Markets ESG Leaders Equity ETF

Index-related risk may be higher for a fund that tracks an index comprised of, or an index that includes, foreign securities, and in particular emerging markets securities, because regulatory and reporting requirements may differ from those in the US, resulting in a heightened risk of errors in the index data, index computation and/or index construction due to unreliable, out-dated or unavailable information.
Tracking error risk. The fund may be subject to tracking error, which is the divergence of the fund’s performance from that of the Underlying Index. The performance of the fund may diverge from that of the Underlying Index for a number of reasons, including operating expenses, transaction costs, cash flows and operational inefficiencies. The fund’s return also may diverge from the return of the Underlying Index because the fund bears the costs and risks associated with buying and selling securities (especially when rebalancing the fund’s securities holdings to reflect changes in the Underlying Index) while such costs and risks are not factored into the return of the Underlying Index. Transaction costs, including brokerage costs, will decrease the fund’s 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 in order to track the Underlying Index. To the extent that portfolio management uses a representative sampling approach (investing in a representative selection of securities included in the Underlying Index rather than all securities in the Underlying Index), such approach may cause the fund’s return to not be as well correlated with the return of the Underlying Index as would be the case if the fund purchased all of the securities in the Underlying Index in the proportions represented in the Underlying Index. In addition, the fund may not be able to invest in certain securities included in the Underlying Index, or invest in them in the exact proportions in which they are represented in the Underlying Index, due to government imposed legal restrictions or limitations, a lack of liquidity in the markets in which such securities trade, potential adverse tax consequences or other reasons. To the extent the fund calculates its net asset value based on fair value prices and the value of the Underlying Index is based on market prices (i.e., the value of the Underlying Index is not based on fair value prices), the fund’s ability to track the Underlying Index may be adversely affected. Tracking error risk may be heightened during times of increased market volatility or other unusual market conditions. 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 Underlying Index. In light of the factors discussed above, the fund’s return may deviate significantly from the return of the Underlying Index.
Tracking error risk may be higher for funds that track indices with significant weight in foreign issuers, and in particular emerging markets issuers, than funds that do not track such indices.
Market price risk. Fund shares are listed for trading on an exchange and are bought and sold in the secondary market at market prices. The market prices of shares will fluctuate, in some cases materially, in response to changes in the NAV and supply and demand for shares. As a result, the trading prices of shares may deviate significantly from the NAV during periods of market volatility. The Advisor cannot predict whether shares will trade above, below or at their NAV. Given the fact that shares can be created and redeemed in Creation Units (defined below), the Advisor believes that large discounts or premiums to the NAV of shares should not be sustained in the long-term. If market makers exit the business or are unable to continue making markets in fund shares, shares may trade at a discount to NAV like closed-end fund shares and may even face delisting (that is, investors would no longer be able to trade shares in the secondary market). Further, 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, disruptions to creations and redemptions, including disruptions at market makers, APs or market participants, or during periods of significant market volatility, may result in market prices that differ significantly from the value of the fund’s holdings. Although market makers will generally take advantage of differences between the NAV and the market price of fund shares through arbitrage opportunities, there is no guarantee that they will do so. In addition, the securities held by the fund may be traded in markets that close at a different time than the exchange on which the fund’s shares trade. 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 is likely to widen. Further, secondary markets may be subject to irregular trading activity, wide bid-ask spreads and extended trade settlement periods, which could cause a material decline in the fund’s NAV. The fund’s investment results are measured based upon the daily NAV of the fund. Investors purchasing and selling shares in the secondary market may not experience investment results consistent with those experienced by those APs creating and redeeming shares directly with the fund.
Operational and technology risk. Cyber-attacks, disruptions, or failures that affect the fund’s service providers or counterparties, issuers of securities held by the fund, or other market participants may adversely affect the fund and its shareholders, including by causing losses for the fund or impairing fund operations. For example, the fund’s or its service providers’ assets or sensitive or confidential information may be misappropriated, data may be corrupted and operations may be disrupted (e.g., cyber-attacks, operational failures or broader disruptions may cause the release of private shareholder information or confidential fund information, interfere with the processing
Prospectus December 22, 2022
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of shareholder transactions, impact the ability to calculate the fund’s net asset value and impede trading). Market events and disruptions also may trigger a volume of transactions that overloads current information technology and communication systems and processes, impacting the ability to conduct the fund’s operations.
While the fund and its service providers may establish business continuity and other plans and processes that seek to address the possibility of and fallout from cyber-attacks, disruptions or failures, there are inherent limitations in such plans and systems, including that they do not apply to third parties, such as fund counterparties, issuers of securities held by the fund or other market participants, as well as the possibility that certain risks have not been identified or that unknown threats may emerge in the future and there is no assurance that such plans and processes will be effective. Among other situations, disruptions (for example, pandemics or health crises) that cause prolonged periods of remote work or significant employee absences at the fund’s service providers could impact the ability to conduct the fund’s operations. In addition, the fund cannot directly control any cybersecurity plans and systems put in place by its service providers, fund counterparties, issuers of securities held by the fund or other market participants.
Non-diversification risk. The fund is classified as non-diversified under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended. This means that the fund may invest in securities of relatively few issuers. Thus, the performance of one or a small number of portfolio holdings can affect overall performance.
If the fund becomes classified as “diversified” over time and again becomes non-diversified as a result of a change in relative market capitalization or index weighting of one or more constituents of the index that the fund is designed to track, non-diversification risk would apply.
Authorized Participant concentration risk. The fund may have a limited number of financial institutions that may act as APs. Only APs who have entered into agreements with the fund’s distributor may engage in creation or redemption transactions directly with the fund (as described in the section of this Prospectus entitled “Buying and Selling Shares”). If those APs exit the business or are unable to process creation and/or redemption orders, (including in situations where APs have limited or diminished access to capital required to post collateral) and no other AP is able to step forward to create and redeem in either of these cases, shares may trade at a discount to NAV like closed-end fund shares and may even face delisting (that is, investors would no longer be able to trade shares in the secondary market).
Geographic focus risk. Focusing investments in a single country or few countries, or regions, involves increased political, regulatory and other risks. Market swings in such
a targeted country, countries or regions are likely to have a greater effect on fund performance than they would in a more geographically diversified fund.
Risks related to investing in Asia. Investment in securities of issuers in Asia involves risks and special considerations not typically associated with investment in the US securities markets. Certain Asian economies have experienced high inflation, high unemployment, currency devaluations and restrictions, and over-extension of credit. Many Asian economies have experienced rapid growth and industrialization, and there is no assurance that this growth rate will be maintained. During the recent global recession, many of the export-driven Asian economies experienced the effects of the economic slowdown in the United States and Europe, and certain Asian governments implemented stimulus plans, low-rate monetary policies and currency devaluations. Economic events in any one Asian country may have a significant economic effect on the entire Asian region, as well as on major trading partners outside Asia. Any adverse event in the Asian markets may have a significant adverse effect on some or all of the economies of Asian countries in which the fund invests. Many Asian countries are subject to political risk, including corruption and regional conflict with neighboring countries. In addition, many Asian countries are subject to social and labor risks associated with demands for improved political, economic and social conditions.
Derivatives risk. Derivatives involve risks different from, and possibly greater than, the risks associated with investing directly in securities and other more traditional investments. Risks associated with derivatives may include the risk that the derivative is not well correlated with the security, index or currency to which it relates; the risk that derivatives may result in losses or missed opportunities; the risk that the fund will be unable to sell the derivative because of an illiquid secondary market; the risk that a counterparty is unwilling or unable to meet its obligation; and the risk that the derivative transaction could expose the fund to the effects of leverage, which could increase the fund’s exposure to the market and magnify potential losses.
Futures risk. The value of a futures contract tends to increase and decrease in tandem with the value of the underlying instrument. A decision as to whether, when and how to use futures involves the exercise of skill and judgment and even a well-conceived futures transaction may be unsuccessful because of market behavior or unexpected events. In addition to the derivatives risks discussed above, the prices of futures can be highly volatile, using futures can lower total return and the potential loss from futures can exceed the fund’s initial investment in such contracts.
Counterparty risk. A financial institution or other counterparty with whom the fund does business, or that underwrites, distributes or guarantees any investments or contracts that the fund owns or is otherwise exposed to,
Prospectus December 22, 2022
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Xtrackers MSCI Emerging Markets ESG Leaders Equity ETF

may decline in financial health and become unable to honor its commitments. This could cause losses for the fund or could delay the return or delivery of collateral or other assets to the fund.
Securities lending risk. Securities lending involves the risk that the fund may lose money because the borrower of the loaned securities fails to return the securities in a timely manner or at all. A delay in the recovery of loaned securities could interfere with the fund’s ability to vote proxies or settle transactions. The fund could also lose money in the event of a decline in the value of the collateral provided for the loaned securities, or a decline in the value of any investments made with cash collateral or even a loss of rights in the collateral should the borrower of the securities fail financially while holding the securities.
Past Performance
The bar chart and table below provide some indication of the risks of investing in the fund by showing changes in the fund’s performance from year to year and by showing how the fund’s average annual returns compare with those of the Underlying Index and a broad measure of market performance.The fund’s past performance (before and after taxes) is not necessarily an indication of how the fund will perform in the future. Updated performance information is available on the fund’s website at Xtrackers.com (the website does not form a part of this prospectus).
CALENDAR YEAR TOTAL RETURNS(%)
 
Returns
Period ending
Best Quarter
19.83%
June 30, 2020
Worst Quarter
-22.60%
March 31, 2020
Year-to-Date
-30.48%
September 30, 2022
Average Annual Total Returns
(For periods ended 12/31/2021 expressed as a %)
All after-tax returns are calculated using the historical highest individual federal marginal income tax rates and do not reflect the impact of any state or local tax. Your own actual after-tax returns will depend on your tax situation and may differ from what is shown here. After-tax returns are not relevant to investors who hold shares of the fund in tax-deferred accounts such as individual retirement accounts (“IRAs”) or employee-sponsored retirement plans.
 
Inception Date
1
Year
Since
Inception
Returns before tax
12/6/2018
-2.25
9.78
After tax on distribu-
tions
 
-2.60
9.24
After tax on distribu-
tions and sale of fund
shares
 
-1.10
7.61
MSCI Emerging Markets
ESG Leaders Index
(reflects no deductions
for fees, expenses or
taxes)
 
-2.07
10.12
MSCI Emerging Markets
Index (reflects no deduc-
tions for fees, expenses
or taxes)
 
-2.54
9.00
Management
Investment Advisor
DBX Advisors LLC
Portfolio Managers
Bryan Richards, CFA, Vice President of DBX Advisors LLC and Head of Portfolio Engineering, Systematic Investment Solutions, of DWS Investment Management Americas, Inc. Portfolio Manager of the fund. Began managing the fund in 2018.
Patrick Dwyer, Vice President of DBX Advisors LLC and Senior Portfolio Engineer & Team Lead, Systematic Investment Solutions, of DWS Investment Management Americas, Inc. Portfolio Manager of the fund. Began managing the fund in 2018.
Shlomo Bassous, Vice President of DBX Advisors LLC and Senior Portfolio Engineer, Systematic Investment Solutions, of DWS Investment Management Americas, Inc. Portfolio Manager of the fund. Began managing the fund in 2018.
Ashif Shaikh, Vice President of DBX Advisors LLC and Portfolio Engineer, Systematic Investment Solutions, of DWS Investment Management Americas, Inc. Portfolio Manager of the fund. Began managing the fund in 2022.
Purchase and Sale of Fund Shares
The fund is an exchange-traded fund (commonly referred to as an “ETF”). Individual fund shares may only be purchased and sold through a brokerage firm. The price of fund shares is based on market price, and because ETF shares trade at market prices rather than NAV, shares may trade at a price greater than NAV (a premium) or less than NAV (a discount). The fund will only issue or redeem shares that have been aggregated into blocks of 50,000 shares or multiples thereof (“Creation Units”) to APs who have entered into agreements with ALPS Distributors, Inc., the fund’s distributor. You may incur costs attributable to the difference between the highest price a
Prospectus December 22, 2022
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Xtrackers MSCI Emerging Markets ESG Leaders Equity ETF

buyer is willing to pay to purchase shares of the fund (bid) and the lowest price a seller is willing to accept for shares of the fund (ask) when buying or selling shares (the “bid-ask spread”). Information on the fund’s net asset value, market price, premiums and discounts and bid-ask spreads may be found at Xtrackers.com.
Tax Information
The fund's distributions are generally taxable to you as ordinary income or capital gains, except when your investment is in an IRA, 401(k), or other tax-advantaged investment plan. Any withdrawals you make from such tax- advantaged investment plans, however, may be taxable to you.
Payments to Broker-Dealers and
Other Financial Intermediaries
If you purchase shares of the fund through a broker-dealer or other financial intermediary (such as a bank), the Advisor or other related companies may pay the intermediary for marketing activities and presentations, educational training programs, the support of technology platforms and/or reporting systems or other services related to the sale or promotion of the fund. These payments may create a conflict of interest by influencing the broker-dealer or other intermediary and your salesperson to recommend the fund over another investment. Ask your salesperson or visit your financial intermediary’s website for more information.
Prospectus December 22, 2022
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Xtrackers MSCI Emerging Markets ESG Leaders Equity ETF


Xtrackers MSCI EAFE ESG Leaders Equity ETF
Ticker: EASG
Stock Exchange: NYSE Arca, Inc.
Investment Objective
Xtrackers MSCI EAFE ESG Leaders Equity ETF (the “fund”), seeks investment results that correspond generally to the performance, before fees and expenses, of the MSCI EAFE ESG Leaders Index (the “Underlying Index”).
Fees and Expenses
These are the fees and expenses that you will pay when you buy, hold and sell shares. You may also pay other fees, such as brokerage commissions and other fees to financial intermediaries on the purchase and sale of shares of the fund, which are not reflected in the table and example below.
ANNUAL FUND OPERATING EXPENSES
(expenses that you pay each year as a % of the value of your investment)
Management fee
0.14
Other Expenses
None
Total annual fund operating expenses
0.14
EXAMPLE
This Example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the fund with the cost of investing in other funds. The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the fund for the time periods indicated and then sell all of your shares at the end of those periods. The Example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the fund's operating expenses remain the same. The Example does not take into account brokerage commissions that you may pay on your purchases and sales of shares of the fund. It also does not include the transaction fees on purchases and redemptions of Creation Units (defined herein), because those fees will not be
imposed on retail investors. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:
 
1 Year
3 Years
5 Years
10 Years
 
$14
$45
$79
$179
PORTFOLIO TURNOVER 
The fund pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or “turns over” its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover may indicate higher transaction costs and may mean higher taxes if you are investing in a taxable account. These costs are not reflected in annual fund operating expenses or in the expense example, and can affect the fund's performance. During the most recent fiscal year, the fund’s portfolio turnover rate was 22% of the average value of its portfolio.
Principal Investment Strategies
The fund, using a “passive” or indexing investment approach, seeks investment results that correspond generally to the performance, before fees and expenses, of the Underlying Index, which is a capitalization weighted index that provides exposure to companies with high environmental, social and governance (“ESG”) performance relative to their sector peers. The Underlying Index consists of large- and medium-capitalization companies across developed markets countries, excluding Canada and the United States. Under normal circumstances, the annual review of the Underlying Index takes place in May and it is rebalanced in August, November and February. The fund rebalances its portfolio in accordance with the Underlying Index, and, therefore, any changes to the Underlying Index's review and rebalance schedule will result in corresponding changes to the fund's rebalance schedule.
The Underlying Index uses MSCI ESG Ratings, MSCI ESG Controversies and MSCI Business Involvement Screening Research (collectively, “MSCI ESG Research”) to determine index components for the Underlying Index.
Prospectus December 22, 2022 10 Xtrackers MSCI EAFE ESG Leaders Equity ETF

◾ MSCI ESG Ratings provides research, analysis and ratings of how well companies manage their ESG risks and opportunities. MSCI ESG Ratings provides a company with an overall ESG rating on a seven point scale, ranging from ‘AAA’ to ‘CCC.’ Existing constituents of the Underlying Index are required to have an MSCI ESG rating of BB or above to remain in the index, and companies that are currently not constituents of the Underlying Index are also required to have an MSCI ESG rating of BB or above to be considered eligible for addition.
◾ MSCI ESG Controversies provides assessments of controversies concerning the negative ESG impact of company operations, products and services. MSCI ESG Controversies score companies on a scale of 0 to 10, with 0 being the most severe controversy. Existing constituents of the Underlying Index are required to have an MSCI ESG Controversies Score of 1 or above to remain in the index, while companies that are currently not constituents of the Underlying Index are required to have an MSCI ESG Controversies Score of 3 or above to be considered eligible for addition.
◾ MSCI ESG Business Involvement Screening Research aims to enable institutional investors to manage ESG standards and restrictions reliably and efficiently. Companies that are involved in specific business activities which have high potential for negative social and/or environmental impact, such as alcohol, gambling, tobacco, nuclear power, fossil fuel extraction, thermal coal power, conventional weapons, nuclear weapons, controversial weapons and civilian firearms, are ineligible for inclusion.
The fund uses a full replication indexing strategy to seek to track the Underlying Index. As such, the fund invests directly in the component securities (or a substantial number of the component securities) of the Underlying Index in substantially the same weightings in which they are represented in the Underlying Index. If it is not possible for the fund to acquire component securities due to limited availability or regulatory restrictions, the fund may use a representative sampling indexing strategy to seek to track the Underlying Index instead of a full replication indexing strategy. “Representative sampling” is an indexing strategy that involves investing in a representative sample of securities that collectively has an investment profile similar to the Underlying Index. The securities selected are expected to have, in the aggregate, investment characteristics (based on factors such as market capitalization and industry weightings), fundamental characteristics (such as return variability and yield), and liquidity measures similar to those of the Underlying Index. The fund may or may not hold all of the securities in the Underlying Index when using a representative sampling indexing strategy. The fund will invest at least 80% of its total assets (but typically far more) in component securities (including depositary receipts in respect of such securities) of the Underlying Index.
As of October 31, 2022, the Underlying Index consisted of 394 securities, with an average market capitalization of approximately $16.40 billion and a minimum market capitalization of approximately $1.46 billion, from issuers in the following countries: Australia, Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom. The fund will normally invest at least 80% of its net assets, plus the amount of any borrowings for investment purposes, in equity securities of issuers from Europe, Australia and the Far East. As of October 31, 2022, a significant percentage of the Underlying Index was comprised of securities of issuers from Japan (22.56%) and the United Kingdom (16.04%).
The fund will concentrate its investments (i.e., hold 25% or more of its total assets) in a particular industry or group of industries to the extent that its Underlying Index is concentrated. As of October 31, 2022, a significant percentage of the Underlying Index was comprised of issuers in the financials (17.55%), health care (16.57%) and industrials (15.39%) sectors. The financials sector includes companies involved in banking, consumer finance, asset management and custody banks, as well as investment banking and brokerage and insurance. Industries in the health care sector include pharmaceuticals, biotechnology, medical products and supplies, and health care services. The industrials sector includes companies engaged in the manufacture and distribution of capital goods, such as those used in defense, construction and engineering, companies that manufacture and distribute electrical equipment and industrial machinery and those that provide commercial and transportation services and supplies. To the extent that the fund tracks the Underlying Index, the fund’s investment in certain sectors or countries may change over time.
The fund may become “non-diversified,” as defined under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended, solely as a result of a change in relative market capitalization or index weighting of one or more constituents of the index that the fund is designed to track. Shareholder approval will not be sought when the fund crosses from diversified to non-diversified status under such circumstances.
The fund or securities referred to herein are not sponsored, endorsed, issued, sold or promoted by MSCI, and MSCI bears no liability with respect to the fund or securities or any index on which the fund or securities are based.
Derivatives. Portfolio management generally may use futures contracts, stock index futures, options on futures, swap contracts and other types of derivatives in seeking performance that corresponds to its Underlying Index and will not use such instruments for speculative purposes.
Securities lending. 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
Prospectus December 22, 2022
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Xtrackers MSCI EAFE ESG Leaders Equity ETF

fund receives liquid collateral equal to at least 102% of the value of the portfolio securities being lent. This collateral is marked to market on a daily basis. The fund may lend its portfolio securities in an amount up to 33 1/3% of its total assets.
Main Risks
As with any investment, you could lose all or part of your investment in the fund, and the fund’s performance could trail that of other investments. The fund is subject to the main risks noted below, any of which may adversely affect the fund’s net asset value (“NAV”), trading price, yield, total return and ability to meet its investment objective, as well as numerous other risks that are described in greater detail in the section of this Prospectus entitled “Additional Information About Fund Strategies, Underlying Index Information and Risks” and in the Statement of Additional Information (“SAI”).
ESG investment strategy risk. The Underlying Index’s ESG methodology, and thus the fund’s investment strategy, limits the types and number of investment opportunities available to the fund and, as a result, the fund may underperform other funds that do not have an ESG focus. The Underlying Index’s ESG methodology may result in the fund investing in securities or industry sectors that underperform the market as a whole or underperform other funds screened for ESG standards. The ESG scores used in the Underlying Index’s ESG methodology are based on information that is publicly available and/or provided by the companies themselves or by third parties and such information may be unavailable or unreliable. The Underlying Index seeks to include the companies in each sector that have the highest ESG performance relative to the other companies in the sector, and as a result may include companies that do not exhibit positive ESG performance when compared to a broader universe of companies. Additionally, investors may differ in their interpretations of what constitutes positive or negative ESG characteristics of a company. For those reasons, the index provider may be unsuccessful in creating an index composed of companies that exhibit positive ESG characteristics. To the extent that circumstances change between the Underlying Index’s scheduled rebalancing dates, the Underlying Index may include, and the fund may hold for a period of time, securities of companies that do not align with the ESG criteria. The companies identified by the Index Provider as meeting the ESG criteria for the Underlying Index may not be the same companies selected by other index providers for other indices that use similar ESG criteria. Regulatory changes or interpretations regarding the definitions and/or use of ESG criteria could have a material adverse effect on the fund’s ability to invest in accordance with its investment policies and/or achieve its investment objective, as well as the ability of certain classes of investors to invest in funds following an ESG strategy such as the fund. For example, the SEC has proposed disclosure requirements applicable to funds that consider ESG factors. In addition,
recent US state actions could prohibit certain state sponsored pension plans or investment funds from investing in certain funds that consider ESG factors.
Stock market risk. When stock prices fall, you should expect the value of your investment to fall as well. Stock prices can be hurt by poor management on the part of the stock’s issuer, shrinking product demand and other business risks. These may affect single companies as well as groups of companies. The market as a whole may not favor the types of investments the fund makes, which could adversely affect a stock’s price, regardless of how well the company performs, or the fund’s ability to sell a stock at an attractive price. There is a chance that stock prices overall will decline because stock markets tend to move in cycles, with periods of rising and falling prices. Events in the US and global financial markets, including actions taken by the US Federal Reserve or foreign central banks to stimulate or stabilize economic growth, may at times result in unusually high market volatility which could negatively affect performance. To the extent that the fund invests in a particular geographic region, capitalization or sector, the fund’s performance may be affected by the general performance of that region, capitalization or sector.
Market disruption risk. Economies and financial markets throughout the world are becoming increasingly interconnected, which increases the likelihood that events or conditions in one country or region will adversely impact markets or issuers in other countries or regions. The value of the fund’s investments may be negatively affected by adverse changes in overall economic or market conditions, such as the level of economic activity and productivity, unemployment and labor force participation rates, inflation or deflation (and expectations for inflation or deflation), interest rates, demand and supply for particular products or resources including labor, and debt levels and credit ratings, among other factors. Such adverse conditions may contribute to an overall economic contraction across entire economies or markets, which may negatively impact the profitability of issuers operating in those economies or markets, including the investments held by the fund. In addition, geopolitical and other events, including war, terrorism, economic uncertainty, trade disputes, public health crises and related geopolitical events have led, and in the future may lead, to disruptions in the US and world economies and markets, which may increase financial market volatility and have significant adverse direct or indirect effects on the fund and its investments. Adverse market conditions or disruptions could cause the fund to lose money, experience significant redemptions, and encounter operational difficulties. Although multiple asset classes may be affected by adverse market conditions or a particular market disruption, the duration and effects may not be the same for all types of assets.
Russia's recent military incursions in Ukraine have led to, and may lead to, additional sanctions being levied by the United States, European Union and other countries against
Prospectus December 22, 2022
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Xtrackers MSCI EAFE ESG Leaders Equity ETF

Russia. Russia's military incursions and the resulting sanctions could adversely affect global energy, commodities and financial markets and thus could affect the value of the fund's investments. The extent and duration of the military action, sanctions and resulting market disruptions are impossible to predict, but could be substantial.
Other market disruption events include the pandemic spread of the novel coronavirus known as COVID-19, which at times has caused significant uncertainty, market volatility, decreased economic and other activity, increased government activity, including economic stimulus measures, and supply chain disruptions. The full effects, duration and costs of the COVID-19 pandemic are impossible to predict, and the circumstances surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic will continue to evolve including the risk of future increased rates of infection due to significant portions of the population remaining unvaccinated and/or the lack of effectiveness of current vaccines against new variants. The pandemic has affected and may continue to affect certain countries, industries, economic sectors, companies and investment products more than others, may exacerbate existing economic, political, or social tensions and may increase the probability of an economic recession or depression. The fund and its investments may be adversely affected by the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Adverse market conditions or particular market disruptions, such as those caused by Russian military action and the COVID-19 pandemic, may magnify the impact of each of the other risks described in this “MAIN RISKS” section and may increase volatility in one or more markets in which the fund invests leading to the potential for greater losses for the fund.
Foreign investment risk. The fund faces the risks inherent in foreign investing. Adverse political, economic or social developments could undermine the value of the fund's foreign investments, prevent the fund from realizing the full value of its foreign investments or prevent the fund from selling foreign securities it holds. Financial reporting standards for companies based in foreign markets differ from those in the US. Additionally, foreign securities markets generally are smaller and less liquid than US markets. To the extent that the fund invests in non-US dollar denominated foreign securities, changes in currency exchange rates may affect the US dollar value of foreign securities or the income or gain received on these securities.
Foreign governments may restrict investment by foreigners, limit withdrawal of trading profit or currency from the country, restrict currency exchange or seize foreign investments. In addition, the fund may be limited in its ability to exercise its legal rights or enforce a counterparty's legal obligations in certain jurisdictions outside of the US. The foreign investments of the fund may also be subject to foreign withholding taxes. Foreign brokerage commissions and other fees are generally
higher than those for US investments, and the transactions and custody of foreign assets may involve delays in payment, delivery or recovery of money or investments.
Foreign markets can have liquidity risks beyond those typical of US markets. Because foreign exchanges generally are smaller and less liquid than US exchanges, buying and selling foreign investments can be more difficult and costly. Relatively small transactions can sometimes materially affect the price and availability of securities. In certain situations, it may become virtually impossible to sell an investment at a price that approaches portfolio management’s estimate of its value. For the same reason, it may at times be difficult to value the fund’s foreign investments. In addition, because non-US markets may be open on days when the fund does not price its shares, the value of the foreign securities in the fund’s portfolio may change on days when shareholders will not be able to purchase or sell the fund’s shares.
Depositary receipt risk. Depositary receipts involve similar risks to those associated with investments in securities of non-US issuers. Depositary receipts also may be less liquid than the underlying shares in their primary trading market.
Currency risk. Changes in currency exchange rates and the relative value of non-US currencies may affect the value of the fund’s investment and the value of your fund shares. Because the fund’s NAV is determined on the basis of the US dollar and the fund does not attempt to hedge against changes in the value of non-US currencies, investors may lose money if the foreign currency depreciates against the US dollar, even if the foreign currency value of the fund’s holdings in that market increases. Conversely, the dollar value of your investment in the fund may go up if the value of the foreign currency appreciates against the US dollar. The value of the US dollar measured against other currencies is influenced by a variety of factors. These factors include: interest rates, national debt levels and trade deficits, changes in balances of payments and trade, domestic and foreign interest and inflation rates, global or regional political, economic or financial events, monetary policies of governments, actual or potential government intervention, and global energy prices. Political instability, the possibility of government intervention and restrictive or opaque business and investment policies may also reduce the value of a country’s currency. Government monetary policies and the buying or selling of currency by a country’s government may also influence exchange rates. Currency exchange rates can be very volatile and can change quickly and unpredictably. Therefore, the value of an investment in the fund may also go up or down quickly and unpredictably and investors may lose money.
Medium-sized company risk. Medium-sized company stocks tend to be more volatile than large company stocks. Because stock analysts are less likely to follow medium-sized companies, less information about them is available
Prospectus December 22, 2022
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Xtrackers MSCI EAFE ESG Leaders Equity ETF

to investors. Industry-wide reversals may have a greater impact on medium-sized companies, since they lack the financial resources of larger companies. Medium-sized company stocks are typically less liquid than large company stocks.
Liquidity risk. In certain situations, it may be difficult or impossible to sell an investment at an acceptable price. This risk can be ongoing for any security that does not trade actively or in large volumes, for any security that trades primarily on smaller markets, and for investments that typically trade only among a limited number of large investors (such as restricted securities). In unusual market conditions, even normally liquid securities may be affected by a degree of liquidity risk. This may affect only certain securities or an overall securities market.
Although the fund primarily seeks to redeem shares of the fund on an in-kind basis, if the fund is forced to sell underlying investments at reduced prices or under unfavorable conditions to meet redemption requests or other cash needs, the fund may suffer a loss. This may be magnified in circumstances where redemptions from the fund may be higher than normal.
Focus risk. To the extent that the fund focuses its investments in particular industries, asset classes or sectors of the economy, any market price movements, regulatory or technological changes, or economic conditions affecting companies in those industries, asset classes or sectors may have a significant impact on the fund’s performance.
Financials sector risk. To the extent that the fund invests significantly in the financials sector, the fund will be sensitive to changes in, and the fund’s performance may depend to a greater extent on, the overall condition of the financials sector. The financials sector is subject to extensive government regulation, can be subject to relatively rapid change due to increasingly blurred distinctions between service segments, and can be significantly affected by the availability and cost of capital funds, changes in interest rates, the rate of corporate and consumer debt defaults, and price competition.
Health care sector risk. To the extent that the fund invests significantly in the health care sector, the fund will be sensitive to changes in, and the fund’s performance may depend to a greater extent on, the overall condition of the health care sector. The health care sector may be affected by government regulations and government health care programs, increases or decreases in the cost of medical products and services and product liability claims, among other factors. Many health care companies are heavily dependent on patent protection, and the expiration of a company’s patent may adversely affect that company’s profitability. Health care companies are subject to competitive forces that may result in price discounting, and may be thinly capitalized and susceptible to product obsolescence.
Industrials sector risk. To the extent that the fund invests significantly in the industrials sector, the fund will be sensitive to changes in, and the fund’s performance may depend to a greater extent on, the overall condition of the industrials sector. 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.
Passive investing risk. Unlike a fund that is actively managed, in which portfolio management buys and sells securities based on research and analysis, the fund invests in securities included in, or representative of, the Underlying Index, regardless of their investment merits. Because the fund is designed to maintain a high level of exposure to the Underlying Index at all times, portfolio management generally will not buy or sell a security unless the security is added or removed, respectively, from the Underlying Index, and will not take any steps to invest defensively or otherwise reduce the risk of loss during market downturns.
Index-related risk. The fund seeks investment results that correspond generally to the performance, before fees and expenses, of the Underlying Index as published by the index provider. There is no assurance that the Underlying Index provider will compile the Underlying Index accurately, or that the Underlying Index will be determined, composed or calculated accurately. Market disruptions could cause delays in the Underlying Index’s rebalancing schedule. During any such delay, it is possible that the Underlying Index and, in turn, the fund will deviate from the Underlying Index’s stated methodology and therefore experience returns different than those that would have been achieved under a normal rebalancing schedule. Generally, the index provider does not provide any warranty, or accept any liability, with respect to the quality, accuracy or completeness of the Underlying Index or its related data, and does not guarantee that the Underlying Index will be in line with its stated methodology. Errors in the Underlying Index data, the Underlying Index computations and/or the construction of the Underlying Index in accordance with its stated 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. The Advisor may have limited ability to detect such errors and neither the Advisor nor its affiliates provide any warranty or guarantee against such errors. Therefore, the gains, losses or costs associated with the index provider’s errors will generally be borne by the fund and its shareholders.
Index-related risk may be higher for a fund that tracks an index comprised of, or an index that includes, foreign securities because regulatory and reporting requirements may differ from those in the US, resulting in a heightened risk of
Prospectus December 22, 2022
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Xtrackers MSCI EAFE ESG Leaders Equity ETF

errors in the index data, index computation and/or index construction due to unreliable, out-dated or unavailable information.
Tracking error risk. The fund may be subject to tracking error, which is the divergence of the fund’s performance from that of the Underlying Index. The performance of the fund may diverge from that of the Underlying Index for a number of reasons, including operating expenses, transaction costs, cash flows and operational inefficiencies. The fund’s return also may diverge from the return of the Underlying Index because the fund bears the costs and risks associated with buying and selling securities (especially when rebalancing the fund’s securities holdings to reflect changes in the Underlying Index) while such costs and risks are not factored into the return of the Underlying Index. Transaction costs, including brokerage costs, will decrease the fund’s 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 in order to track the Underlying Index. To the extent that portfolio management uses a representative sampling approach (investing in a representative selection of securities included in the Underlying Index rather than all securities in the Underlying Index), such approach may cause the fund’s return to not be as well correlated with the return of the Underlying Index as would be the case if the fund purchased all of the securities in the Underlying Index in the proportions represented in the Underlying Index. In addition, the fund may not be able to invest in certain securities included in the Underlying Index, or invest in them in the exact proportions in which they are represented in the Underlying Index, due to government imposed legal restrictions or limitations, a lack of liquidity in the markets in which such securities trade, potential adverse tax consequences or other reasons. To the extent the fund calculates its net asset value based on fair value prices and the value of the Underlying Index is based on market prices (i.e., the value of the Underlying Index is not based on fair value prices), the fund’s ability to track the Underlying Index may be adversely affected. Tracking error risk may be heightened during times of increased market volatility or other unusual market conditions. 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 Underlying Index. In light of the factors discussed above, the fund’s return may deviate significantly from the return of the Underlying Index.
Tracking error risk may be higher for funds that track indices with significant weight in foreign issuers than funds that do not track such indices.
Market price risk. Fund shares are listed for trading on an exchange and are bought and sold in the secondary market at market prices. The market prices of shares will fluctuate, in some cases materially, in response to changes in the NAV and supply and demand for shares. As a result,
the trading prices of shares may deviate significantly from the NAV during periods of market volatility. The Advisor cannot predict whether shares will trade above, below or at their NAV. Given the fact that shares can be created and redeemed in Creation Units (defined below), the Advisor believes that large discounts or premiums to the NAV of shares should not be sustained in the long-term. If market makers exit the business or are unable to continue making markets in fund shares, shares may trade at a discount to NAV like closed-end fund shares and may even face delisting (that is, investors would no longer be able to trade shares in the secondary market). Further, 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, disruptions to creations and redemptions, including disruptions at market makers, APs or market participants, or during periods of significant market volatility, may result in market prices that differ significantly from the value of the fund’s holdings. Although market makers will generally take advantage of differences between the NAV and the market price of fund shares through arbitrage opportunities, there is no guarantee that they will do so. In addition, the securities held by the fund may be traded in markets that close at a different time than the exchange on which the fund’s shares trade. 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 is likely to widen. Further, secondary markets may be subject to irregular trading activity, wide bid-ask spreads and extended trade settlement periods, which could cause a material decline in the fund’s NAV. The fund’s investment results are measured based upon the daily NAV of the fund. Investors purchasing and selling shares in the secondary market may not experience investment results consistent with those experienced by those APs creating and redeeming shares directly with the fund.
Operational and technology risk. Cyber-attacks, disruptions, or failures that affect the fund’s service providers or counterparties, issuers of securities held by the fund, or other market participants may adversely affect the fund and its shareholders, including by causing losses for the fund or impairing fund operations. For example, the fund’s or its service providers’ assets or sensitive or confidential information may be misappropriated, data may be corrupted and operations may be disrupted (e.g., cyber-attacks, operational failures or broader disruptions may cause the release of private shareholder information or confidential fund information, interfere with the processing of shareholder transactions, impact the ability to calculate the fund’s net asset value and impede trading). Market events and disruptions also may trigger a volume of transactions that overloads current information technology and communication systems and processes, impacting the ability to conduct the fund’s operations.
Prospectus December 22, 2022
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Xtrackers MSCI EAFE ESG Leaders Equity ETF

While the fund and its service providers may establish business continuity and other plans and processes that seek to address the possibility of and fallout from cyber-attacks, disruptions or failures, there are inherent limitations in such plans and systems, including that they do not apply to third parties, such as fund counterparties, issuers of securities held by the fund or other market participants, as well as the possibility that certain risks have not been identified or that unknown threats may emerge in the future and there is no assurance that such plans and processes will be effective. Among other situations, disruptions (for example, pandemics or health crises) that cause prolonged periods of remote work or significant employee absences at the fund’s service providers could impact the ability to conduct the fund’s operations. In addition, the fund cannot directly control any cybersecurity plans and systems put in place by its service providers, fund counterparties, issuers of securities held by the fund or other market participants.
Non-diversification risk. At any given time, due to the composition of the Underlying Index, the fund may be classified as “non-diversified” under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended. This means that the fund may invest in securities of relatively few issuers. Thus, the performance of one or a small number of portfolio holdings can affect overall performance.
Authorized Participant concentration risk. The fund may have a limited number of financial institutions that may act as APs. Only APs who have entered into agreements with the fund’s distributor may engage in creation or redemption transactions directly with the fund (as described in the section of this Prospectus entitled “Buying and Selling Shares”). If those APs exit the business or are unable to process creation and/or redemption orders, (including in situations where APs have limited or diminished access to capital required to post collateral) and no other AP is able to step forward to create and redeem in either of these cases, shares may trade at a discount to NAV like closed-end fund shares and may even face delisting (that is, investors would no longer be able to trade shares in the secondary market).
Geographic focus risk. Focusing investments in a single country or few countries, or regions, involves increased political, regulatory and other risks. Market swings in such a targeted country, countries or regions are likely to have a greater effect on fund performance than they would in a more geographically diversified fund.
European investment risk. European financial markets have experienced volatility in recent years and have been adversely affected by concerns about economic downturns, credit rating downgrades, rising government debt level and possible default on or restructuring of government debt in several European countries. A default or debt restructuring by any European country would adversely impact holders of that country’s debt, and sellers of credit default swaps linked to that country’s creditworthiness.
Most countries in Western Europe are members of the European Union (EU), which faces major issues involving its membership, structure, procedures and policies. As of January 1, 2021, the United Kingdom is no longer part of the EU customs union and single market, nor is it subject to EU policies and international agreements. The long-term impact of the United Kingdom's withdrawal from the EU is still unknown and could have adverse economic and political effects on the United Kingdom, the EU and its member countries, and the global economy, including financial markets and asset valuations.
European countries are also significantly affected by fiscal and monetary controls implemented by the European Economic and Monetary Union (EMU), and it is possible that the timing and substance of these controls may not address the needs of all EMU member countries. Investing in euro-denominated securities also risks exposure to a currency that may not fully reflect the strengths and weaknesses of the disparate economies that comprise Europe. There is continued concern over member state-level support for the euro, which could lead to certain countries leaving the EMU, the implementation of currency controls, or potentially the dissolution of the euro. The dissolution of the euro could have significant negative effects on European financial markets.
Risks related to investing in Asia. Investment in securities of issuers in Asia involves risks and special considerations not typically associated with investment in the US securities markets. Certain Asian economies have experienced high inflation, high unemployment, currency devaluations and restrictions, and over-extension of credit. Many Asian economies have experienced rapid growth and industrialization, and there is no assurance that this growth rate will be maintained. During the recent global recession, many of the export-driven Asian economies experienced the effects of the economic slowdown in the United States and Europe, and certain Asian governments implemented stimulus plans, low-rate monetary policies and currency devaluations. Economic events in any one Asian country may have a significant economic effect on the entire Asian region, as well as on major trading partners outside Asia. Any adverse event in the Asian markets may have a significant adverse effect on some or all of the economies of Asian countries in which the fund invests. Many Asian countries are subject to political risk, including corruption and regional conflict with neighboring countries. In addition, many Asian countries are subject to social and labor risks associated with demands for improved political, economic and social conditions.
Derivatives risk. Derivatives involve risks different from, and possibly greater than, the risks associated with investing directly in securities and other more traditional investments. Risks associated with derivatives may include the risk that the derivative is not well correlated with the security, index or currency to which it relates; the
Prospectus December 22, 2022
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Xtrackers MSCI EAFE ESG Leaders Equity ETF

risk that derivatives may result in losses or missed opportunities; the risk that the fund will be unable to sell the derivative because of an illiquid secondary market; the risk that a counterparty is unwilling or unable to meet its obligation; and the risk that the derivative transaction could expose the fund to the effects of leverage, which could increase the fund’s exposure to the market and magnify potential losses.
Futures risk. The value of a futures contract tends to increase and decrease in tandem with the value of the underlying instrument. A decision as to whether, when and how to use futures involves the exercise of skill and judgment and even a well-conceived futures transaction may be unsuccessful because of market behavior or unexpected events. In addition to the derivatives risks discussed above, the prices of futures can be highly volatile, using futures can lower total return and the potential loss from futures can exceed the fund’s initial investment in such contracts.
Counterparty risk. A financial institution or other counterparty with whom the fund does business, or that underwrites, distributes or guarantees any investments or contracts that the fund owns or is otherwise exposed to, may decline in financial health and become unable to honor its commitments. This could cause losses for the fund or could delay the return or delivery of collateral or other assets to the fund.
Securities lending risk. Securities lending involves the risk that the fund may lose money because the borrower of the loaned securities fails to return the securities in a timely manner or at all. A delay in the recovery of loaned securities could interfere with the fund’s ability to vote proxies or settle transactions. The fund could also lose money in the event of a decline in the value of the collateral provided for the loaned securities, or a decline in the value of any investments made with cash collateral or even a loss of rights in the collateral should the borrower of the securities fail financially while holding the securities.
Past Performance
The bar chart and table below provide some indication of the risks of investing in the fund by showing changes in the fund’s performance from year to year and by showing how the fund’s average annual returns compare with those of the Underlying Index and a broad measure of market performance.The fund’s past performance (before and after taxes) is not necessarily an indication of how the fund will perform in the future. Updated performance information is available on the fund’s website at Xtrackers.com (the website does not form a part of this prospectus).
CALENDAR YEAR TOTAL RETURNS(%)
 
Returns
Period ending
Best Quarter
15.37%
June 30, 2020
Worst Quarter
-20.96%
March 31, 2020
Year-to-Date
-29.28%
September 30, 2022
Average Annual Total Returns
(For periods ended 12/31/2021 expressed as a %)
All after-tax returns are calculated using the historical highest individual federal marginal income tax rates and do not reflect the impact of any state or local tax. Your own actual after-tax returns will depend on your tax situation and may differ from what is shown here. After-tax returns are not relevant to investors who hold shares of the fund in tax-deferred accounts such as individual retirement accounts (“IRAs”) or employee-sponsored retirement plans.
 
Inception Date
1
Year
Since
Inception
Returns before tax
9/6/2018
11.33
9.92
After tax on distribu-
tions
 
10.76
9.37
After tax on distribu-
tions and sale of fund
shares
 
7.34
7.77
MSCI EAFE ESG
Leaders Index (reflects
no deductions for fees,
expenses or taxes)
 
11.29
9.89
MSCI EAFE Index
(reflects no deductions
for fees, expenses or
taxes)
 
11.26
8.64
Management
Investment Advisor
DBX Advisors LLC
Portfolio Managers
Bryan Richards, CFA, Vice President of DBX Advisors LLC and Head of Portfolio Engineering, Systematic Investment Solutions, of DWS Investment Management Americas, Inc. Portfolio Manager of the fund. Began managing the fund in 2018.
Prospectus December 22, 2022
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Xtrackers MSCI EAFE ESG Leaders Equity ETF

Patrick Dwyer, Vice President of DBX Advisors LLC and Senior Portfolio Engineer & Team Lead, Systematic Investment Solutions, of DWS Investment Management Americas, Inc. Portfolio Manager of the fund. Began managing the fund in 2018.
Shlomo Bassous, Vice President of DBX Advisors LLC and Senior Portfolio Engineer, Systematic Investment Solutions, of DWS Investment Management Americas, Inc. Portfolio Manager of the fund. Began managing the fund in 2018.
Ashif Shaikh, Vice President of DBX Advisors LLC and Portfolio Engineer, Systematic Investment Solutions, of DWS Investment Management Americas, Inc. Portfolio Manager of the fund. Began managing the fund in 2022.
Purchase and Sale of Fund Shares
The fund is an exchange-traded fund (commonly referred to as an “ETF”). Individual fund shares may only be purchased and sold through a brokerage firm. The price of fund shares is based on market price, and because ETF shares trade at market prices rather than NAV, shares may trade at a price greater than NAV (a premium) or less than NAV (a discount). The fund will only issue or redeem shares that have been aggregated into blocks of 50,000 shares or multiples thereof (“Creation Units”) to APs who have entered into agreements with ALPS Distributors, Inc., the fund’s distributor. You 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 of the fund (ask) when buying or selling shares (the “bid-ask spread”). Information on the fund’s net asset value, market price, premiums and discounts and bid-ask spreads may be found at Xtrackers.com.
Tax Information
The fund's distributions are generally taxable to you as ordinary income or capital gains, except when your investment is in an IRA, 401(k), or other tax-advantaged investment plan. Any withdrawals you make from such tax- advantaged investment plans, however, may be taxable to you.
Payments to Broker-Dealers and
Other Financial Intermediaries
If you purchase shares of the fund through a broker-dealer or other financial intermediary (such as a bank), the Advisor or other related companies may pay the intermediary for marketing activities and presentations, educational training programs, the support of technology platforms and/or reporting systems or other services related to the sale or promotion of the fund. These payments may create a conflict of interest by influencing
the broker-dealer or other intermediary and your salesperson to recommend the fund over another investment. Ask your salesperson or visit your financial intermediary’s website for more information.
Prospectus December 22, 2022
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Xtrackers MSCI EAFE ESG Leaders Equity ETF


Xtrackers Emerging Markets Carbon Reduction and Climate Improvers ETF
Ticker: EMCR
Stock Exchange: NYSE Arca, Inc.
Investment Objective
Xtrackers Emerging Markets Carbon Reduction and Climate Improvers ETF (the “fund”), seeks investment results that correspond generally to the performance, before fees and expenses, of the Solactive ISS Emerging Markets Carbon Reduction & Climate Improvers Index NTR (the “Underlying Index”).
Fees and Expenses
These are the fees and expenses that you will pay when you buy, hold and sell shares. You may also pay other fees, such as brokerage commissions and other fees to financial intermediaries on the purchase and sale of shares of the fund, which are not reflected in the table and example below.
ANNUAL FUND OPERATING EXPENSES
(expenses that you pay each year as a % of the value of your investment)
Management fee
0.15
Other Expenses
None
Total annual fund operating expenses
0.15
EXAMPLE
This Example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the fund with the cost of investing in other funds. The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the fund for the time periods indicated and then sell all of your shares at the end of those periods. The Example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the fund's operating expenses remain the same. The Example does not take into account brokerage commissions that you may pay on your purchases and sales of shares of the fund. It also does not include the transaction fees on purchases and redemptions of Creation Units (defined herein), because those fees will not be
imposed on retail investors. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:
 
1 Year
3 Years
5 Years
10 Years
 
$15
$48
$85
$192
PORTFOLIO TURNOVER 
The fund pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or “turns over” its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover may indicate higher transaction costs and may mean higher taxes if you are investing in a taxable account. These costs are not reflected in annual fund operating expenses or in the expense example, and can affect the fund's performance. During the most recent fiscal year, the fund’s portfolio turnover rate was 33% of the average value of its portfolio.
Principal Investment Strategies
The fund, using a “passive” or indexing investment approach, seeks investment results that correspond generally to the performance, before fees and expenses, of the Underlying Index, which is comprised of large and mid-capitalization companies in emerging markets countries that meet certain environmental, social and governance (“ESG”) criteria and/or have committed to greenhouse gas emissions reduction targets. The Underlying Index is then weighted in such a manner seeking to align its constituent companies’ greenhouse gas emissions with the long-term global warming target of the Paris Climate Agreement. Under normal circumstances, the Underlying Index is rebalanced semi-annually in February and August. The fund rebalances its portfolio in accordance with the Underlying Index, and, therefore, any changes to the Underlying Index's rebalance schedule will result in corresponding changes to the fund's rebalance schedule.
In constructing the Underlying Index, Solactive AG (“Solactive”) begins with the universe of securities comprising the parent index, the Solactive GBS Emerging Markets Large & Mid Cap USD Index PR, which is
Prospectus December 22, 2022 19 Xtrackers Emerging Markets Carbon Reduction and Climate Improvers ETF

designed to track the performance of the large and mid-capitalization segment covering approximately the largest 85% of the free-float market capitalization in the emerging markets. From this universe of securities, Solactive first seeks to identify only those companies operating in accordance with established standards for responsible ESG conduct in the following manner:
Companies in the parent universe are initially excluded from the Underlying Index for:
Failure to observe established norms with respect to environment, human rights, corruption and labor rights (or if incorporated in countries identified with high social risk);
Involvement in controversial weapons (i.e., chemical biological or nuclear weapons, depleted uranium, cluster munitions and anti-personnel mines); or
Deriving a specified percentage of revenues from one of the following sectors (“Sector Criteria”): fossil fuel, oil sands, military, pornography, tobacco, gambling, alcohol or cannabis.
All companies that do not trigger an exclusion listed above are included in the Underlying Index. In addition, companies that were initially excluded based on the Sector Criteria or for being incorporated in countries identified with high social risk may still be included in the Underlying Index if they have committed to setting “science-based” greenhouse gas emissions reduction targets by signing on to the Science Based Targets initiative (“SBTi”). Reduction targets are considered “science-based” if they are in line with what the latest climate science deems necessary to limit global warming to well-below 2°C above pre-industrial levels and pursuing efforts to limit warming to 1.5°C, as determined by the SBTi.
Once the constituents of the Underlying Index are selected pursuant to the above criteria, the constituents are then weighted in a manner designed to reduce the “carbon intensity” (defined, for each company included in the Underlying Index, as its greenhouse gas emissions as a percentage of the company’s enterprise value including cash) in the following ways:
Reduce the carbon intensity of the Underlying Index by at least 60% compared to the parent index, and
Seek a year-over-year carbon intensity reduction target of at least 7%.
Solactive weights each Underlying Index constituent based on its “Carbon Risk Rating,” as calculated by Solactive’s data provider, Institutional Shareholder Services Inc. (“ISS”), with those companies judged to be doing more to reduce emissions being weighted more heavily. A company’s Carbon Risk Rating is a composite score based on two components: (i) the company’s Carbon Risk Classification, and (ii) the company’s Carbon Performance Score, each as assessed by ISS.
The Carbon Risk Classification assesses a company’s exposure to carbon-related transition risks by estimating the emission intensity in the company’s business model, based on its industry and business activities.
The Carbon Performance Score evaluates the current carbon-related performance of a company as well as a company’s risk management and measures to reduce its carbon intensity in the future.
Under the Underlying Index’s methodology, a company may have considerable carbon intensity today, resulting in a poor Carbon Risk Classification, and at the same time be actively working to improve their climate impact and carbon footprint in the future, resulting in a high Carbon Performance Score. These companies are considered to be “climate improvers” and may be included in the Underlying Index.
In calculating the Carbon Risk Classification and the Carbon Performance Score, ISS collects data from a range of public and private sources including company annual reports and sustainability reports, United Nations Global Compact Participant Communications on Progress, Principles for Responsible Investment Signatory Reporting, subscription databases such as the Carbon Disclosure Project, and correspondence with individual companies during the rating process.
The fund uses a full replication indexing strategy to seek to track the Underlying Index. As such, the fund invests directly in the component securities (or a substantial number of the component securities) of the Underlying Index in substantially the same weightings in which they are represented in the Underlying Index. If it is not possible for the fund to acquire component securities due to limited availability or regulatory restrictions, the fund may use a representative sampling indexing strategy to seek to track the Underlying Index instead of a full replication indexing strategy. “Representative sampling” is an indexing strategy that involves investing in a representative sample of securities that collectively has an investment profile similar to the Underlying Index. The securities selected are expected to have, in the aggregate, investment characteristics (based on factors such as market capitalization and industry weightings), fundamental characteristics (such as return variability and yield), and liquidity measures similar to those of the Underlying Index. The fund may or may not hold all of the securities in the Underlying Index when using a representative sampling indexing strategy. The fund will invest at least 80% of its total assets (but typically far more) in component securities (including depositary receipts in respect of such securities) of the Underlying Index.
As of October 31, 2022, the Underlying Index consisted of 1,355 securities, with an average market capitalization of approximately $11.40 billion and a minimum market capitalization of approximately $51 million from issuers in the following countries: Brazil, Chile, China, Colombia, Czech Republic, Egypt, Greece, Hungary, India, Indonesia,
Prospectus December 22, 2022
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Xtrackers Emerging Markets Carbon Reduction and Climate Improvers ETF

Kuwait, Malaysia, Mexico, Pakistan, Peru, Philippines, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey and the United Arab Emirates. The fund will normally invest at least 80% of its net assets, plus the amount of any borrowings for investment purposes, in equity securities of issuers from countries classified as emerging markets, as defined by the index provider. Emerging market countries are countries that are generally considered to be less economically mature than developed nations. As of October 31, 2022, a significant percentage of the Underlying Index was comprised of securities of issuers from China (25.50%), Taiwan (17.61%), and India (16.50%).
The fund will concentrate its investments (i.e., hold 25% or more of its total assets) in a particular industry or group of industries to the extent that its Underlying Index is concentrated. As of October 31, 2022, a significant percentage of the Underlying Index was comprised of issuers in the financials (28.51%) and information technology (23.73%) sectors. The financials sector includes companies involved in banking, consumer finance, asset management and custody banks, as well as investment banking and brokerage and insurance. The information technology sector includes companies engaged in developing software and providing data processing and outsourced services, along with manufacturing and distributing communications equipment, computers and other electronic equipment and instruments. To the extent that the fund tracks the Underlying Index, the fund’s investment in certain sectors or countries may change over time.
The fund may become “non-diversified,” as defined under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended, solely as a result of a change in relative market capitalization or index weighting of one or more constituents of the index that the fund is designed to track. Shareholder approval will not be sought when the fund crosses from diversified to non-diversified status under such circumstances.
The fund is not sponsored, endorsed, sold or promoted by Solactive.
Derivatives. Portfolio management generally may use futures contracts, stock index futures, options on futures, swap contracts and other types of derivatives in seeking performance that corresponds to its Underlying Index and will not use such instruments for speculative purposes.
Securities lending. 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 liquid collateral equal to at least 102% of the value of the portfolio securities being lent. This collateral is marked to market on a daily basis. The fund may lend its portfolio securities in an amount up to 33 1/3% of its total assets.
Main Risks
As with any investment, you could lose all or part of your investment in the fund, and the fund’s performance could trail that of other investments. The fund is subject to the main risks noted below, any of which may adversely affect the fund’s net asset value (“NAV”), trading price, yield, total return and ability to meet its investment objective, as well as numerous other risks that are described in greater detail in the section of this Prospectus entitled “Additional Information About Fund Strategies, Underlying Index Information and Risks” and in the Statement of Additional Information (“SAI”).
ESG investment strategy risk. The Underlying Index’s ESG methodology, and thus the fund’s investment strategy, limits the types and number of investment opportunities available to the fund and, as a result, the fund may underperform other funds that do not have an ESG focus. The Underlying Index’s ESG methodology may result in the fund investing in securities or industry sectors that underperform the market as a whole or underperform other funds screened for ESG standards. The ESG scores used in the Underlying Index’s ESG methodology are based on information that is publicly available and/or provided by the companies themselves or by third parties and such information may be unavailable or unreliable. Additionally, investors may differ in their interpretations of what constitutes positive or negative ESG characteristics of a company. For those reasons, the index provider may be unsuccessful in creating an index composed of companies that exhibit positive ESG characteristics. To the extent that circumstances change between the Underlying Index’s scheduled rebalancing dates, the Underlying Index may include, and the fund may hold for a period of time, securities of companies that do not align with the ESG criteria. The companies identified by the Index Provider as meeting the ESG criteria for the Underlying Index may not be the same companies selected by other index providers for other indices that use similar ESG criteria. Regulatory changes or interpretations regarding the definitions and/or use of ESG criteria could have a material adverse effect on the fund’s ability to invest in accordance with its investment policies and/or achieve its investment objective, as well as the ability of certain classes of investors to invest in funds following an ESG strategy such as the fund. For example, the SEC has proposed disclosure requirements applicable to funds that consider ESG factors. In addition, recent US state actions could prohibit certain state sponsored pension plans or investment funds from investing in certain funds that consider ESG factors.
In addition, companies that fail to meet the Sector Criteria may nevertheless be included in the Underlying Index if they have committed to certain targets regarding climate change. The Underlying Index therefore may include companies involved in sectors that often are excluded by indices attempting to utilize an ESG approach.
Prospectus December 22, 2022
21
Xtrackers Emerging Markets Carbon Reduction and Climate Improvers ETF

Carbon reduction strategy risk. The Underlying Index’s methodology for identifying companies attempting to reduce their carbon footprint limits the types and number of investment opportunities available to the fund and, as a result, the fund may underperform other funds that do not follow a carbon reduction strategy. Carbon reduction may potentially have an adverse effect on a company’s profitability. Investing in a portfolio of securities of companies attempting to reduce their carbon footprint may impact the fund’s relative investment performance depending on whether such investments are in or out of favor in the market. The Carbon Risk Rating used to score and weight companies in the Underlying Index is based on publicly available information, third-party data sources and/or provided by the companies themselves and such information may be unavailable or unreliable. The criteria used to calculate a company’s greenhouse gas emissions may not properly measure a company’s carbon footprint. In addition, a company's commitment to science-based targets for reduced emissions are voluntary and may not be met by the company, or may be abandoned altogether. For those reasons, the index provider may be unsuccessful in creating an index composed of companies that positively contribute to carbon reduction goals. In addition, the Underlying Index’s methodology allows for the inclusion of companies with high carbon intensity as long as such companies adopt plans to improve their climate impact and carbon footprint in the future. While the Underlying Index’s methodology aims to reflect annual reductions in the carbon intensity of the Underlying Index, there is no assurance that such reduction targets will be achieved.
Stock market risk. When stock prices fall, you should expect the value of your investment to fall as well. Stock prices can be hurt by poor management on the part of the stock’s issuer, shrinking product demand and other business risks. These may affect single companies as well as groups of companies. The market as a whole may not favor the types of investments the fund makes, which could adversely affect a stock’s price, regardless of how well the company performs, or the fund’s ability to sell a stock at an attractive price. There is a chance that stock prices overall will decline because stock markets tend to move in cycles, with periods of rising and falling prices. Events in the US and global financial markets, including actions taken by the US Federal Reserve or foreign central banks to stimulate or stabilize economic growth, may at times result in unusually high market volatility which could negatively affect performance. To the extent that the fund invests in a particular geographic region, capitalization or sector, the fund’s performance may be affected by the general performance of that region, capitalization or sector.
Market disruption risk. Economies and financial markets throughout the world are becoming increasingly interconnected, which increases the likelihood that events or conditions in one country or region will adversely impact markets or issuers in other countries or regions. The value
of the fund’s investments may be negatively affected by adverse changes in overall economic or market conditions, such as the level of economic activity and productivity, unemployment and labor force participation rates, inflation or deflation (and expectations for inflation or deflation), interest rates, demand and supply for particular products or resources including labor, and debt levels and credit ratings, among other factors. Such adverse conditions may contribute to an overall economic contraction across entire economies or markets, which may negatively impact the profitability of issuers operating in those economies or markets, including the investments held by the fund. In addition, geopolitical and other events, including war, terrorism, economic uncertainty, trade disputes, public health crises and related geopolitical events have led, and in the future may lead, to disruptions in the US and world economies and markets, which may increase financial market volatility and have significant adverse direct or indirect effects on the fund and its investments. Adverse market conditions or disruptions could cause the fund to lose money, experience significant redemptions, and encounter operational difficulties. Although multiple asset classes may be affected by adverse market conditions or a particular market disruption, the duration and effects may not be the same for all types of assets.
Russia's recent military incursions in Ukraine have led to, and may lead to, additional sanctions being levied by the United States, European Union and other countries against Russia. Russia's military incursions and the resulting sanctions could adversely affect global energy, commodities and financial markets and thus could affect the value of the fund's investments. The extent and duration of the military action, sanctions and resulting market disruptions are impossible to predict, but could be substantial.
Other market disruption events include the pandemic spread of the novel coronavirus known as COVID-19, which at times has caused significant uncertainty, market volatility, decreased economic and other activity, increased government activity, including economic stimulus measures, and supply chain disruptions. The full effects, duration and costs of the COVID-19 pandemic are impossible to predict, and the circumstances surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic will continue to evolve including the risk of future increased rates of infection due to significant portions of the population remaining unvaccinated and/or the lack of effectiveness of current vaccines against new variants. The pandemic has affected and may continue to affect certain countries, industries, economic sectors, companies and investment products more than others, may exacerbate existing economic, political, or social tensions and may increase the probability of an economic recession or depression. The fund and its investments may be adversely affected by the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Prospectus December 22, 2022
22
Xtrackers Emerging Markets Carbon Reduction and Climate Improvers ETF

Adverse market conditions or particular market disruptions, such as those caused by Russian military action and the COVID-19 pandemic, may magnify the impact of each of the other risks described in this “MAIN RISKS” section and may increase volatility in one or more markets in which the fund invests leading to the potential for greater losses for the fund.
Emerging market securities risk. The securities of issuers located in emerging markets tend to be more volatile and less liquid than securities of issuers located in more mature economies, and emerging markets generally have less diverse and less mature economic structures and less stable political systems than those of developed countries. The securities of issuers located or doing substantial business in emerging markets are often subject to rapid and large changes in price.
Foreign investment risk. The fund faces the risks inherent in foreign investing. Adverse political, economic or social developments could undermine the value of the fund's foreign investments, prevent the fund from realizing the full value of its foreign investments or prevent the fund from selling foreign securities it holds. Financial reporting standards for companies based in foreign markets differ from those in the US. Additionally, foreign securities markets generally are smaller and less liquid than US markets. To the extent that the fund invests in non-US dollar denominated foreign securities, changes in currency exchange rates may affect the US dollar value of foreign securities or the income or gain received on these securities.
Foreign governments may restrict investment by foreigners, limit withdrawal of trading profit or currency from the country, restrict currency exchange or seize foreign investments. In addition, the fund may be limited in its ability to exercise its legal rights or enforce a counterparty's legal obligations in certain jurisdictions outside of the US. The foreign investments of the fund may also be subject to foreign withholding taxes. Foreign brokerage commissions and other fees are generally higher than those for US investments, and the transactions and custody of foreign assets may involve delays in payment, delivery or recovery of money or investments.
Foreign markets can have liquidity risks beyond those typical of US markets. Because foreign exchanges generally are smaller and less liquid than US exchanges, buying and selling foreign investments can be more difficult and costly. Relatively small transactions can sometimes materially affect the price and availability of securities. In certain situations, it may become virtually impossible to sell an investment at a price that approaches portfolio management’s estimate of its value. For the same reason, it may at times be difficult to value the fund’s foreign investments. In addition, because non-US markets may be open on days when the fund does not price its shares, the value
of the foreign securities in the fund’s portfolio may change on days when shareholders will not be able to purchase or sell the fund’s shares.
Depositary receipt risk. Depositary receipts involve similar risks to those associated with investments in securities of non-US issuers. Depositary receipts also may be less liquid than the underlying shares in their primary trading market.
Currency risk. Changes in currency exchange rates and the relative value of non-US currencies may affect the value of the fund’s investment and the value of your fund shares. Because the fund’s NAV is determined on the basis of the US dollar and the fund does not attempt to hedge against changes in the value of non-US currencies, investors may lose money if the foreign currency depreciates against the US dollar, even if the foreign currency value of the fund’s holdings in that market increases. Conversely, the dollar value of your investment in the fund may go up if the value of the foreign currency appreciates against the US dollar. The value of the US dollar measured against other currencies is influenced by a variety of factors. These factors include: interest rates, national debt levels and trade deficits, changes in balances of payments and trade, domestic and foreign interest and inflation rates, global or regional political, economic or financial events, monetary policies of governments, actual or potential government intervention, and global energy prices. Political instability, the possibility of government intervention and restrictive or opaque business and investment policies may also reduce the value of a country’s currency. Government monetary policies and the buying or selling of currency by a country’s government may also influence exchange rates. Currency exchange rates can be very volatile and can change quickly and unpredictably. Therefore, the value of an investment in the fund may also go up or down quickly and unpredictably and investors may lose money.
Medium-sized company risk. Medium-sized company stocks tend to be more volatile than large company stocks. Because stock analysts are less likely to follow medium-sized companies, less information about them is available to investors. Industry-wide reversals may have a greater impact on medium-sized companies, since they lack the financial resources of larger companies. Medium-sized company stocks are typically less liquid than large company stocks.
Liquidity risk. In certain situations, it may be difficult or impossible to sell an investment at an acceptable price. This risk can be ongoing for any security that does not trade actively or in large volumes, for any security that trades primarily on smaller markets, and for investments that typically trade only among a limited number of large investors (such as restricted securities). In unusual market conditions, even normally liquid securities may be affected by a degree of liquidity risk. This may affect only certain securities or an overall securities market.
Prospectus December 22, 2022
23
Xtrackers Emerging Markets Carbon Reduction and Climate Improvers ETF

Although the fund primarily seeks to redeem shares of the fund on an in-kind basis, if the fund is forced to sell underlying investments at reduced prices or under unfavorable conditions to meet redemption requests or other cash needs, the fund may suffer a loss. This may be magnified in circumstances where redemptions from the fund may be higher than normal.
Focus risk. To the extent that the fund focuses its investments in particular industries, asset classes or sectors of the economy, any market price movements, regulatory or technological changes, or economic conditions affecting companies in those industries, asset classes or sectors may have a significant impact on the fund’s performance.
Financials sector risk. To the extent that the fund invests significantly in the financials sector, the fund will be sensitive to changes in, and the fund’s performance may depend to a greater extent on, the overall condition of the financials sector. The financials sector is subject to extensive government regulation, can be subject to relatively rapid change due to increasingly blurred distinctions between service segments, and can be significantly affected by the availability and cost of capital funds, changes in interest rates, the rate of corporate and consumer debt defaults, and price competition.
Information technology sector risk. To the extent that the fund invests significantly in the information technology sector, the fund will be sensitive to changes in, and the fund’s performance may depend to a greater extent on, the overall condition of the information technology sector. Information technology companies are particularly vulnerable to government regulation and competition, both domestically and internationally, including competition from foreign competitors with lower production costs. Information technology companies also face competition for services of qualified personnel. Additionally, the products of information technology companies may face obsolescence due to rapid technological development and frequent new product introduction by competitors. Finally, information technology companies are heavily dependent on patent and intellectual property rights, the loss or impairment of which may adversely affect profitability.
Passive investing risk. Unlike a fund that is actively managed, in which portfolio management buys and sells securities based on research and analysis, the fund invests in securities included in, or representative of, the Underlying Index, regardless of their investment merits. Because the fund is designed to maintain a high level of exposure to the Underlying Index at all times, portfolio management generally will not buy or sell a security unless the security is added or removed, respectively, from the Underlying Index, and will not take any steps to invest defensively or otherwise reduce the risk of loss during market downturns.
Index-related risk. The fund seeks investment results that correspond generally to the performance, before fees and expenses, of the Underlying Index as published by the
index provider. There is no assurance that the Underlying Index provider will compile the Underlying Index accurately, or that the Underlying Index will be determined, composed or calculated accurately. Market disruptions could cause delays in the Underlying Index’s rebalancing schedule. During any such delay, it is possible that the Underlying Index and, in turn, the fund will deviate from the Underlying Index’s stated methodology and therefore experience returns different than those that would have been achieved under a normal rebalancing schedule. Generally, the index provider does not provide any warranty, or accept any liability, with respect to the quality, accuracy or completeness of the Underlying Index or its related data, and does not guarantee that the Underlying Index will be in line with its stated methodology. Errors in the Underlying Index data, the Underlying Index computations and/or the construction of the Underlying Index in accordance with its stated 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. The Advisor may have limited ability to detect such errors and neither the Advisor nor its affiliates provide any warranty or guarantee against such errors. Therefore, the gains, losses or costs associated with the index provider’s errors will generally be borne by the fund and its shareholders.
Index-related risk may be higher for a fund that tracks an index comprised of, or an index that includes, foreign securities, and in particular emerging markets securities, because regulatory and reporting requirements may differ from those in the US, resulting in a heightened risk of errors in the index data, index computation and/or index construction due to unreliable, out-dated or unavailable information.
Tracking error risk. The fund may be subject to tracking error, which is the divergence of the fund’s performance from that of the Underlying Index. The performance of the fund may diverge from that of the Underlying Index for a number of reasons, including operating expenses, transaction costs, cash flows and operational inefficiencies. The fund’s return also may diverge from the return of the Underlying Index because the fund bears the costs and risks associated with buying and selling securities (especially when rebalancing the fund’s securities holdings to reflect changes in the Underlying Index) while such costs and risks are not factored into the return of the Underlying Index. Transaction costs, including brokerage costs, will decrease the fund’s 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 in order to track the Underlying Index. To the extent that portfolio management uses a representative sampling approach (investing in a representative selection of securities included in the Underlying Index rather than all securities in the Underlying Index), such approach may cause the fund’s return to not be as well correlated with
Prospectus December 22, 2022
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Xtrackers Emerging Markets Carbon Reduction and Climate Improvers ETF

the return of the Underlying Index as would be the case if the fund purchased all of the securities in the Underlying Index in the proportions represented in the Underlying Index. In addition, the fund may not be able to invest in certain securities included in the Underlying Index, or invest in them in the exact proportions in which they are represented in the Underlying Index, due to government imposed legal restrictions or limitations, a lack of liquidity in the markets in which such securities trade, potential adverse tax consequences or other reasons. To the extent the fund calculates its net asset value based on fair value prices and the value of the Underlying Index is based on market prices (i.e., the value of the Underlying Index is not based on fair value prices), the fund’s ability to track the Underlying Index may be adversely affected. Tracking error risk may be heightened during times of increased market volatility or other unusual market conditions. 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 Underlying Index. In light of the factors discussed above, the fund’s return may deviate significantly from the return of the Underlying Index.
Tracking error risk may be higher for funds that track indices with significant weight in foreign issuers, and in particular emerging markets issuers, than funds that do not track such indices.
Market price risk. Fund shares are listed for trading on an exchange and are bought and sold in the secondary market at market prices. The market prices of shares will fluctuate, in some cases materially, in response to changes in the NAV and supply and demand for shares. As a result, the trading prices of shares may deviate significantly from the NAV during periods of market volatility. The Advisor cannot predict whether shares will trade above, below or at their NAV. Given the fact that shares can be created and redeemed in Creation Units (defined below), the Advisor believes that large discounts or premiums to the NAV of shares should not be sustained in the long-term. If market makers exit the business or are unable to continue making markets in fund shares, shares may trade at a discount to NAV like closed-end fund shares and may even face delisting (that is, investors would no longer be able to trade shares in the secondary market). Further, 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, disruptions to creations and redemptions, including disruptions at market makers, APs or market participants, or during periods of significant market volatility, may result in market prices that differ significantly from the value of the fund’s holdings. Although market makers will generally take advantage of differences between the NAV and the market price of fund shares through arbitrage opportunities, there is no guarantee that they will do so. In addition, the securities held by the fund may be traded in markets that close at a different time than the exchange on which the fund’s shares trade. 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 is likely to widen. Further, secondary markets may be subject to irregular trading activity, wide bid-ask spreads and extended trade settlement periods, which could cause a material decline in the fund’s NAV. The fund’s investment results are measured based upon the daily NAV of the fund. Investors purchasing and selling shares in the secondary market may not experience investment results consistent with those experienced by those APs creating and redeeming shares directly with the fund.
Operational and technology risk. Cyber-attacks, disruptions, or failures that affect the fund’s service providers or counterparties, issuers of securities held by the fund, or other market participants may adversely affect the fund and its shareholders, including by causing losses for the fund or impairing fund operations. For example, the fund’s or its service providers’ assets or sensitive or confidential information may be misappropriated, data may be corrupted and operations may be disrupted (e.g., cyber-attacks, operational failures or broader disruptions may cause the release of private shareholder information or confidential fund information, interfere with the processing of shareholder transactions, impact the ability to calculate the fund’s net asset value and impede trading). Market events and disruptions also may trigger a volume of transactions that overloads current information technology and communication systems and processes, impacting the ability to conduct the fund’s operations.
While the fund and its service providers may establish business continuity and other plans and processes that seek to address the possibility of and fallout from cyber-attacks, disruptions or failures, there are inherent limitations in such plans and systems, including that they do not apply to third parties, such as fund counterparties, issuers of securities held by the fund or other market participants, as well as the possibility that certain risks have not been identified or that unknown threats may emerge in the future and there is no assurance that such plans and processes will be effective. Among other situations, disruptions (for example, pandemics or health crises) that cause prolonged periods of remote work or significant employee absences at the fund’s service providers could impact the ability to conduct the fund’s operations. In addition, the fund cannot directly control any cybersecurity plans and systems put in place by its service providers, fund counterparties, issuers of securities held by the fund or other market participants.
Non-diversification risk. At any given time, due to the composition of the Underlying Index, the fund may be classified as “non-diversified” under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended. This means that the fund may
Prospectus December 22, 2022
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Xtrackers Emerging Markets Carbon Reduction and Climate Improvers ETF

invest in securities of relatively few issuers. Thus, the performance of one or a small number of portfolio holdings can affect overall performance.
Authorized Participant concentration risk. The fund may have a limited number of financial institutions that may act as APs. Only APs who have entered into agreements with the fund’s distributor may engage in creation or redemption transactions directly with the fund (as described in the section of this Prospectus entitled “Buying and Selling Shares”). If those APs exit the business or are unable to process creation and/or redemption orders, (including in situations where APs have limited or diminished access to capital required to post collateral) and no other AP is able to step forward to create and redeem in either of these cases, shares may trade at a discount to NAV like closed-end fund shares and may even face delisting (that is, investors would no longer be able to trade shares in the secondary market).
Geographic focus risk. Focusing investments in a single country or few countries, or regions, involves increased political, regulatory and other risks. Market swings in such a targeted country, countries or regions are likely to have a greater effect on fund performance than they would in a more geographically diversified fund.
Risks related to investing in Asia. Investment in securities of issuers in Asia involves risks and special considerations not typically associated with investment in the US securities markets. Certain Asian economies have experienced high inflation, high unemployment, currency devaluations and restrictions, and over-extension of credit. Many Asian economies have experienced rapid growth and industrialization, and there is no assurance that this growth rate will be maintained. During the recent global recession, many of the export-driven Asian economies experienced the effects of the economic slowdown in the United States and Europe, and certain Asian governments implemented stimulus plans, low-rate monetary policies and currency devaluations. Economic events in any one Asian country may have a significant economic effect on the entire Asian region, as well as on major trading partners outside Asia. Any adverse event in the Asian markets may have a significant adverse effect on some or all of the economies of Asian countries in which the fund invests. Many Asian countries are subject to political risk, including corruption and regional conflict with neighboring countries. In addition, many Asian countries are subject to social and labor risks associated with demands for improved political, economic and social conditions.
Derivatives risk. Derivatives involve risks different from, and possibly greater than, the risks associated with investing directly in securities and other more traditional investments. Risks associated with derivatives may include the risk that the derivative is not well correlated with the security, index or currency to which it relates; the risk that derivatives may result in losses or missed opportunities; the risk that the fund will be unable to sell the
derivative because of an illiquid secondary market; the risk that a counterparty is unwilling or unable to meet its obligation; and the risk that the derivative transaction could expose the fund to the effects of leverage, which could increase the fund’s exposure to the market and magnify potential losses.
Futures risk. The value of a futures contract tends to increase and decrease in tandem with the value of the underlying instrument. A decision as to whether, when and how to use futures involves the exercise of skill and judgment and even a well-conceived futures transaction may be unsuccessful because of market behavior or unexpected events. In addition to the derivatives risks discussed above, the prices of futures can be highly volatile, using futures can lower total return and the potential loss from futures can exceed the fund’s initial investment in such contracts.
Counterparty risk. A financial institution or other counterparty with whom the fund does business, or that underwrites, distributes or guarantees any investments or contracts that the fund owns or is otherwise exposed to, may decline in financial health and become unable to honor its commitments. This could cause losses for the fund or could delay the return or delivery of collateral or other assets to the fund.
Securities lending risk. Securities lending involves the risk that the fund may lose money because the borrower of the loaned securities fails to return the securities in a timely manner or at all. A delay in the recovery of loaned securities could interfere with the fund’s ability to vote proxies or settle transactions. The fund could also lose money in the event of a decline in the value of the collateral provided for the loaned securities, or a decline in the value of any investments made with cash collateral or even a loss of rights in the collateral should the borrower of the securities fail financially while holding the securities.
Past Performance
The bar chart and table below provide some indication of the risks of investing in the fund by showing changes in the fund’s performance from year to year and by showing how the fund’s average annual returns compare with those of the Underlying Index and a broad measure of market performance.The fund’s past performance (before and after taxes) is not necessarily an indication of how the fund will perform in the future. Updated performance information is available on the fund’s website at Xtrackers.com (the website does not form a part of this prospectus).
Prior to August 18, 2021, the fund operated with a different investment strategy. Performance would have been different if the fund’s current investment strategy had been in effect. Returns prior to August 18, 2021 reflect those of the fund when it was tracking the prior underlying index.
Prospectus December 22, 2022
26
Xtrackers Emerging Markets Carbon Reduction and Climate Improvers ETF

CALENDAR YEAR TOTAL RETURNS(%)
 
Returns
Period ending
Best Quarter
17.22%
June 30, 2020
Worst Quarter
-21.88%
March 31, 2020
Year-to-Date
-26.20%
September 30, 2022
Average Annual Total Returns
(For periods ended 12/31/2021 expressed as a %)
All after-tax returns are calculated using the historical highest individual federal marginal income tax rates and do not reflect the impact of any state or local tax. Your own actual after-tax returns will depend on your tax situation and may differ from what is shown here. After-tax returns are not relevant to investors who hold shares of the fund in tax-deferred accounts such as individual retirement accounts (“IRAs”) or employee-sponsored retirement plans.
 
Inception Date
1
Year
Since
Inception
Returns before tax
12/6/2018
6.33
11.57
After tax on distribu-
tions
 
5.77
10.99
After tax on distribu-
tions and sale of fund
shares
 
3.96
9.00
Solactive ISS Emerging
Markets Carbon Reduc-
tion & Climate
Improvers Index NTR
(reflects no deductions
for fees, expenses or
taxes)1
 
7.01
11.82
MSCI Emerging Markets
Index (reflects no deduc-
tions for fees, expenses
or taxes)
 
-2.54
9.00
1 On August 18, 2021, the fund changed its Underlying Index from MSCI ACWI ex USA ESG Leaders Index to the Solactive ISS Emerging Markets Carbon Reduction & Climate Improvers Index NTR. Returns reflect performance for the MSCI ACWI ex USA ESG Leaders Index through August 17, 2021.
Effective August 18, 2021, the fund changed its underlying index to the Solactive ISS Emerging Markets Carbon Reduction & Climate Improvers Index NTR. Returns prior to August 18, 2021 reflect the performance for the fund when it was seeking investment results of the prior underlying index.
Management
Investment Advisor
DBX Advisors LLC
Portfolio Managers
Bryan Richards, CFA, Vice President of DBX Advisors LLC and Head of Portfolio Engineering, Systematic Investment Solutions, of DWS Investment Management Americas, Inc. Portfolio Manager of the fund. Began managing the fund in 2018.
Patrick Dwyer, Vice President of DBX Advisors LLC and Senior Portfolio Engineer & Team Lead, Systematic Investment Solutions, of DWS Investment Management Americas, Inc. Portfolio Manager of the fund. Began managing the fund in 2018.
Shlomo Bassous, Vice President of DBX Advisors LLC and Senior Portfolio Engineer, Systematic Investment Solutions, of DWS Investment Management Americas, Inc. Portfolio Manager of the fund. Began managing the fund in 2018.
Ashif Shaikh, Vice President of DBX Advisors LLC and Portfolio Engineer, Systematic Investment Solutions, of DWS Investment Management Americas, Inc. Portfolio Manager of the fund. Began managing the fund in 2022.
Purchase and Sale of Fund Shares
The fund is an exchange-traded fund (commonly referred to as an “ETF”). Individual fund shares may only be purchased and sold through a brokerage firm. The price of fund shares is based on market price, and because ETF shares trade at market prices rather than NAV, shares may trade at a price greater than NAV (a premium) or less than NAV (a discount). The fund will only issue or redeem shares that have been aggregated into blocks of 50,000 shares or multiples thereof (“Creation Units”) to APs who have entered into agreements with ALPS Distributors, Inc., the fund’s distributor. You 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 of the fund (ask) when buying or selling shares (the “bid-ask spread”). Information on the fund’s net asset value, market price, premiums and discounts and bid-ask spreads may be found at Xtrackers.com.
Tax Information
The fund's distributions are generally taxable to you as ordinary income or capital gains, except when your investment is in an IRA, 401(k), or other tax-advantaged investment plan. Any withdrawals you make from such tax- advantaged investment plans, however, may be taxable to you.
Prospectus December 22, 2022
27
Xtrackers Emerging Markets Carbon Reduction and Climate Improvers ETF

Payments to Broker-Dealers and
Other Financial Intermediaries
If you purchase shares of the fund through a broker-dealer or other financial intermediary (such as a bank), the Advisor or other related companies may pay the intermediary for marketing activities and presentations, educational training programs, the support of technology platforms and/or reporting systems or other services related to the sale or promotion of the fund. These payments may create a conflict of interest by influencing the broker-dealer or other intermediary and your salesperson to recommend the fund over another investment. Ask your salesperson or visit your financial intermediary’s website for more information.
Prospectus December 22, 2022
28
Xtrackers Emerging Markets Carbon Reduction and Climate Improvers ETF


Xtrackers MSCI USA ESG Leaders Equity ETF
Ticker: USSG
Stock Exchange: NYSE Arca, Inc.
Investment Objective
Xtrackers MSCI USA ESG Leaders Equity ETF (the “fund”), seeks investment results that correspond generally to the performance, before fees and expenses, of the MSCI USA ESG Leaders Index (the “Underlying Index”).
Fees and Expenses
These are the fees and expenses that you will pay when you buy, hold and sell shares. You may also pay other fees, such as brokerage commissions and other fees to financial intermediaries on the purchase and sale of shares of the fund, which are not reflected in the table and example below.
ANNUAL FUND OPERATING EXPENSES
(expenses that you pay each year as a % of the value of your investment)
Management fee
0.10
Other Expenses
None
Total annual fund operating expenses
0.10
EXAMPLE
This Example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the fund with the cost of investing in other funds. The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the fund for the time periods indicated and then sell all of your shares at the end of those periods. The Example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the fund's operating expenses remain the same. The Example does not take into account brokerage commissions that you may pay on your purchases and sales of shares of the fund. It also does not include the transaction fees on purchases and redemptions of Creation Units (defined herein), because those fees will not be
imposed on retail investors. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:
 
1 Year
3 Years
5 Years
10 Years
 
$10
$32
$56
$128
PORTFOLIO TURNOVER 
The fund pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or “turns over” its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover may indicate higher transaction costs and may mean higher taxes if you are investing in a taxable account. These costs are not reflected in annual fund operating expenses or in the expense example, and can affect the fund's performance. During the most recent fiscal year, the fund’s portfolio turnover rate was 6% of the average value of its portfolio.
Principal Investment Strategies
The fund, using a “passive” or indexing investment approach, seeks investment results that correspond generally to the performance, before fees and expenses, of the Underlying Index, which is a capitalization weighted index that provides exposure to companies with high environmental, social and governance (“ESG”) performance relative to their sector peers. The Underlying Index consists of large- and medium-capitalization companies in the US market. Under normal circumstances, the annual review of the Underlying Index takes place in May and it is rebalanced in August, November and February. The fund rebalances its portfolio in accordance with the Underlying Index, and, therefore, any changes to the Underlying Index's review and rebalance schedule will result in corresponding changes to the fund's rebalance schedule.
The Underlying Index uses MSCI ESG Ratings, MSCI ESG Controversies and MSCI Business Involvement Screening Research (collectively, “MSCI ESG Research”) to determine index components for the Underlying Index.
Prospectus December 22, 2022 29 Xtrackers MSCI USA ESG Leaders Equity ETF

◾ MSCI ESG Ratings provides research, analysis and ratings of how well companies manage their ESG risks and opportunities. MSCI ESG Ratings provides a company with an overall ESG rating on a seven point scale, ranging from ‘AAA’ to ‘CCC.’ Existing constituents of the Underlying Index are required to have an MSCI ESG rating of BB or above to remain in the index, and companies that are currently not constituents of the Underlying Index are also required to have an MSCI ESG rating of BB or above to be considered eligible for addition.
◾ MSCI ESG Controversies provides assessments of controversies concerning the negative ESG impact of company operations, products and services. A controversy case is defined as an instance or ongoing situation in which company operations and/or products allegedly have a negative environmental, social, and/or governance impact. A case is typically a single event such as a spill, accident, regulatory action, or a set of closely linked events or allegations such as health and safety fines at the same facility, multiple allegations of anti-competitive behavior related to the same product line, multiple community protests at the same company location, or multiple individual lawsuits alleging the same type of discrimination. MSCI ESG Controversies score companies on a scale of 0 to 10, with 0 being the most severe controversy. Existing constituents of the Underlying Index are required to have an MSCI ESG Controversies Score of 1 or above to remain in the index, while companies that are currently not constituents of the Underlying Index are required to have an MSCI ESG Controversies Score of 3 or above to be considered eligible for addition.
◾ MSCI ESG Business Involvement Screening Research aims to enable institutional investors to manage ESG standards and restrictions reliably and efficiently. Companies that are involved in specific business activities which have high potential for negative social and/or environmental impact, such as alcohol, gambling, tobacco, nuclear power, fossil fuel extraction, thermal coal power, conventional weapons, nuclear weapons, controversial weapons and civilian firearms, are ineligible for inclusion.
The fund uses a full replication indexing strategy to seek to track the Underlying Index. As such, the fund invests directly in the component securities (or a substantial number of the component securities) of the Underlying Index in substantially the same weightings in which they are represented in the Underlying Index. If it is not possible for the fund to acquire component securities due to limited availability or regulatory restrictions, the fund may use a representative sampling indexing strategy to seek to track the Underlying Index instead of a full replication indexing strategy. “Representative sampling” is an indexing strategy that involves investing in a representative sample of securities that collectively has an investment profile similar to the Underlying Index. The securities selected are expected to have, in the aggregate, investment characteristics (based on factors such as
market capitalization and industry weightings), fundamental characteristics (such as return variability and yield), and liquidity measures similar to those of the Underlying Index. The fund may or may not hold all of the securities in the Underlying Index when using a representative sampling indexing strategy. The fund will invest at least 80% of its total assets (but typically far more) in component securities of the Underlying Index.
As of October 31, 2022, the Underlying Index consisted of 277 securities, with an average market capitalization of approximately $60.96 billion and a minimum market capitalization of approximately $4.14 billion. The fund will normally invest at least 80% of its net assets, plus the amount of any borrowings for investment purposes, in listed equity securities of issuers incorporated in the United States.
The fund will concentrate its investments (i.e., hold 25% or more of its total assets) in a particular industry or group of industries to the extent that its Underlying Index is concentrated. As of October 31, 2022, a significant percentage of the Underlying Index was comprised of issuers in the information technology (26.93%) and health care (16.19%) sectors. The information technology sector includes companies engaged in developing software and providing data processing and outsourced services, along with manufacturing and distributing communications equipment, computers and other electronic equipment and instruments. Industries in the health care sector include pharmaceuticals, biotechnology, medical products and supplies, and health care services. To the extent that the fund tracks the Underlying Index, the fund’s investment in certain sectors or countries may change over time.
The fund may become “non-diversified,” as defined under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended, solely as a result of a change in relative market capitalization or index weighting of one or more constituents of the index that the fund is designed to track. Shareholder approval will not be sought when the fund crosses from diversified to non-diversified status under such circumstances.
The fund or securities referred to herein are not sponsored, endorsed, issued, sold or promoted by MSCI, and MSCI bears no liability with respect to the fund or securities or any index on which the fund or securities are based.
Derivatives. Portfolio management generally may use futures contracts, stock index futures, options on futures, swap contracts and other types of derivatives in seeking performance that corresponds to its Underlying Index and will not use such instruments for speculative purposes.
Securities lending. 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 liquid collateral equal to at least 102% of the
Prospectus December 22, 2022
30
Xtrackers MSCI USA ESG Leaders Equity ETF

value of the portfolio securities being lent. This collateral is marked to market on a daily basis. The fund may lend its portfolio securities in an amount up to 33 1/3% of its total assets.
Main Risks
As with any investment, you could lose all or part of your investment in the fund, and the fund’s performance could trail that of other investments. The fund is subject to the main risks noted below, any of which may adversely affect the fund’s net asset value (“NAV”), trading price, yield, total return and ability to meet its investment objective, as well as numerous other risks that are described in greater detail in the section of this Prospectus entitled “Additional Information About Fund Strategies, Underlying Index Information and Risks” and in the Statement of Additional Information (“SAI”).
ESG investment strategy risk. The Underlying Index’s ESG methodology, and thus the fund’s investment strategy, limits the types and number of investment opportunities available to the fund and, as a result, the fund may underperform other funds that do not have an ESG focus. The Underlying Index’s ESG methodology may result in the fund investing in securities or industry sectors that underperform the market as a whole or underperform other funds screened for ESG standards. The ESG scores used in the Underlying Index’s ESG methodology are based on information that is publicly available and/or provided by the companies themselves or by third parties and such information may be unavailable or unreliable. The Underlying Index seeks to include the companies in each sector that have the highest ESG performance relative to the other companies in the sector, and as a result may include companies that do not exhibit positive ESG performance when compared to a broader universe of companies. Additionally, investors may differ in their interpretations of what constitutes positive or negative ESG characteristics of a company. For those reasons, the index provider may be unsuccessful in creating an index composed of companies that exhibit positive ESG characteristics. To the extent that circumstances change between the Underlying Index’s scheduled rebalancing dates, the Underlying Index may include, and the fund may hold for a period of time, securities of companies that do not align with the ESG criteria. The companies identified by the Index Provider as meeting the ESG criteria for the Underlying Index may not be the same companies selected by other index providers for other indices that use similar ESG criteria. Regulatory changes or interpretations regarding the definitions and/or use of ESG criteria could have a material adverse effect on the fund’s ability to invest in accordance with its investment policies and/or achieve its investment objective, as well as the ability of certain classes of investors to invest in funds following an ESG strategy such as the fund. For example, the SEC has proposed disclosure requirements applicable to funds that consider ESG factors. In addition,
recent US state actions could prohibit certain state sponsored pension plans or investment funds from investing in certain funds that consider ESG factors.
Stock market risk. When stock prices fall, you should expect the value of your investment to fall as well. Stock prices can be hurt by poor management on the part of the stock’s issuer, shrinking product demand and other business risks. These may affect single companies as well as groups of companies. The market as a whole may not favor the types of investments the fund makes, which could adversely affect a stock’s price, regardless of how well the company performs, or the fund’s ability to sell a stock at an attractive price. There is a chance that stock prices overall will decline because stock markets tend to move in cycles, with periods of rising and falling prices. Events in the US and global financial markets, including actions taken by the US Federal Reserve or foreign central banks to stimulate or stabilize economic growth, may at times result in unusually high market volatility which could negatively affect performance. To the extent that the fund invests in a particular geographic region, capitalization or sector, the fund’s performance may be affected by the general performance of that region, capitalization or sector.
Market disruption risk. Economies and financial markets throughout the world are becoming increasingly interconnected, which increases the likelihood that events or conditions in one country or region will adversely impact markets or issuers in other countries or regions. The value of the fund’s investments may be negatively affected by adverse changes in overall economic or market conditions, such as the level of economic activity and productivity, unemployment and labor force participation rates, inflation or deflation (and expectations for inflation or deflation), interest rates, demand and supply for particular products or resources including labor, and debt levels and credit ratings, among other factors. Such adverse conditions may contribute to an overall economic contraction across entire economies or markets, which may negatively impact the profitability of issuers operating in those economies or markets, including the investments held by the fund. In addition, geopolitical and other events, including war, terrorism, economic uncertainty, trade disputes, public health crises and related geopolitical events have led, and in the future may lead, to disruptions in the US and world economies and markets, which may increase financial market volatility and have significant adverse direct or indirect effects on the fund and its investments. Adverse market conditions or disruptions could cause the fund to lose money, experience significant redemptions, and encounter operational difficulties. Although multiple asset classes may be affected by adverse market conditions or a particular market disruption, the duration and effects may not be the same for all types of assets.
Russia's recent military incursions in Ukraine have led to, and may lead to, additional sanctions being levied by the United States, European Union and other countries against
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Xtrackers MSCI USA ESG Leaders Equity ETF

Russia. Russia's military incursions and the resulting sanctions could adversely affect global energy, commodities and financial markets and thus could affect the value of the fund's investments. The extent and duration of the military action, sanctions and resulting market disruptions are impossible to predict, but could be substantial.
Other market disruption events include the pandemic spread of the novel coronavirus known as COVID-19, which at times has caused significant uncertainty, market volatility, decreased economic and other activity, increased government activity, including economic stimulus measures, and supply chain disruptions. The full effects, duration and costs of the COVID-19 pandemic are impossible to predict, and the circumstances surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic will continue to evolve including the risk of future increased rates of infection due to significant portions of the population remaining unvaccinated and/or the lack of effectiveness of current vaccines against new variants. The pandemic has affected and may continue to affect certain countries, industries, economic sectors, companies and investment products more than others, may exacerbate existing economic, political, or social tensions and may increase the probability of an economic recession or depression. The fund and its investments may be adversely affected by the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Adverse market conditions or particular market disruptions, such as those caused by Russian military action and the COVID-19 pandemic, may magnify the impact of each of the other risks described in this “MAIN RISKS” section and may increase volatility in one or more markets in which the fund invests leading to the potential for greater losses for the fund.
Medium-sized company risk. Medium-sized company stocks tend to be more volatile than large company stocks. Because stock analysts are less likely to follow medium-sized companies, less information about them is available to investors. Industry-wide reversals may have a greater impact on medium-sized companies, since they lack the financial resources of larger companies. Medium-sized company stocks are typically less liquid than large company stocks.
Liquidity risk. In certain situations, it may be difficult or impossible to sell an investment at an acceptable price. This risk can be ongoing for any security that does not trade actively or in large volumes, for any security that trades primarily on smaller markets, and for investments that typically trade only among a limited number of large investors (such as restricted securities). In unusual market conditions, even normally liquid securities may be affected by a degree of liquidity risk. This may affect only certain securities or an overall securities market.
Although the fund primarily seeks to redeem shares of the fund on an in-kind basis, if the fund is forced to sell underlying investments at reduced prices or under unfavorable conditions to meet redemption requests or other cash
needs, the fund may suffer a loss. This may be magnified in circumstances where redemptions from the fund may be higher than normal.
Focus risk. To the extent that the fund focuses its investments in particular industries, asset classes or sectors of the economy, any market price movements, regulatory or technological changes, or economic conditions affecting companies in those industries, asset classes or sectors may have a significant impact on the fund’s performance.
Information technology sector risk. To the extent that the fund invests significantly in the information technology sector, the fund will be sensitive to changes in, and the fund’s performance may depend to a greater extent on, the overall condition of the information technology sector. Information technology companies are particularly vulnerable to government regulation and competition, both domestically and internationally, including competition from foreign competitors with lower production costs. Information technology companies also face competition for services of qualified personnel. Additionally, the products of information technology companies may face obsolescence due to rapid technological development and frequent new product introduction by competitors. Finally, information technology companies are heavily dependent on patent and intellectual property rights, the loss or impairment of which may adversely affect profitability.
Health care sector risk. To the extent that the fund invests significantly in the health care sector, the fund will be sensitive to changes in, and the fund’s performance may depend to a greater extent on, the overall condition of the health care sector. The health care sector may be affected by government regulations and government health care programs, increases or decreases in the cost of medical products and services and product liability claims, among other factors. Many health care companies are heavily dependent on patent protection, and the expiration of a company’s patent may adversely affect that company’s profitability. Health care companies are subject to competitive forces that may result in price discounting, and may be thinly capitalized and susceptible to product obsolescence.
Passive investing risk. Unlike a fund that is actively managed, in which portfolio management buys and sells securities based on research and analysis, the fund invests in securities included in, or representative of, the Underlying Index, regardless of their investment merits. Because the fund is designed to maintain a high level of exposure to the Underlying Index at all times, portfolio management generally will not buy or sell a security unless the security is added or removed, respectively, from the Underlying Index, and will not take any steps to invest defensively or otherwise reduce the risk of loss during market downturns.
Index-related risk. The fund seeks investment results that correspond generally to the performance, before fees and expenses, of the Underlying Index as published by the
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index provider. There is no assurance that the Underlying Index provider will compile the Underlying Index accurately, or that the Underlying Index will be determined, composed or calculated accurately. Market disruptions could cause delays in the Underlying Index’s rebalancing schedule. During any such delay, it is possible that the Underlying Index and, in turn, the fund will deviate from the Underlying Index’s stated methodology and therefore experience returns different than those that would have been achieved under a normal rebalancing schedule. Generally, the index provider does not provide any warranty, or accept any liability, with respect to the quality, accuracy or completeness of the Underlying Index or its related data, and does not guarantee that the Underlying Index will be in line with its stated methodology. Errors in the Underlying Index data, the Underlying Index computations and/or the construction of the Underlying Index in accordance with its stated 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. The Advisor may have limited ability to detect such errors and neither the Advisor nor its affiliates provide any warranty or guarantee against such errors. Therefore, the gains, losses or costs associated with the index provider’s errors will generally be borne by the fund and its shareholders.
Tracking error risk. The fund may be subject to tracking error, which is the divergence of the fund’s performance from that of the Underlying Index. The performance of the fund may diverge from that of the Underlying Index for a number of reasons, including operating expenses, transaction costs, cash flows and operational inefficiencies. The fund’s return also may diverge from the return of the Underlying Index because the fund bears the costs and risks associated with buying and selling securities (especially when rebalancing the fund’s securities holdings to reflect changes in the Underlying Index) while such costs and risks are not factored into the return of the Underlying Index. Transaction costs, including brokerage costs, will decrease the fund’s 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 in order to track the Underlying Index. To the extent that portfolio management uses a representative sampling approach (investing in a representative selection of securities included in the Underlying Index rather than all securities in the Underlying Index), such approach may cause the fund’s return to not be as well correlated with the return of the Underlying Index as would be the case if the fund purchased all of the securities in the Underlying Index in the proportions represented in the Underlying Index. In addition, the fund may not be able to invest in certain securities included in the Underlying Index, or invest in them in the exact proportions in which they are represented in the Underlying Index, due to government imposed legal restrictions or limitations, a lack of liquidity
in the markets in which such securities trade, potential adverse tax consequences or other reasons. To the extent the fund calculates its net asset value based on fair value prices and the value of the Underlying Index is based on market prices (i.e., the value of the Underlying Index is not based on fair value prices), the fund’s ability to track the Underlying Index may be adversely affected. Tracking error risk may be heightened during times of increased market volatility or other unusual market conditions. 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 Underlying Index. In light of the factors discussed above, the fund’s return may deviate significantly from the return of the Underlying Index.
Market price risk. Fund shares are listed for trading on an exchange and are bought and sold in the secondary market at market prices. The market prices of shares will fluctuate, in some cases materially, in response to changes in the NAV and supply and demand for shares. As a result, the trading prices of shares may deviate significantly from the NAV during periods of market volatility. The Advisor cannot predict whether shares will trade above, below or at their NAV. Given the fact that shares can be created and redeemed in Creation Units (defined below), the Advisor believes that large discounts or premiums to the NAV of shares should not be sustained in the long-term. If market makers exit the business or are unable to continue making markets in fund shares, shares may trade at a discount to NAV like closed-end fund shares and may even face delisting (that is, investors would no longer be able to trade shares in the secondary market). Further, 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, disruptions to creations and redemptions, including disruptions at market makers, APs or market participants, or during periods of significant market volatility, may result in market prices that differ significantly from the value of the fund’s holdings. Although market makers will generally take advantage of differences between the NAV and the market price of fund shares through arbitrage opportunities, there is no guarantee that they will do so. Secondary markets may be subject to irregular trading activity, wide bid-ask spreads and extended trade settlement periods, which could cause a material decline in the fund’s NAV. The fund’s investment results are measured based upon the daily NAV of the fund. Investors purchasing and selling shares in the secondary market may not experience investment results consistent with those experienced by those APs creating and redeeming shares directly with the fund.
Operational and technology risk. Cyber-attacks, disruptions, or failures that affect the fund’s service providers or counterparties, issuers of securities held by the fund, or other market participants may adversely affect the fund and its shareholders, including by causing losses for the fund or impairing fund operations. For example, the fund’s
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Xtrackers MSCI USA ESG Leaders Equity ETF

or its service providers’ assets or sensitive or confidential information may be misappropriated, data may be corrupted and operations may be disrupted (e.g., cyber-attacks, operational failures or broader disruptions may cause the release of private shareholder information or confidential fund information, interfere with the processing of shareholder transactions, impact the ability to calculate the fund’s net asset value and impede trading). Market events and disruptions also may trigger a volume of transactions that overloads current information technology and communication systems and processes, impacting the ability to conduct the fund’s operations.
While the fund and its service providers may establish business continuity and other plans and processes that seek to address the possibility of and fallout from cyber-attacks, disruptions or failures, there are inherent limitations in such plans and systems, including that they do not apply to third parties, such as fund counterparties, issuers of securities held by the fund or other market participants, as well as the possibility that certain risks have not been identified or that unknown threats may emerge in the future and there is no assurance that such plans and processes will be effective. Among other situations, disruptions (for example, pandemics or health crises) that cause prolonged periods of remote work or significant employee absences at the fund’s service providers could impact the ability to conduct the fund’s operations. In addition, the fund cannot directly control any cybersecurity plans and systems put in place by its service providers, fund counterparties, issuers of securities held by the fund or other market participants.
Authorized Participant concentration risk. The fund may have a limited number of financial institutions that may act as APs. Only APs who have entered into agreements with the fund’s distributor may engage in creation or redemption transactions directly with the fund (as described in the section of this Prospectus entitled “Buying and Selling Shares”). If those APs exit the business or are unable to process creation and/or redemption orders, (including in situations where APs have limited or diminished access to capital required to post collateral) and no other AP is able to step forward to create and redeem in either of these cases, shares may trade at a discount to NAV like closed-end fund shares and may even face delisting (that is, investors would no longer be able to trade shares in the secondary market).
Non-diversification risk. The fund is classified as non-diversified under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended. This means that the fund may invest in securities of relatively few issuers. Thus, the performance of one or a small number of portfolio holdings can affect overall performance.
If the fund becomes classified as “diversified” over time and again becomes non-diversified as a result of a change in relative market capitalization or index weighting of one or more constituents of the index that the fund is designed to track, non-diversification risk would apply.
Derivatives risk. Derivatives involve risks different from, and possibly greater than, the risks associated with investing directly in securities and other more traditional investments. Risks associated with derivatives may include the risk that the derivative is not well correlated with the security, index or currency to which it relates; the risk that derivatives may result in losses or missed opportunities; the risk that the fund will be unable to sell the derivative because of an illiquid secondary market; the risk that a counterparty is unwilling or unable to meet its obligation; and the risk that the derivative transaction could expose the fund to the effects of leverage, which could increase the fund’s exposure to the market and magnify potential losses.
Futures risk. The value of a futures contract tends to increase and decrease in tandem with the value of the underlying instrument. A decision as to whether, when and how to use futures involves the exercise of skill and judgment and even a well-conceived futures transaction may be unsuccessful because of market behavior or unexpected events. In addition to the derivatives risks discussed above, the prices of futures can be highly volatile, using futures can lower total return and the potential loss from futures can exceed the fund’s initial investment in such contracts.
Counterparty risk. A financial institution or other counterparty with whom the fund does business, or that underwrites, distributes or guarantees any investments or contracts that the fund owns or is otherwise exposed to, may decline in financial health and become unable to honor its commitments. This could cause losses for the fund or could delay the return or delivery of collateral or other assets to the fund.
Securities lending risk. Securities lending involves the risk that the fund may lose money because the borrower of the loaned securities fails to return the securities in a timely manner or at all. A delay in the recovery of loaned securities could interfere with the fund’s ability to vote proxies or settle transactions. The fund could also lose money in the event of a decline in the value of the collateral provided for the loaned securities, or a decline in the value of any investments made with cash collateral or even a loss of rights in the collateral should the borrower of the securities fail financially while holding the securities.
Past Performance
The bar chart and table below provide some indication of the risks of investing in the fund by showing changes in the fund’s performance from year to year and by showing how the fund’s average annual returns compare with those of the Underlying Index and a broad measure of market
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Xtrackers MSCI USA ESG Leaders Equity ETF

performance.The fund’s past performance (before and after taxes) is not necessarily an indication of how the fund will perform in the future. Updated performance information is available on the fund’s website at Xtrackers.com (the website does not form a part of this prospectus).
CALENDAR YEAR TOTAL RETURNS(%)
 
Returns
Period ending
Best Quarter
20.34%
June 30, 2020
Worst Quarter
-18.45%
March 31, 2020
Year-to-Date
-25.93%
September 30, 2022
Average Annual Total Returns
(For periods ended 12/31/2021 expressed as a %)
All after-tax returns are calculated using the historical highest individual federal marginal income tax rates and do not reflect the impact of any state or local tax. Your own actual after-tax returns will depend on your tax situation and may differ from what is shown here. After-tax returns are not relevant to investors who hold shares of the fund in tax-deferred accounts such as individual retirement accounts (“IRAs”) or employee-sponsored retirement plans.
 
Inception Date
1
Year
Since
Inception
Returns before tax
3/7/2019
31.66
24.40
After tax on distribu-
tions
 
30.98
23.86
After tax on distribu-
tions and sale of fund
shares
 
18.70
19.18
MSCI USA ESG Leaders
Index (reflects no deduc-
tions for fees, expenses
or taxes)
 
31.73
24.48
MSCI USA Index
(reflects no deductions
for fees, expenses or
taxes)
 
25.61
22.38
S&P 500 Index (reflects
no deductions for fees,
expenses or taxes)
 
28.71
23.28
Effective June 30, 2022, the MSCI USA Index replaced the S&P 500 Index as the fund’s broad-based securities market benchmark index because the Advisor believes the MSCI USA Index more accurately reflects the fund’s current investment strategies.
Management
Investment Advisor
DBX Advisors LLC
Portfolio Managers
Bryan Richards, CFA, Vice President of DBX Advisors LLC and Head of Portfolio Engineering, Systematic Investment Solutions, of DWS Investment Management Americas, Inc. Portfolio Manager of the fund. Began managing the fund in 2019.
Patrick Dwyer, Vice President of DBX Advisors LLC and Senior Portfolio Engineer & Team Lead, Systematic Investment Solutions, of DWS Investment Management Americas, Inc. Portfolio Manager of the fund. Began managing the fund in 2019.
Shlomo Bassous, Vice President of DBX Advisors LLC and Senior Portfolio Engineer, Systematic Investment Solutions, of DWS Investment Management Americas, Inc. Portfolio Manager of the fund. Began managing the fund in 2019.
Ashif Shaikh, Vice President of DBX Advisors LLC and Portfolio Engineer, Systematic Investment Solutions, of DWS Investment Management Americas, Inc. Portfolio Manager of the fund. Began managing the fund in 2022.
Purchase and Sale of Fund Shares
The fund is an exchange-traded fund (commonly referred to as an “ETF”). Individual fund shares may only be purchased and sold through a brokerage firm. The price of fund shares is based on market price, and because ETF shares trade at market prices rather than NAV, shares may trade at a price greater than NAV (a premium) or less than NAV (a discount). The fund will only issue or redeem shares that have been aggregated into blocks of 50,000 shares or multiples thereof (“Creation Units”) to APs who have entered into agreements with ALPS Distributors, Inc., the fund’s distributor. You 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 of the fund (ask) when buying or selling shares (the “bid-ask spread”). Information on the fund’s net asset value, market price, premiums and discounts and bid-ask spreads may be found at Xtrackers.com.
Tax Information
The fund's distributions are generally taxable to you as ordinary income or capital gains, except when your investment is in an IRA, 401(k), or other tax-advantaged investment plan. Any withdrawals you make from such tax- advantaged investment plans, however, may be taxable to you.
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Payments to Broker-Dealers and
Other Financial Intermediaries
If you purchase shares of the fund through a broker-dealer or other financial intermediary (such as a bank), the Advisor or other related companies may pay the intermediary for marketing activities and presentations, educational training programs, the support of technology platforms and/or reporting systems or other services related to the sale or promotion of the fund. These payments may create a conflict of interest by influencing the broker-dealer or other intermediary and your salesperson to recommend the fund over another investment. Ask your salesperson or visit your financial intermediary’s website for more information.
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Xtrackers MSCI USA ESG Leaders Equity ETF


Xtrackers Net Zero Pathway Paris Aligned US Equity ETF
Ticker: USNZ
Stock Exchange: NYSE Arca, Inc.
Investment Objective
Xtrackers Net Zero Pathway Paris Aligned US Equity ETF (the “fund”), seeks investment results that correspond generally to the performance, before fees and expenses, of the Solactive ISS ESG United States Net Zero Pathway Enhanced Index (the “Underlying Index”).
Fees and Expenses
These are the fees and expenses that you will pay when you buy, hold and sell shares. You may also pay other fees, such as brokerage commissions and other fees to financial intermediaries on the purchase and sale of shares of the fund, which are not reflected in the table and example below.
ANNUAL FUND OPERATING EXPENSES
(expenses that you pay each year as a % of the value of your investment)
Management fee
0.10%
Other Expenses1
None
Total annual fund operating expenses
0.10%
1Because the fund is new, “Other Expenses” are based on estimated amounts for the current fiscal year.
EXAMPLE
This Example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the fund with the cost of investing in other funds. The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the fund for the time periods indicated and then sell all of your shares at the end of those periods. The Example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the fund's operating expenses remain the same. The Example does not take into account brokerage commissions that you may pay on your purchases and sales of shares of the fund. It also does not include the transaction fees on purchases and redemptions of Creation Units (defined herein), because those fees will not be
imposed on retail investors. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:
 
1 Year
3 Years
 
$10
$32
PORTFOLIO TURNOVER 
The fund pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or “turns over” its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover may indicate higher transaction costs and may mean higher taxes if you are investing in a taxable account. These costs are not reflected in annual fund operating expenses or in the expense example, and can affect the fund's performance.
Portfolio turnover rate for the fund, for the period from June 28, 2022 (commencement of operations) through the most recent fiscal year, was 11%.
Principal Investment Strategies
The fund, using a “passive” or indexing investment approach, seeks investment results that correspond generally to the performance, before fees and expenses, of the Underlying Index, which is comprised of large and mid-capitalization companies in the United States that meet certain environmental, social and governance (“ESG”) criteria. The constituents of the Underlying Index are weighted in such a manner seeking to comply with the European Union Paris-aligned Benchmark standards, while incorporating recommendations of the Net Zero Investment Framework published, from time to time, by the Institutional Investors Group on Climate Change.
In constructing the Underlying Index, Solactive AG (“Solactive”) begins with the universe of securities comprising the parent index, the Solactive GBS United States Large & Mid Cap Index, which is designed to track the performance of the large and mid-capitalization segment covering approximately the largest 85% of the free-float market capitalization in the United States. From
Prospectus December 22, 2022 37 Xtrackers Net Zero Pathway Paris Aligned US Equity ETF

this universe of securities, Solactive first seeks to identify only those companies operating in accordance with the following established standards for responsible ESG conduct. Solactive uses data from Institutional Shareholder Services, Inc. (“ISS”) to evaluate a company with respect to each of the ESG factors enumerated below.
Companies in the parent universe are excluded from the Underlying Index for:
Failure to observe established norms with respect to environment, human rights, corruption and labor rights;
Involvement in controversial weapons (i.e., chemical, biological or nuclear weapons, depleted uranium, cluster munitions and anti-personnel mines);
An ISS ESG Corporate Rating of D-;
Deriving a specified percentage of revenues from one of the following sectors (“Sector Criteria”): fossil fuel, oil sands, hydraulic fracturing and shale oil/gas, artic or deepwater drilling, tobacco, military weapons, civilian firearms, alcohol, gambling, adult entertainment, and cannabis; or
Significant negative impact on environmental-focused United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (“SDGs”). The SDGs are responsible consumption and production, climate action, life below water and life on land.
Once the constituents of the Underlying Index are selected pursuant to the above criteria, the constituents are then weighted in a manner designed to align with the objectives of the Net Zero Investment Framework and such that the resulting portfolio’s greenhouse gas emissions are consistent with the long-term global warming target of the Paris Climate Agreement by first assigning a weight based on (i) greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reduction targets, (ii) climate disclosure standards, and (iii) green revenue, and then optimizing the portfolio such that:
The carbon intensity (defined, for each company included in the Underlying Index, as its greenhouse gas emissions as a percentage of the company’s enterprise value including cash) of the Underlying Index is reduced by at least 50% compared to the parent index,
The year-over-year carbon intensity of the Underlying Index seeks a reduction target of at least 7%, and
The aggregate exposure to high climate impact sectors (those sectors that are key to low-carbon transition) in the Underlying Index relative to the parent index does not decrease.
The fund does not intend to report retrospectively if the portfolio, as selected at each prior rebalance, has met the carbon intensity reduction targets. The fund uses a full replication indexing strategy to seek to track the Underlying Index. As such, the fund invests directly in the component securities (or a substantial number of the component securities) of the Underlying Index in substantially the same weightings in which they are represented in the Underlying Index. If it is not possible for the fund to acquire component securities due to limited availability or
regulatory restrictions, the fund may use a representative sampling indexing strategy to seek to track the Underlying Index instead of a full replication indexing strategy. “Representative sampling” is an indexing strategy that involves investing in a representative sample of securities that collectively has an investment profile similar to the Underlying Index. The securities selected are expected to have, in the aggregate, investment characteristics (based on factors such as market capitalization and industry weightings), fundamental characteristics (such as return variability and yield), and liquidity measures similar to those of the Underlying Index. The fund may or may not hold all of the securities in the Underlying Index when using a representative sampling indexing strategy. The fund will invest at least 80% of its total assets (but typically far more) in component securities of the Underlying Index.
As of October 31, 2022, the Underlying Index consisted of 378 securities, with an average market capitalization of approximately $72.27 billion and a minimum market capitalization of approximately $3.39 billion. The fund will normally invest at least 80% of its net assets, plus the amount of any borrowings for investment purposes, in equity securities of issuers incorporated in the United States and as considered by the Advisor to be aligned with the Paris Agreement and consistent with the Net Zero Investment Framework.
Under normal circumstances, the Underlying Index is rebalanced semi-annually in February and August. The fund rebalances its portfolio in accordance with the Underlying Index, and, therefore, any changes to the Underlying Index's rebalance schedule will result in corresponding changes to the fund's rebalance schedule.
The fund will concentrate its investments (i.e., hold 25% or more of its total assets) in a particular industry or group of industries to the extent that its Underlying Index is concentrated. As of October 31, 2022, a significant percentage of the Underlying Index was comprised of issuers in the information technology (33.09%) and health care (21.29%) sectors. The information technology sector includes companies engaged in developing software and providing data processing and outsourced services, along with manufacturing and distributing communications equipment, computers and other electronic equipment and instruments. Industries in the health care sector include pharmaceuticals, biotechnology, medical products and supplies, and health care services.
To the extent that the fund tracks the Underlying Index, the fund’s investment in certain sectors may change over time.
While the fund is currently classified as “non-diversified” under the Investment Company Act of 1940, it may operate as or become classified as “diversified” over time. The fund could again become non-diversified solely as a result of a change in relative market capitalization or index weighting of one or more constituents of the index that
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Xtrackers Net Zero Pathway Paris Aligned US Equity ETF

the fund is designed to track. Shareholder approval will not be sought when the fund crosses from diversified to non-diversified status under such circumstances.
The fund is not sponsored, endorsed, sold or promoted by Solactive.
Derivatives. Portfolio management generally may use futures contracts, stock index futures, options on futures, swap contracts and other types of derivatives in seeking performance that corresponds to its Underlying Index and will not use such instruments for speculative purposes.
Securities lending. 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 liquid collateral equal to at least 102% of the value of the portfolio securities being lent. This collateral is marked to market on a daily basis. The fund may lend its portfolio securities in an amount up to 33 1/3% of its total assets.
Main Risks
As with any investment, you could lose all or part of your investment in the fund, and the fund’s performance could trail that of other investments. The fund is subject to the main risks noted below, any of which may adversely affect the fund’s net asset value (“NAV”), trading price, yield, total return and ability to meet its investment objective, as well as numerous other risks that are described in greater detail in the section of this Prospectus entitled “Additional Information About Fund Strategies, Underlying Index Information and Risks” and in the Statement of Additional Information (“SAI”).
ESG investment strategy risk. The Underlying Index’s ESG methodology, and thus the fund’s investment strategy, limits the types and number of investment opportunities available to the fund and, as a result, the fund may underperform other funds that do not have an ESG focus. The Underlying Index’s ESG methodology may result in the fund investing in securities or industry sectors that underperform the market as a whole or underperform other funds screened for ESG standards. The ESG scores used in the Underlying Index’s ESG methodology are based on information that is publicly available and/or provided by the companies themselves or by third parties and such information may be unavailable or unreliable. Additionally, investors may differ in their interpretations of what constitutes positive or negative ESG characteristics of a company. For those reasons, the index provider may be unsuccessful in creating an index composed of companies that exhibit positive ESG characteristics. To the extent that circumstances change between the Underlying Index’s scheduled rebalancing dates, the Underlying Index may include, and the fund may hold for a period of time, securities of companies that do not align with the ESG criteria. The companies identified by the Index Provider as meeting the ESG criteria for the Underlying Index may not be the
same companies selected by other index providers for other indices that use similar ESG criteria. Regulatory changes or interpretations regarding the definitions and/or use of ESG criteria could have a material adverse effect on the fund’s ability to invest in accordance with its investment policies and/or achieve its investment objective, as well as the ability of certain classes of investors to invest in funds following an ESG strategy such as the fund. For example, the SEC has proposed disclosure requirements applicable to funds that consider ESG factors. In addition, recent US state actions could prohibit certain state sponsored pension plans or investment funds from investing in certain funds that consider ESG factors.
Carbon reduction strategy risk. The Underlying Index’s methodology for identifying companies attempting to reduce their carbon footprint limits the types and number of investment opportunities available to the fund and, as a result, the fund may underperform other funds that do not follow a carbon reduction strategy. Carbon reduction may potentially have an adverse effect on a company’s profitability. Investing in a portfolio of securities of companies attempting to reduce their carbon footprint may impact the fund’s relative investment performance depending on whether such investments are in or out of favor in the market. The carbon reduction criteria used to score and weight companies in the Underlying Index is based on publicly available information, third-party data sources and/or provided by the companies themselves and such information may be unavailable or unreliable. The criteria used to calculate a company’s greenhouse gas emissions may not properly measure a company’s carbon footprint. In addition, a company's commitment to targets for reduced emissions are voluntary and may not be met by the company or may be abandoned altogether. For those reasons, the index provider may be unsuccessful in creating an index composed of companies that positively contribute to carbon reduction goals. Because the Underlying Index's carbon intensity reduction goals are applied on an aggregate basis, there may be certain companies included in the Underlying Index which do not meet the Underlying Index's carbon intensity reduction goals individually. In addition, to the extent that circumstances change between the Underlying Index's scheduled rebalancing dates, the Underlying Index may include, and the fund may hold for a period of time, securities of companies that do not align with the carbon intensity reduction goals. While the Underlying Index’s methodology aims to reflect annual reductions in the carbon intensity of the Underlying Index, there is no assurance that such reduction targets will be achieved.
Stock market risk. When stock prices fall, you should expect the value of your investment to fall as well. Stock prices can be hurt by poor management on the part of the stock’s issuer, shrinking product demand and other business risks. These may affect single companies as well as groups of companies. The market as a whole may not favor the types of investments the fund makes, which could
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adversely affect a stock’s price, regardless of how well the company performs, or the fund’s ability to sell a stock at an attractive price. There is a chance that stock prices overall will decline because stock markets tend to move in cycles, with periods of rising and falling prices. Events in the US and global financial markets, including actions taken by the US Federal Reserve or foreign central banks to stimulate or stabilize economic growth, may at times result in unusually high market volatility which could negatively affect performance. To the extent that the fund invests in a particular geographic region, capitalization or sector, the fund’s performance may be affected by the general performance of that region, capitalization or sector.
Market disruption risk. Economies and financial markets throughout the world are becoming increasingly interconnected, which increases the likelihood that events or conditions in one country or region will adversely impact markets or issuers in other countries or regions. The value of the fund’s investments may be negatively affected by adverse changes in overall economic or market conditions, such as the level of economic activity and productivity, unemployment and labor force participation rates, inflation or deflation (and expectations for inflation or deflation), interest rates, demand and supply for particular products or resources including labor, and debt levels and credit ratings, among other factors. Such adverse conditions may contribute to an overall economic contraction across entire economies or markets, which may negatively impact the profitability of issuers operating in those economies or markets, including the investments held by the fund. In addition, geopolitical and other events, including war, terrorism, economic uncertainty, trade disputes, public health crises and related geopolitical events have led, and in the future may lead, to disruptions in the US and world economies and markets, which may increase financial market volatility and have significant adverse direct or indirect effects on the fund and its investments. Adverse market conditions or disruptions could cause the fund to lose money, experience significant redemptions, and encounter operational difficulties. Although multiple asset classes may be affected by adverse market conditions or a particular market disruption, the duration and effects may not be the same for all types of assets.
Russia's recent military incursions in Ukraine have led to, and may lead to, additional sanctions being levied by the United States, European Union and other countries against Russia. Russia's military incursions and the resulting sanctions could adversely affect global energy, commodities and financial markets and thus could affect the value of the fund's investments. The extent and duration of the military action, sanctions and resulting market disruptions are impossible to predict, but could be substantial.
Other market disruption events include the pandemic spread of the novel coronavirus known as COVID-19, which at times has caused significant uncertainty, market volatility, decreased economic and other activity, increased
government activity, including economic stimulus measures, and supply chain disruptions. The full effects, duration and costs of the COVID-19 pandemic are impossible to predict, and the circumstances surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic will continue to evolve including the risk of future increased rates of infection due to significant portions of the population remaining unvaccinated and/or the lack of effectiveness of current vaccines against new variants. The pandemic has affected and may continue to affect certain countries, industries, economic sectors, companies and investment products more than others, may exacerbate existing economic, political, or social tensions and may increase the probability of an economic recession or depression. The fund and its investments may be adversely affected by the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Adverse market conditions or particular market disruptions, such as those caused by Russian military action and the COVID-19 pandemic, may magnify the impact of each of the other risks described in this “MAIN RISKS” section and may increase volatility in one or more markets in which the fund invests leading to the potential for greater losses for the fund.
Medium-sized company risk. Medium-sized company stocks tend to be more volatile than large company stocks. Because stock analysts are less likely to follow medium-sized companies, less information about them is available to investors. Industry-wide reversals may have a greater impact on medium-sized companies, since they lack the financial resources of larger companies. Medium-sized company stocks are typically less liquid than large company stocks.
Liquidity risk. In certain situations, it may be difficult or impossible to sell an investment at an acceptable price. This risk can be ongoing for any security that does not trade actively or in large volumes, for any security that trades primarily on smaller markets, and for investments that typically trade only among a limited number of large investors (such as restricted securities). In unusual market conditions, even normally liquid securities may be affected by a degree of liquidity risk. This may affect only certain securities or an overall securities market.
Although the fund primarily seeks to redeem shares of the fund on an in-kind basis, if the fund is forced to sell underlying investments at reduced prices or under unfavorable conditions to meet redemption requests or other cash needs, the fund may suffer a loss. This may be magnified in circumstances where redemptions from the fund may be higher than normal.
Focus risk. To the extent that the fund focuses its investments in particular industries, asset classes or sectors of the economy, any market price movements, regulatory or technological changes, or economic conditions affecting companies in those industries, asset classes or sectors may have a significant impact on the fund’s performance.
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Information technology sector risk. To the extent that the fund invests significantly in the information technology sector, the fund will be sensitive to changes in, and the fund’s performance may depend to a greater extent on, the overall condition of the information technology sector. Information technology companies are particularly vulnerable to government regulation and competition, both domestically and internationally, including competition from foreign competitors with lower production costs. Information technology companies also face competition for services of qualified personnel. Additionally, the products of information technology companies may face obsolescence due to rapid technological development and frequent new product introduction by competitors. Finally, information technology companies are heavily dependent on patent and intellectual property rights, the loss or impairment of which may adversely affect profitability.
Health care sector risk. To the extent that the fund invests significantly in the health care sector, the fund will be sensitive to changes in, and the fund’s performance may depend to a greater extent on, the overall condition of the health care sector. The health care sector may be affected by government regulations and government health care programs, increases or decreases in the cost of medical products and services and product liability claims, among other factors. Many health care companies are heavily dependent on patent protection, and the expiration of a company’s patent may adversely affect that company’s profitability. Health care companies are subject to competitive forces that may result in price discounting, and may be thinly capitalized and susceptible to product obsolescence.
Passive investing risk. Unlike a fund that is actively managed, in which portfolio management buys and sells securities based on research and analysis, the fund invests in securities included in, or representative of, the Underlying Index, regardless of their investment merits. Because the fund is designed to maintain a high level of exposure to the Underlying Index at all times, portfolio management generally will not buy or sell a security unless the security is added or removed, respectively, from the Underlying Index, and will not take any steps to invest defensively or otherwise reduce the risk of loss during market downturns.
Index-related risk. The fund seeks investment results that correspond generally to the performance, before fees and expenses, of the Underlying Index as published by the index provider. There is no assurance that the Underlying Index provider will compile the Underlying Index accurately, or that the Underlying Index will be determined, composed or calculated accurately. Market disruptions could cause delays in the Underlying Index’s rebalancing schedule. During any such delay, it is possible that the Underlying Index and, in turn, the fund will deviate from the Underlying Index’s stated methodology and therefore experience returns different than those that would have
been achieved under a normal rebalancing schedule. Generally, the index provider does not provide any warranty, or accept any liability, with respect to the quality, accuracy or completeness of the Underlying Index or its related data, and does not guarantee that the Underlying Index will be in line with its stated methodology. Errors in the Underlying Index data, the Underlying Index computations and/or the construction of the Underlying Index in accordance with its stated 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. The Advisor may have limited ability to detect such errors and neither the Advisor nor its affiliates provide any warranty or guarantee against such errors. Therefore, the gains, losses or costs associated with the index provider’s errors will generally be borne by the fund and its shareholders.
Tracking error risk. The fund may be subject to tracking error, which is the divergence of the fund’s performance from that of the Underlying Index. The performance of the fund may diverge from that of the Underlying Index for a number of reasons, including operating expenses, transaction costs, cash flows and operational inefficiencies. The fund’s return also may diverge from the return of the Underlying Index because the fund bears the costs and risks associated with buying and selling securities (especially when rebalancing the fund’s securities holdings to reflect changes in the Underlying Index) while such costs and risks are not factored into the return of the Underlying Index. Transaction costs, including brokerage costs, will decrease the fund’s 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 in order to track the Underlying Index. To the extent that portfolio management uses a representative sampling approach (investing in a representative selection of securities included in the Underlying Index rather than all securities in the Underlying Index), such approach may cause the fund’s return to not be as well correlated with the return of the Underlying Index as would be the case if the fund purchased all of the securities in the Underlying Index in the proportions represented in the Underlying Index. In addition, the fund may not be able to invest in certain securities included in the Underlying Index, or invest in them in the exact proportions in which they are represented in the Underlying Index, due to government imposed legal restrictions or limitations, a lack of liquidity in the markets in which such securities trade, potential adverse tax consequences or other reasons. To the extent the fund calculates its net asset value based on fair value prices and the value of the Underlying Index is based on market prices (i.e., the value of the Underlying Index is not based on fair value prices), the fund’s ability to track the Underlying Index may be adversely affected. Tracking error risk may be heightened during times of increased market
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volatility or other unusual market conditions. 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 Underlying Index. In light of the factors discussed above, the fund’s return may deviate significantly from the return of the Underlying Index.
Market price risk. Fund shares are listed for trading on an exchange and are bought and sold in the secondary market at market prices. The market prices of shares will fluctuate, in some cases materially, in response to changes in the NAV and supply and demand for shares. As a result, the trading prices of shares may deviate significantly from the NAV during periods of market volatility. The Advisor cannot predict whether shares will trade above, below or at their NAV. Given the fact that shares can be created and redeemed in Creation Units (defined below), the Advisor believes that large discounts or premiums to the NAV of shares should not be sustained in the long-term. If market makers exit the business or are unable to continue making markets in fund shares, shares may trade at a discount to NAV like closed-end fund shares and may even face delisting (that is, investors would no longer be able to trade shares in the secondary market). Further, 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, disruptions to creations and redemptions, including disruptions at market makers, APs or market participants, or during periods of significant market volatility, may result in market prices that differ significantly from the value of the fund’s holdings. Although market makers will generally take advantage of differences between the NAV and the market price of fund shares through arbitrage opportunities, there is no guarantee that they will do so. Secondary markets may be subject to irregular trading activity, wide bid-ask spreads and extended trade settlement periods, which could cause a material decline in the fund’s NAV. The fund’s investment results are measured based upon the daily NAV of the fund. Investors purchasing and selling shares in the secondary market may not experience investment results consistent with those experienced by those APs creating and redeeming shares directly with the fund.
Operational and technology risk. Cyber-attacks, disruptions, or failures that affect the fund’s service providers or counterparties, issuers of securities held by the fund, or other market participants may adversely affect the fund and its shareholders, including by causing losses for the fund or impairing fund operations. For example, the fund’s or its service providers’ assets or sensitive or confidential information may be misappropriated, data may be corrupted and operations may be disrupted (e.g., cyber-attacks, operational failures or broader disruptions may cause the release of private shareholder information or confidential fund information, interfere with the processing of shareholder transactions, impact the ability to calculate the fund’s net asset value and impede trading). Market
events and disruptions also may trigger a volume of transactions that overloads current information technology and communication systems and processes, impacting the ability to conduct the fund’s operations.
While the fund and its service providers may establish business continuity and other plans and processes that seek to address the possibility of and fallout from cyber-attacks, disruptions or failures, there are inherent limitations in such plans and systems, including that they do not apply to third parties, such as fund counterparties, issuers of securities held by the fund or other market participants, as well as the possibility that certain risks have not been identified or that unknown threats may emerge in the future and there is no assurance that such plans and processes will be effective. Among other situations, disruptions (for example, pandemics or health crises) that cause prolonged periods of remote work or significant employee absences at the fund’s service providers could impact the ability to conduct the fund’s operations. In addition, the fund cannot directly control any cybersecurity plans and systems put in place by its service providers, fund counterparties, issuers of securities held by the fund or other market participants.
Non-diversification risk. The fund is classified as non-diversified under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended. This means that the fund may invest in securities of relatively few issuers. Thus, the performance of one or a small number of portfolio holdings can affect overall performance.
If the fund becomes classified as “diversified” over time and again becomes non-diversified as a result of a change in relative market capitalization or index weighting of one or more constituents of the index that the fund is designed to track, non-diversification risk would apply.
Authorized Participant concentration risk. The fund may have a limited number of financial institutions that may act as APs. Only APs who have entered into agreements with the fund’s distributor may engage in creation or redemption transactions directly with the fund (as described in the section of this Prospectus entitled “Buying and Selling Shares”). If those APs exit the business or are unable to process creation and/or redemption orders, (including in situations where APs have limited or diminished access to capital required to post collateral) and no other AP is able to step forward to create and redeem in either of these cases, shares may trade at a discount to NAV like closed-end fund shares and may even face delisting (that is, investors would no longer be able to trade shares in the secondary market).
Geographic focus risk. Focusing investments in a single country or few countries, or regions, involves increased political, regulatory and other risks. Market swings in such a targeted country, countries or regions are likely to have a greater effect on fund performance than they would in a more geographically diversified fund.
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Derivatives risk. Derivatives involve risks different from, and possibly greater than, the risks associated with investing directly in securities and other more traditional investments. Risks associated with derivatives may include the risk that the derivative is not well correlated with the security, index or currency to which it relates; the risk that derivatives may result in losses or missed opportunities; the risk that the fund will be unable to sell the derivative because of an illiquid secondary market; the risk that a counterparty is unwilling or unable to meet its obligation; and the risk that the derivative transaction could expose the fund to the effects of leverage, which could increase the fund’s exposure to the market and magnify potential losses.
Futures risk. The value of a futures contract tends to increase and decrease in tandem with the value of the underlying instrument. A decision as to whether, when and how to use futures involves the exercise of skill and judgment and even a well-conceived futures transaction may be unsuccessful because of market behavior or unexpected events. In addition to the derivatives risks discussed above, the prices of futures can be highly volatile, using futures can lower total return and the potential loss from futures can exceed the fund’s initial investment in such contracts.
Counterparty risk. A financial institution or other counterparty with whom the fund does business, or that underwrites, distributes or guarantees any investments or contracts that the fund owns or is otherwise exposed to, may decline in financial health and become unable to honor its commitments. This could cause losses for the fund or could delay the return or delivery of collateral or other assets to the fund.
Securities lending risk. Securities lending involves the risk that the fund may lose money because the borrower of the loaned securities fails to return the securities in a timely manner or at all. A delay in the recovery of loaned securities could interfere with the fund’s ability to vote proxies or settle transactions. The fund could also lose money in the event of a decline in the value of the collateral provided for the loaned securities, or a decline in the value of any investments made with cash collateral or even a loss of rights in the collateral should the borrower of the securities fail financially while holding the securities.
Past Performance
Since the fund commenced operations on June 28, 2022, performance information is not available for a full calendar year.
Once available, the fund’s performance information will be accessible on the fund’s website at Xtrackers.com (the website does not form a part of this prospectus) and will provide some indication of the risks of investing in the fund by showing changes in the fund’s performance and by showing how the fund’s returns compare with those of a broad measure of market performance.
Management
Investment Advisor
DBX Advisors LLC
Portfolio Managers
Bryan Richards, CFA, Vice President of DBX Advisors LLC and Head of Portfolio Engineering, Systematic Investment Solutions, of DWS Investment Management Americas, Inc. Portfolio Manager of the fund. Began managing the fund in 2022.
Patrick Dwyer, Vice President of DBX Advisors LLC and Senior Portfolio Engineer & Team Lead, Systematic Investment Solutions, of DWS Investment Management Americas, Inc. Portfolio Manager of the fund. Began managing the fund in 2022.
Shlomo Bassous, Vice President of DBX Advisors LLC and Senior Portfolio Engineer, Systematic Investment Solutions, of DWS Investment Management Americas, Inc. Portfolio Manager of the fund. Began managing the fund in 2022.
Ashif Shaikh, Vice President of DBX Advisors LLC and Portfolio Engineer, Systematic Investment Solutions, of DWS Investment Management Americas, Inc. Portfolio Manager of the fund. Began managing the fund in 2022.
Purchase and Sale of Fund Shares
The fund is an exchange-traded fund (commonly referred to as an “ETF”). Individual fund shares may only be purchased and sold through a brokerage firm. The price of fund shares is based on market price, and because ETF shares trade at market prices rather than NAV, shares may trade at a price greater than NAV (a premium) or less than NAV (a discount). The fund will only issue or redeem shares that have been aggregated into blocks of 50,000 shares or multiples thereof (“Creation Units”) to APs who have entered into agreements with ALPS Distributors, Inc., the fund’s distributor. You 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 of the fund (ask) when buying or selling shares (the “bid-ask spread”). Information on the fund’s net asset value, market price, premiums and discounts and bid-ask spreads may be found at Xtrackers.com.
Tax Information
The fund's distributions are generally taxable to you as ordinary income or capital gains, except when your investment is in an IRA, 401(k), or other tax-advantaged investment plan. Any withdrawals you make from such tax- advantaged investment plans, however, may be taxable to you.
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Payments to Broker-Dealers and
Other Financial Intermediaries
If you purchase shares of the fund through a broker-dealer or other financial intermediary (such as a bank), the Advisor or other related companies may pay the intermediary for marketing activities and presentations, educational training programs, the support of technology platforms and/or reporting systems or other services related to the sale or promotion of the fund. These payments may create a conflict of interest by influencing the broker-dealer or other intermediary and your salesperson to recommend the fund over another investment. Ask your salesperson or visit your financial intermediary’s website for more information.
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Fund Details
Additional Information About Fund Strategies, Underlying Index Information and Risks
Xtrackers MSCI Emerging Markets ESG Leaders Equity ETF
Investment Objective
Xtrackers MSCI Emerging Markets ESG Leaders Equity ETF (the “fund”), seeks investment results that correspond generally to the performance, before fees and expenses, of the MSCI Emerging Markets ESG Leaders Index (the “Underlying Index”).
Principal Investment Strategies
The fund, using a “passive” or indexing investment approach, seeks investment results that correspond generally to the performance, before fees and expenses, of the Underlying Index, which is a capitalization weighted index that provides exposure to companies with high environmental, social and governance (“ESG”) performance relative to their sector peers. The Underlying Index consists of large- and medium-capitalization companies across emerging markets countries, as defined by the index provider. Emerging markets countries are countries that are generally considered to be less economically mature than developed nations. Under normal circumstances, the annual review of the Underlying Index takes place in May and it is rebalanced in August, November and February. The fund rebalances its portfolio in accordance with the Underlying Index, and, therefore, any changes to the Underlying Index's review and rebalance schedule will result in corresponding changes to the fund's rebalance schedule.
The Underlying Index uses MSCI ESG Ratings, MSCI ESG Controversies and MSCI Business Involvement Screening Research (collectively, “MSCI ESG Research”) to determine index components for the Underlying Index.
◾ MSCI ESG Ratings provides research, analysis and ratings of how well companies manage their ESG risks and opportunities. MSCI ESG Ratings provides a company with an overall ESG rating on a seven point scale, ranging from ‘AAA’ to ‘CCC.’ Existing constituents of the Underlying Index are required to have an MSCI ESG rating of BB or
above to remain in the index, and companies that are currently not constituents of the Underlying Index are also required to have an MSCI ESG rating of BB or above to be considered eligible for addition.
◾ MSCI ESG Controversies provides assessments of controversies concerning the negative ESG impact of company operations, products and services. MSCI ESG Controversies score companies on a scale of 0 to 10, with 0 being the most severe controversy. Existing constituents of the Underlying Index are required to have an MSCI ESG Controversies Score of 1 or above to remain in the index, while companies that are currently not constituents of the Underlying Index are required to have an MSCI ESG Controversies Score of 3 or above to be considered eligible for addition.
◾ MSCI ESG Business Involvement Screening Research aims to enable institutional investors to manage ESG standards and restrictions reliably and efficiently. Companies that are involved in specific business activities which have high potential for negative social and/or environmental impact, such as alcohol, gambling, tobacco, nuclear power, fossil fuel extraction, thermal coal power, conventional weapons, nuclear weapons, controversial weapons and civilian firearms, are ineligible for inclusion.
The fund uses a full replication indexing strategy to seek to track the Underlying Index. As such, the fund invests directly in the component securities (or a substantial number of the component securities) of the Underlying Index in substantially the same weightings in which they are represented in the Underlying Index. If it is not possible for the fund to acquire component securities due to limited availability or regulatory restrictions, the fund may use a representative sampling indexing strategy to seek to track the Underlying Index instead of a full replication indexing strategy. “Representative sampling” is an indexing strategy that involves investing in a representative sample of securities that collectively has an investment profile similar to the Underlying Index. The securities selected are expected to have, in the aggregate, investment characteristics (based on factors such as market capitalization and industry weightings), fundamental characteristics (such as return variability and yield), and liquidity measures similar to those of the Underlying Index. The fund may or may not hold all of the securities in
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the Underlying Index when using a representative sampling indexing strategy. The fund will invest at least 80% of its total assets (but typically far more) in component securities (including depositary receipts in respect of such securities) of the Underlying Index.
As of October 31, 2022, the Underlying Index consisted of 464 securities, with an average market capitalization of approximately $6.18 billion and a minimum market capitalization of approximately $77 million, from issuers in the following countries: Brazil, Chile, China, Colombia, Czech Republic, Egypt, Greece, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Kuwait, Malaysia, Mexico, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey and the United Arab Emirates. The fund will normally invest at least 80% of its net assets, plus the amount of any borrowings for investment purposes, in equity securities of issuers from emerging markets countries. As of October 31, 2022, a significant percentage of the Underlying Index was comprised of securities of issuers from China (25.41%), Taiwan (19.09%) and India (16.07%).
The fund will concentrate its investments (i.e., hold 25% or more of its total assets) in a particular industry or group of industries to the extent that its Underlying Index is concentrated. As of October 31, 2022, a significant percentage of the Underlying Index was comprised of issuers in the financials (23.82%) and information technology (18.35%) sectors. The financials sector includes companies involved in banking, consumer finance, asset management and custody banks, as well as investment banking and brokerage and insurance. The information technology sector includes companies engaged in developing software and providing data processing and outsourced services, along with manufacturing and distributing communications equipment, computers and other electronic equipment and instruments.
To the extent that the fund tracks the Underlying Index, the fund’s investment in certain sectors or countries may change over time.
While the fund is currently classified as “non-diversified” under the Investment Company Act of 1940, it may operate as or become classified as “diversified” over time. The fund could again become non-diversified solely as a result of a change in relative market capitalization or index weighting of one or more constituents of the index that the fund is designed to track. Shareholder approval will not be sought when the fund crosses from diversified to non-diversified status under such circumstances.
The fund may invest its remaining assets in other securities, including securities not in the Underlying Index, cash and cash equivalents, money market instruments, such as repurchase agreements or money market funds (including money market funds advised by the Advisor or its affiliates (subject to applicable limitations under the 1940 Act), or exemptions therefrom), 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 in certain types of derivatives instruments (see “Derivatives” subsection).
The fund may also invest in depositary receipts in respect of equity securities that comprise its Underlying Index to seek performance that corresponds to the fund’s respective Underlying Index. Investments in such depositary receipts will count towards the fund’s 80% investment policy discussed above with respect to instruments that comprise the fund’s Underlying Index.
The fund or securities referred to herein are not sponsored, endorsed, issued, sold or promoted by MSCI, and MSCI bears no liability with respect to the fund or securities or any index on which the fund or securities are based. The Prospectus contains a more detailed description of the limited relationship MSCI has with DBX Advisors LLC and any related funds.
Derivatives. Portfolio management generally may use futures contracts, stock index futures, options on futures, swap contracts and other types of derivatives in seeking performance that corresponds to its Underlying Index and will not use such instruments for speculative purposes. The fund also may invest in these derivative instruments to the extent that the Advisor believes will help the fund to achieve its investment objective. A futures contract is a standardized exchange-traded agreement to buy or sell a specific quantity of an underlying instrument at a specific price at a specific future time.
Securities lending. 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 liquid collateral equal to at least 102% of the value of the portfolio securities being lent. This collateral is marked to market on a daily basis. The fund may lend its portfolio securities in an amount up to 33 1/3% of its total assets.
Underlying Index Information
MSCI Emerging Markets ESG Leaders Index
Number of Components: approximately 464
Index Description. The MSCI Emerging Markets ESG Leaders Index is a capitalization weighted index that provides exposure to companies with high environmental, social and governance (“ESG”) performance relative to their sector peers. The Underlying Index consists of large and medium capitalization companies across emerging markets countries. In determining a country's market classification (e.g., emerging versus developed), the index provider assesses the country's market on the basis of its level of economic development, the size and liquidity of its equity markets, and its accessibility for foreign investors. As of October 31, 2022, the following countries were classified as emerging markets: Brazil, Chile, China,
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Fund Details

Colombia, Czech Republic, Egypt, Greece, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Kuwait, Malaysia, Mexico, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey and the United Arab Emirates. See the Appendix for additional information about calculating and maintaining the Underlying Index.
Main Risks
As with any investment, you could lose all or part of your investment in the fund, and the fund’s performance could trail that of other investments. The fund is subject to the main risks noted below, any of which may adversely affect the fund’s net asset value (“NAV”), trading price, yield, total return and ability to meet its investment objective.
ESG investment strategy risk. The Underlying Index’s ESG methodology, and thus the fund’s investment strategy, limits the types and number of investment opportunities available to the fund and, as a result, the fund may underperform other funds that do not have an ESG focus. The Underlying Index’s ESG methodology may result in the fund investing in securities or industry sectors that underperform the market as a whole or underperform other funds screened for ESG standards. The ESG scores used in the Underlying Index’s ESG methodology are based on information that is publicly available and/or provided by the companies themselves or by third parties and such information may be unavailable or unreliable. The Underlying Index seeks to include the companies in each sector that have the highest ESG performance relative to the other companies in the sector, and as a result may include companies that do not exhibit positive ESG performance when compared to a broader universe of companies. Additionally, investors may differ in their interpretations of what constitutes positive or negative ESG characteristics of a company. For those reasons, the index provider may be unsuccessful in creating an index composed of companies that exhibit positive ESG characteristics. To the extent that circumstances change between the Underlying Index’s scheduled rebalancing dates, the Underlying Index may include, and the fund may hold for a period of time, securities of companies that do not align with the ESG criteria. The companies identified by the Index Provider as meeting the ESG criteria for the Underlying Index may not be the same companies selected by other index providers for other indices that use similar ESG criteria. Regulatory changes or interpretations regarding the definitions and/or use of ESG criteria could have a material adverse effect on the fund’s ability to invest in accordance with its investment policies and/or achieve its investment objective, as well as the ability of certain classes of investors to invest in funds following an ESG strategy such as the fund. For example, the SEC has proposed disclosure requirements applicable to funds that consider ESG factors. In addition, recent US state actions could prohibit certain state sponsored pension plans or investment funds from investing in certain funds that consider ESG factors.
Stock market risk. When stock prices fall, you should expect the value of your investment to fall as well. Stock prices can be hurt by poor management on the part of the stock’s issuer, shrinking product demand and other business risks. These may affect single companies as well as groups of companies. The market as a whole may not favor the types of investments the fund makes, which could adversely affect a stock’s price, regardless of how well the company performs, or the fund’s ability to sell a stock at an attractive price. There is a chance that stock prices overall will decline because stock markets tend to move in cycles, with periods of rising and falling prices. Events in the US and global financial markets, including actions taken by the US Federal Reserve or foreign central banks to stimulate or stabilize economic growth, may at times result in unusually high market volatility which could negatively affect performance. To the extent that the fund invests in a particular geographic region, capitalization or sector, the fund’s performance may be affected by the general performance of that region, capitalization or sector.
Market disruption risk. Economies and financial markets throughout the world are becoming increasingly interconnected, which increases the likelihood that events or conditions in one country or region will adversely impact markets or issuers in other countries or regions. The value of the fund’s investments may be negatively affected by adverse changes in overall economic or market conditions, such as the level of economic activity and productivity, unemployment and labor force participation rates, inflation or deflation (and expectations for inflation or deflation), interest rates, demand and supply for particular products or resources including labor, and debt levels and credit ratings, among other factors. Such adverse conditions may contribute to an overall economic contraction across entire economies or markets, which may negatively impact the profitability of issuers operating in those economies or markets, including the investments held by the fund. In addition, geopolitical and other events, including war, terrorism, economic uncertainty, trade disputes, public health crises and related geopolitical events have led, and in the future may lead, to disruptions in the US and world economies and markets, which may increase financial market volatility and have significant adverse direct or indirect effects on the fund and its investments. Adverse market conditions or disruptions could cause the fund to lose money, experience significant redemptions, and encounter operational difficulties. Although multiple asset classes may be affected by adverse market conditions or a particular market disruption, the duration and effects may not be the same for all types of assets.
Russia's recent military incursions in Ukraine have led to, and may lead to, additional sanctions being levied by the United States, European Union and other countries against Russia. Russia's military incursions and the resulting sanctions could adversely affect global energy, commodities and financial markets and thus could affect the value of the
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fund's investments. The extent and duration of the military action, sanctions and resulting market disruptions are impossible to predict, but could be substantial.
Other market disruption events include the pandemic spread of the novel coronavirus known as COVID-19, which at times has caused significant uncertainty, market volatility, decreased economic and other activity, increased government activity, including economic stimulus measures, and supply chain disruptions. The full effects, duration and costs of the COVID-19 pandemic are impossible to predict, and the circumstances surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic will continue to evolve including the risk of future increased rates of infection due to significant portions of the population remaining unvaccinated and/or the lack of effectiveness of current vaccines against new variants. The pandemic has affected and may continue to affect certain countries, industries, economic sectors, companies and investment products more than others, may exacerbate existing economic, political, or social tensions and may increase the probability of an economic recession or depression. The fund and its investments may be adversely affected by the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Adverse market conditions or particular market disruptions, such as those caused by Russian military action and the COVID-19 pandemic, may magnify the impact of each of the other risks described in this “MAIN RISKS” section and may increase volatility in one or more markets in which the fund invests leading to the potential for greater losses for the fund.
Emerging market securities risk. Investment in emerging markets subjects the fund to a greater risk of loss than investments in a developed market. This is due to, among other things, (i) greater market volatility, (ii) lower trading volume, (iii) political and economic instability, (iv) high levels of inflation, deflation or currency devaluation, (v) greater risk of market shut down, (vi) more governmental limitations on foreign investments and limitations on repatriation of invested capital than those typically found in a developed market, and (vii) the risk that companies may be held to lower disclosure, corporate governance, auditing and financial reporting standards than companies in more developed markets.
The financial stability of issuers (including governments) in emerging market countries may be more precarious than in other countries. As a result, there will tend to be an increased risk of price volatility in the fund’s investments in emerging market countries, which may be magnified by currency fluctuations relative to the US dollar.
Settlement practices for transactions in foreign markets, particularly in emerging markets, may differ from those in US markets. Such differences include delays beyond periods customary in the US and practices, such as delivery of securities prior to receipt of payment, which increase the likelihood of a “failed settlement.” Failed settlements can result in losses to the fund. Low trading
volumes and volatile prices in less developed markets make trades harder to complete and settle, and governments or trade groups may compel local agents to hold securities in designated depositories that are not subject to independent evaluation. Local agents are held only to the standards of care of their local markets.
Foreign investment risk. The fund faces the risks inherent in foreign investing. Adverse political, economic or social developments could undermine the value of the fund's foreign investments, prevent the fund from realizing the full value of its foreign investments or prevent the fund from selling foreign securities it holds. Financial reporting standards for companies based in foreign markets differ from those in the US. Additionally, foreign securities markets generally are smaller and less liquid than US markets. To the extent that the fund invests in non-US dollar denominated foreign securities, changes in currency exchange rates may affect the US dollar value of foreign securities or the income or gain received on these securities.
Foreign governments may restrict investment by foreigners, limit withdrawal of trading profit or currency from the country, restrict currency exchange or seize foreign investments. In addition, the fund may be limited in its ability to exercise its legal rights or enforce a counterparty's legal obligations in certain jurisdictions outside of the US. The foreign investments of the fund may also be subject to foreign withholding taxes. Foreign brokerage commissions and other fees are generally higher than those for US investments, and the transactions and custody of foreign assets may involve delays in payment, delivery or recovery of money or investments.
Foreign markets can have liquidity risks beyond those typical of US markets. Because foreign exchanges generally are smaller and less liquid than US exchanges, buying and selling foreign investments can be more difficult and costly. Relatively small transactions can sometimes materially affect the price and availability of securities. In certain situations, it may become virtually impossible to sell an investment at a price that approaches portfolio management’s estimate of its value. For the same reason, it may at times be difficult to value the fund’s foreign investments. In addition, because non-US markets may be open on days when the fund does not price its shares, the value of the foreign securities in the fund’s portfolio may change on days when shareholders will not be able to purchase or sell the fund’s shares.
Depositary receipt risk. Foreign investments in American Depositary Receipts and other depositary receipts may be less liquid than the underlying shares in their primary trading market. Certain of the depositary receipts in which the fund invests may be unsponsored depositary receipts. Unsponsored depositary receipts may not provide as much information about the underlying issuer and may not carry the same voting privileges as sponsored depositary receipts. Unsponsored depositary receipts are issued by
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one or more depositaries in response to market demand, but without a formal agreement with the company that issues the underlying securities.
Currency risk. Changes in currency exchange rates and the relative value of non-US currencies may affect the value of the fund’s investment and the value of your fund shares. Because the fund’s NAV is determined on the basis of the US dollar and the fund does not attempt to hedge against changes in the value of non-US currencies, investors may lose money if the foreign currency depreciates against the US dollar, even if the foreign currency value of the fund’s holdings in that market increases. Conversely, the dollar value of your investment in the fund may go up if the value of the foreign currency appreciates against the US dollar. The value of the US dollar measured against other currencies is influenced by a variety of factors. These factors include: interest rates, national debt levels and trade deficits, changes in balances of payments and trade, domestic and foreign interest and inflation rates, global or regional political, economic or financial events, monetary policies of governments, actual or potential government intervention, and global energy prices. Political instability, the possibility of government intervention and restrictive or opaque business and investment policies may also reduce the value of a country’s currency. Government monetary policies and the buying or selling of currency by a country’s government may also influence exchange rates. Currency exchange rates can be very volatile and can change quickly and unpredictably. Therefore, the value of an investment in the fund may also go up or down quickly and unpredictably and investors may lose money.
Medium-sized company risk. Medium-sized company stocks tend to be more volatile than large company stocks. Because stock analysts are less likely to follow medium-sized companies, less information about them is available to investors. Industry-wide reversals may have a greater impact on medium-sized companies, since they lack the financial resources of larger companies. Medium-sized company stocks are typically less liquid than large company stocks.
Liquidity risk. In certain situations, it may be difficult or impossible to sell an investment at an acceptable price. This risk can be ongoing for any security that does not trade actively or in large volumes, for any security that trades primarily on smaller markets, and for investments that typically trade only among a limited number of large investors (such as restricted securities). In unusual market conditions, even normally liquid securities may be affected by a degree of liquidity risk. This may affect only certain securities or an overall securities market.
Although the fund primarily seeks to redeem shares of the fund on an in-kind basis, if the fund is forced to sell underlying investments at reduced prices or under unfavorable conditions to meet redemption requests or other cash
needs, the fund may suffer a loss. This may be magnified in circumstances where redemptions from the fund may be higher than normal.
Focus risk. To the extent that the fund focuses its investments in particular industries, asset classes or sectors of the economy, any market price movements, regulatory or technological changes, or economic conditions affecting companies in those industries, asset classes or sectors may have a significant impact on the fund’s performance.
Financials sector risk. To the extent that the fund invests significantly in the financials sector, the fund will be sensitive to changes in, and the fund’s performance may depend to a greater extent on, the overall condition of the financials sector. The financials sector is subject to extensive government regulation, can be subject to relatively rapid change due to increasingly blurred distinctions between service segments, and can be significantly affected by the availability and cost of capital funds, changes in interest rates, the rate of corporate and consumer debt defaults, and price competition.
Certain events in the financials sector may cause an unusually high degree of volatility in the financial markets, and cause certain financials sector companies to incur large losses. Securities of financials sector companies may experience a decline in value when such companies experience substantial declines in the valuations of their assets, take action to raise capital (such as the issuance of debt or equity securities), or cease operations. Credit losses resulting from financial difficulties of borrowers and financial losses associated with investment activities can negatively impact the financials sector. Issuers that have exposure to the real estate, mortgage and credit markets can be particularly affected by market turmoil.
Information technology sector risk. To the extent that the fund invests significantly in the information technology sector, the fund will be sensitive to changes in, and the fund’s performance may depend to a greater extent on, the overall condition of the information technology sector. Information technology companies are particularly vulnerable to government regulation and competition, both domestically and internationally, including competition from foreign competitors with lower production costs. Information technology companies also face competition for services of qualified personnel. Additionally, the products of information technology companies may face obsolescence due to rapid technological development and frequent new product introduction by competitors. Finally, information technology companies are heavily dependent on patent and intellectual property rights, the loss or impairment of which may adversely affect profitability.
Passive investing risk. Unlike a fund that is actively managed, in which portfolio management buys and sells securities based on research and analysis, the fund invests in securities included in, or representative of, the Underlying Index, regardless of their investment merits. Because the fund is designed to maintain a high level of exposure
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to the Underlying Index at all times, portfolio management generally will not buy or sell a security unless the security is added or removed, respectively, from the Underlying Index, and will not take any steps to invest defensively or otherwise reduce the risk of loss during market downturns.
Index-related risk. The fund seeks investment results that correspond generally to the performance, before fees and expenses, of the Underlying Index as published by the index provider. There is no assurance that the Underlying Index provider will compile the Underlying Index accurately, or that the Underlying Index will be determined, composed or calculated accurately. Market disruptions could cause delays in the Underlying Index’s rebalancing schedule. During any such delay, it is possible that the Underlying Index and, in turn, the fund will deviate from the Underlying Index’s stated methodology and therefore experience returns different than those that would have been achieved under a normal rebalancing schedule. Generally, the index provider does not provide any warranty, or accept any liability, with respect to the quality, accuracy or completeness of the Underlying Index or its related data, and does not guarantee that the Underlying Index will be in line with its stated methodology. Errors in the Underlying Index data, the Underlying Index computations and/or the construction of the Underlying Index in accordance with its stated 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. The Advisor may have limited ability to detect such errors and neither the Advisor nor its affiliates provide any warranty or guarantee against such errors. Therefore, the gains, losses or costs associated with the index provider’s errors will generally be borne by the fund and its shareholders.
Index-related risk may be higher for a fund that tracks an index comprised of, or an index that includes, foreign securities, and in particular emerging markets securities, because regulatory and reporting requirements may differ from those in the US, resulting in a heightened risk of errors in the index data, index computation and/or index construction due to unreliable, out-dated or unavailable information.
Tracking error risk. The fund may be subject to tracking error, which is the divergence of the fund’s performance from that of the Underlying Index. The performance of the fund may diverge from that of the Underlying Index for a number of reasons, including operating expenses, transaction costs, cash flows and operational inefficiencies. The fund’s return also may diverge from the return of the Underlying Index because the fund bears the costs and risks associated with buying and selling securities (especially when rebalancing the fund’s securities holdings to reflect changes in the Underlying Index) while such costs and risks are not factored into the return of the Underlying Index. Transaction costs, including brokerage costs, will
decrease the fund’s 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 in order to track the Underlying Index. To the extent that portfolio management uses a representative sampling approach (investing in a representative selection of securities included in the Underlying Index rather than all securities in the Underlying Index), such approach may cause the fund’s return to not be as well correlated with the return of the Underlying Index as would be the case if the fund purchased all of the securities in the Underlying Index in the proportions represented in the Underlying Index. In addition, the fund may not be able to invest in certain securities included in the Underlying Index, or invest in them in the exact proportions in which they are represented in the Underlying Index, due to government imposed legal restrictions or limitations, a lack of liquidity in the markets in which such securities trade, potential adverse tax consequences or other reasons. To the extent the fund calculates its net asset value based on fair value prices and the value of the Underlying Index is based on market prices (i.e., the value of the Underlying Index is not based on fair value prices), the fund’s ability to track the Underlying Index may be adversely affected. Tracking error risk may be heightened during times of increased market volatility or other unusual market conditions. 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 Underlying Index. In light of the factors discussed above, the fund’s return may deviate significantly from the return of the Underlying Index.
Tracking error risk may be higher for funds that track indices with significant weight in foreign issuers, and in particular emerging markets issuers, than funds that do not track such indices.
For purposes of calculating the fund’s net asset value, the value of assets denominated in non-US currencies is converted into US dollars using prevailing market rates on the date of valuation as quoted by one or more data service providers. This conversion may result in a difference between the prices used to calculate the fund’s net asset value and the prices used by the Underlying Index, which, in turn, could result in a difference between the fund’s performance and the performance of the Underlying Index.
The need to comply with the tax diversification and other requirements of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, may also impact the fund’s ability to replicate the performance of the Underlying Index. In addition, if the fund utilizes derivative instruments or holds other instruments that are not included in the Underlying Index, the fund’s return may not correlate as well with the returns of the Underlying Index as would be the case if the fund
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purchased all the securities in the Underlying Index directly. Actions taken in response to proposed corporate actions could result in increased tracking error.
Market price risk. Fund shares are listed for trading on an exchange and are bought and sold in the secondary market at market prices. The market prices of shares will fluctuate, in some cases materially, in response to changes in the NAV and supply and demand for shares. As a result, the trading prices of shares may deviate significantly from the NAV during periods of market volatility. Differences between secondary market prices and the value of the fund’s holdings may be due largely to supply and demand forces in the secondary market, which may not be the same forces as those influencing prices for securities held by the fund at a particular time. The Advisor cannot predict whether shares will trade above, below or at their NAV. Given the fact that shares can be created and redeemed in Creation Units, the Advisor believes that large discounts or premiums to the NAV of shares should not be sustained in the long-term. In addition, there may be times when the market price and the value of the fund’s holdings vary significantly and you may pay more than the value of the fund’s holdings when buying shares on the secondary market, and you may receive less than the value of the fund’s holdings when you sell those shares. 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, disruptions to creations and redemptions, including disruptions at market makers, APs or market participants, or during periods of significant market volatility, may result in trading prices that differ significantly from the value of the fund’s holdings. Although market makers will generally take advantage of differences between the NAV and the market price of fund shares through arbitrage opportunities, there is no guarantee that they will do so. If market makers exit the business or are unable to continue making markets in fund’s shares, shares may trade at a discount to NAV like closed-end fund shares and may even face delisting (that is, investors would no longer be able to trade shares in the secondary market). The market price of shares, like the price of any exchange-traded security, includes a “bid-ask spread” charged by the exchange specialist, market makers or other participants that trade the particular security. In times of severe market disruption, the bid-ask spread often increases significantly. This means that shares may trade at a discount to the fund’s NAV, and the discount is likely to be greatest when the price of shares is falling fastest, which may be the time that you most want to sell your shares. There are various methods by which investors can purchase and sell shares of the funds and various orders that may be placed. Investors should consult their financial intermediary before purchasing or selling shares of the fund.
In addition, the securities held by the fund may be traded in markets that close at a different time than an exchange. Liquidity in those securities may be reduced after the applicable closing times. Accordingly, during the time when an 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 is likely to widen. More generally, secondary markets may be subject to irregular trading activity, wide bid-ask spreads and extended trade settlement periods, which could cause a material decline in the fund’s NAV. The bid-ask spread varies over time for shares of the fund based on the fund’s trading volume and market liquidity, and is generally lower if the fund has substantial trading volume and market liquidity, and 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). The fund’s bid-ask spread may also be impacted by the liquidity of the underlying securities held by the fund, particularly for newly launched or smaller funds or in instances of significant volatility of the underlying securities. The fund’s investment results are measured based upon the daily NAV of the fund. Investors purchasing and selling shares in the secondary market may not experience investment results consistent with those experienced by those APs creating and redeeming shares directly with the fund. In addition, transactions by large shareholders may account for a large percentage of the trading volume on an exchange and may, therefore, have a material effect on the market price of the fund’s shares.
Operational and technology risk. Cyber-attacks, disruptions, or failures that affect the fund’s service providers or counterparties, issuers of securities held by the fund, or other market participants may adversely affect the fund and its shareholders, including by causing losses for the fund or impairing fund operations. For example, the fund’s or its service providers’ assets or sensitive or confidential information may be misappropriated, data may be corrupted and operations may be disrupted (e.g., cyber-attacks, operational failures or broader disruptions may cause the release of private shareholder information or confidential fund information, interfere with the processing of shareholder transactions, impact the ability to calculate the fund’s net asset value and impede trading). Market events and disruptions also may trigger a volume of transactions that overloads current information technology and communication systems and processes, impacting the ability to conduct the fund’s operations.
While the fund and its service providers may establish business continuity and other plans and processes that seek to address the possibility of and fallout from cyber-attacks, disruptions or failures, there are inherent limitations in such plans and systems, including that they do not apply to third parties, such as fund counterparties, issuers of securities held by the fund or other market participants, as well as the possibility that certain risks have not been identified or that unknown threats may
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emerge in the future and there is no assurance that such plans and processes will be effective. Among other situations, disruptions (for example, pandemics or health crises) that cause prolonged periods of remote work or significant employee absences at the fund’s service providers could impact the ability to conduct the fund’s operations. In addition, the fund cannot directly control any cybersecurity plans and systems put in place by its service providers, fund counterparties, issuers of securities held by the fund or other market participants.
Cyber-attacks may include unauthorized attempts by third parties to improperly access, modify, disrupt the operations of, or prevent access to the systems of the fund’s service providers or counterparties, issuers of securities held by the fund or other market participants or data within them. In addition, power or communications outages, acts of god, information technology equipment malfunctions, operational errors, and inaccuracies within software or data processing systems may also disrupt business operations or impact critical data.
Cyber-attacks, disruptions, or failures may adversely affect the fund and its shareholders or cause reputational damage and subject the fund to regulatory fines, litigation costs, penalties or financial losses, reimbursement or other compensation costs, and/or additional compliance costs. In addition, cyber-attacks, disruptions, or failures involving a fund counterparty could affect such counterparty’s ability to meet its obligations to the fund, which may result in losses to the fund and its shareholders. Similar types of operational and technology risks are also present for issuers of securities held by the fund, which could have material adverse consequences for such issuers, and may cause the fund’s investments to lose value. Furthermore, as a result of cyber-attacks, disruptions, or failures, an exchange or market may close or issue trading halts on specific securities or the entire market, which may result in the fund being, among other things, unable to buy or sell certain securities or financial instruments or unable to accurately price its investments.
For example, the fund relies on various sources to calculate its NAV. Therefore, the fund is subject to certain operational risks associated with reliance on third party service providers and data sources. NAV calculation may be impacted by operational risks arising from factors such as failures in systems and technology. Such failures may result in delays in the calculation of the fund’s NAV and/or the inability to calculate NAV over extended time periods. The fund may be unable to recover any losses associated with such failures.
Non-diversification risk. The fund is classified as non-diversified under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended. This means that the fund may invest in securities of relatively few issuers. Thus, the performance of one or a small number of portfolio holdings can affect overall performance.
If the fund becomes classified as “diversified” over time and again becomes non-diversified as a result of a change in relative market capitalization or index weighting of one or more constituents of the index that the fund is designed to track, non-diversification risk would apply.
Authorized Participant concentration risk. The fund may have a limited number of financial institutions that may act as APs. Only APs who have entered into agreements with the fund’s distributor may engage in creation or redemption transactions directly with the fund (as described in the section of this Prospectus entitled “Buying and Selling Shares”). If those APs exit the business or are unable to process creation and/or redemption orders, (including in situations where APs have limited or diminished access to capital required to post collateral) and no other AP is able to step forward to create and redeem in either of these cases, shares may trade at a discount to NAV like closed-end fund shares and may even face delisting (that is, investors would no longer be able to trade shares in the secondary market).
Geographic focus risk. Focusing investments in a single country or few countries, or regions, involves increased political, regulatory and other risks. Market swings in such a targeted country, countries or regions are likely to have a greater effect on fund performance than they would in a more geographically diversified fund.
European investment risk. European financial markets have experienced volatility in recent years and have been adversely affected by concerns about economic downturns, credit rating downgrades, rising government debt level and possible default on or restructuring of government debt in several European countries. A default or debt restructuring by any European country would adversely impact holders of that country’s debt, and sellers of credit default swaps linked to that country’s creditworthiness. Most countries in Western Europe are members of the European Union (EU), which faces major issues involving its membership, structure, procedures and policies. As of January 1, 2021, the United Kingdom is no longer part of the EU customs union and single market, nor is it subject to EU policies and international agreements. The long-term impact of the United Kingdom's withdrawal from the EU is still unknown and could have adverse economic and political effects on the United Kingdom, the EU and its member countries, and the global economy, including financial markets and asset valuations.
European countries are also significantly affected by fiscal and monetary controls implemented by the European Economic and Monetary Union (EMU), and it is possible that the timing and substance of these controls may not address the needs of all EMU member countries. Investing in euro-denominated securities also risks exposure to a currency that may not fully reflect the strengths and weaknesses of the disparate economies that comprise Europe. There is continued concern over member state-level support for the euro, which could lead to certain countries
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leaving the EMU, the implementation of currency controls, or potentially the dissolution of the euro. The dissolution of the euro could have significant negative effects on European financial markets.
Risks related to investing in Asia. Investment in securities of issuers in Asia involves risks and special considerations not typically associated with investment in the US securities markets. Certain Asian economies have experienced over-extension of credit, currency devaluations and restrictions, high unemployment, high inflation, decreased exports and economic recessions. Economic events in any one Asian country can have a significant effect on the entire Asian region as well as on major trading partners outside Asia, and any adverse effect on some or all of the Asian countries and regions in which the fund invests. The securities markets in some Asian economies are relatively underdeveloped and may subject the fund to higher action costs or greater uncertainty than investments in more developed securities markets. Such risks may adversely affect the value of the fund’s investments.
Governments of many Asian countries have implemented significant economic reforms in order to liberalize trade policy, promote foreign investment in their economies, reduce government control of the economy and develop market mechanisms. There can be no assurance these reforms will continue or that they will be effective. Despite recent reform and privatizations, significant regulation of investment and industry is still pervasive in many Asian countries and may restrict foreign ownership of domestic corporations and repatriation of assets, which may adversely affect fund investments. Governments in some Asian countries are authoritarian in nature, have been installed or removed as a result of military coups or have periodically used force to suppress civil dissent. Disparities of wealth, the pace and success of democratization, and ethnic, religious and racial disaffection have led to social turmoil, violence and labor unrest in some countries. Unanticipated or sudden political or social developments may result in sudden and significant investment losses. Investing in certain Asian countries involves risk of loss due to expropriation, nationalization, or confiscation of assets and property or the imposition of restrictions on foreign investments and on repatriation of capital invested.
Some countries and regions in which the fund invests have experienced acts of terrorism or strained international relations due to territorial disputes, historical animosities or other defense concerns. For example, North and South Korea each have substantial military capabilities, and historical local tensions between the two countries present the risk of war. Any outbreak of hostilities between the two countries could have a severe adverse effect on the South Korean economy and securities markets. These and other security situations may cause uncertainty in the markets of these geographic areas and may adversely affect the performance of local economies.
Risk of investing in China. Investments in China involve certain risks and special considerations, including the following:
Available disclosure about Chinese companies. Chinese companies are required to follow Chinese accounting standards and practices, which only follow international accounting standards to a certain extent. However, the accounting, auditing and financial reporting standards and practices applicable to People’s Republic of China (“China” or the “PRC”) companies, including those listed on US exchanges, may be less rigorous, and there may be significant differences between financial statements prepared in accordance with Chinese accounting standards and practice and those prepared in accordance with international accounting standards. In particular, the assets and profits appearing on the financial statements of a Chinese issuer may not reflect its financial position or results of operations in the way they would be reflected had such financial statements been prepared in accordance with US Generally Accepted Accounting Principles. The quality of audits in China may be unreliable, which may require enhanced procedures. Consequently, the fund may not be provided the same degree of protection or information as would generally apply in developed countries and the fund may be exposed to significant losses. There is also substantially less publicly available information about Chinese issuers than there is about US issuers. Therefore, disclosure of certain material information may not be made, and less information may be available to the fund and other investors than would be the case if the fund’s investments were restricted to securities of US issuers. Under the HFCAA, Chinese companies with securities listed in the US may be delisted if they do not meet US accounting and auditor oversight requirements, which could cause the fund to seek other markets in which to transact in such securities or obtain exposure to such securities through alternative means (such as derivatives), either of which could increase the fund's costs and have a material adverse effect on the fund's ability to continue tracking the Underlying Index.
Chinese corporate and securities law. Legal principles relating to corporate affairs and the validity of corporate procedures, directors’ fiduciary duties and liabilities and stockholders’ rights often differ from those that may apply in the US and other countries. Chinese laws providing protection to investors, such as laws regarding the fiduciary duties of officers and directors, are undeveloped and will not provide investors, such as the fund, with protection in all situations where protection would be provided by comparable laws in the US. China lacks a national set of laws that address all issues that may arise with regard to a foreign investor such as the fund. It may therefore be difficult for the fund to enforce its rights as an investor under Chinese corporate and securities laws, and it may be difficult or impossible for the fund to obtain a judgment in court. Moreover, as Chinese corporate and securities laws continue to develop, these developments may adversely affect foreign investors, such as the fund.
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Due to restrictions on foreign ownership of Chinese companies imposed under Chinese law, Chinese companies that are listed in the US typically do not offer common stock in the company itself to US investors. Rather, Chinese companies typically offer shares of an offshore shell company (typically referred to as a “variable interest entity” or “VIE”) that has entered into service and other contracts with the Chinese company. Accordingly, US investors in Chinese companies listed on a US stock exchange do not actually own shares of the Chinese company itself. The US-listed shell company does not control the Chinese company and must rely on the Chinese company to perform its contractual obligations (which, as noted above, are governed by Chinese corporate and securities laws that are less protective of shareholders than US laws). Moreover, the Chinese government may at any time invalidate or limit the contracts between a Chinese company and the offshore shell company which is offering shares in the US, which may result in the partial or total loss of the value of a US investor's shares in the offshore shell company even if a direct investment in the Chinese company would retain value.
Chinese securities markets. The securities markets in China have a limited operating history and are not as developed as those in the US. The markets tend to be smaller in size, have less liquidity and historically have had greater volatility than markets in the US and some other countries. In addition, under normal market conditions, there is less regulation and monitoring of Chinese securities markets and the activities of investors, brokers and other participants than in the US. Accordingly, issuers of securities in China are not subject to the same degree of regulation as are US issuers with respect to such matters as insider trading rules, tender offer regulation, stockholder proxy requirements and the requirements mandating timely disclosure of information. During periods of significant market volatility, the Chinese government has, from time to time, intervened in its domestic securities markets to a greater degree than would be typical in more developed markets, including both direct and indirect market stabilization efforts, which may affect valuations of Chinese issuers. Stock markets in China are in the process of change and further development. This may lead to trading volatility, difficulty in the settlement and recording of transactions and difficulty in interpreting and applying the relevant regulations.
Hong Kong policy. As part of Hong Kong’s transition from British to Chinese sovereignty in 1997, China agreed to allow Hong Kong to maintain a high degree of autonomy with regard to its political, legal and economic systems for a period of at least 50 years. China controls matters that relate to defense and foreign affairs. Under the agreement, China does not tax Hong Kong, does not limit the exchange of the Hong Kong dollar for foreign currencies and does not place restrictions on free trade in Hong Kong. However, there is no guarantee that China will continue
to honor the agreement, and China may change its policies regarding Hong Kong at any time. As of July 2020, the Chinese Standing Committee of the National People's Congress enacted the Law of the PRC on Safeguarding National Security in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, (the “Hong Kong Law”), which imposed substantial limits on Hong Kong’s political and legal autonomy in a manner widely considered within Hong Kong and by other countries as a violation of China’s agreement in 1997. Hong Kong has experienced wide protests and extensive turmoil before and after the enactment of this law. Also as of July 2020, Hong Kong is no longer afforded preferential economic treatment by the United States under US law, and there is uncertainty as to how the economy of Hong Kong will be affected. Any further changes in China's policies could adversely affect market conditions and the performance of the Chinese economy and, thus, the value of securities in the fund’s portfolio.
Inflation. Economic growth in China has historically been accompanied by periods of high inflation. Beginning in 2004, the Chinese government commenced the implementation of various measures to control inflation, which included the tightening of the money supply, the raising of interest rates and more stringent control over certain industries. If these measures are not successful, and if inflation were to steadily increase, the performance of the Chinese economy and the fund’s investments could be adversely affected.
Nationalization and expropriation. After the formation of the Chinese socialist state in 1949, the Chinese government renounced various debt obligations and nationalized private assets without providing any form of compensation. There can be no assurance that the Chinese government will not take similar actions in the future. Accordingly, an investment in the fund involves a risk of a total loss.
Political and economic risk. The economy of China, which has been in a state of transition from a planned economy to a more market oriented economy, differs from the economies of most developed countries in many respects, including the level of government involvement, its state of development, its growth rate, control of foreign exchange, and allocation of resources. Although the majority of productive assets in China are still owned by the PRC government at various levels, in recent years, the PRC government has implemented economic reform measures emphasizing utilization of market forces in the development of the economy of China and a high level of management autonomy. The economy of China has experienced significant growth in recent decades, but growth has been uneven both geographically and among various sectors of the economy. Economic growth has also been accompanied by periods of high inflation. The PRC government has implemented various measures from time to time to control inflation and restrain the rate of economic growth.
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For several decades, the PRC government has carried out economic reforms to achieve decentralization and utilization of market forces to develop the economy of the PRC. These reforms have resulted in significant economic growth and social progress. However, there can be no assurance that the PRC government will continue to pursue such economic policies or that such policies, if pursued, will be successful. Any adjustment and modification of those economic policies may have an adverse impact on the securities markets in the PRC as well as the constituent securities of the Underlying Index. Further, the PRC government may from time to time adopt corrective measures to control the growth of the PRC economy which may also have an adverse impact on the capital growth and performance of the fund.
Political changes, social instability and adverse diplomatic developments in the PRC could result in the imposition of additional government restrictions including expropriation of assets, confiscatory taxes or nationalization of some or all of the property held by the issuers of the A-Shares in the fund’s Underlying Index. The laws, regulations, including the investment regulations, government policies and political and economic climate in China may change with little or no advance notice. Any such change could adversely affect market conditions and the performance of the Chinese economy and, thus, the value of securities in the fund’s portfolio.
The Chinese government continues to be an active participant in many economic sectors through ownership positions and regulations. The allocation of resources in China is subject to a high level of government control. The Chinese government strictly regulates the payment of foreign currency denominated obligations and sets monetary policy. Through its policies, the government may provide preferential treatment to particular industries or companies. Recently, the Chinese government has become more aggressive about regulating the operations of particular companies or sectors, including large companies which are indirectly listed in the US. These regulations may substantially limit or prohibit the operations of such companies and cause investors to lose some or all of the value of their investment. The policies set by the government could have a substantial effect on the Chinese economy and the fund’s investments.
The Chinese economy is export-driven and highly reliant on trade. The performance of the Chinese economy may differ favorably or unfavorably from the US economy in such respects as growth of gross domestic product, rate of inflation, currency depreciation, capital reinvestment, resource self-sufficiency and balance of payments position. The domestic consumer class in China is still emergent, while the economy's dependence on exports may not be sustainable. Adverse changes to the economic
conditions of its primary trading partners, such as the European Union, the US, Hong Kong, the Association of South East Asian Nations, and Japan, would adversely affect the Chinese economy and the fund’s investments.
In addition, as much of China’s growth over recent decades has been a result of significant investment in substantial export trade, international trade tensions may arise from time to time which can result in trade tariffs, embargoes, trade limitations, trade wars and other negative consequences. The current political climate has intensified concerns about trade tariffs and a potential trade war between China and the US. These consequences may trigger a significant reduction in international trade, the oversupply of certain manufactured goods, substantial price reductions of goods and possible failure of individual companies and/or large segments of China’s export industry with a potentially severe negative impact to the fund. In addition, it is possible that the continuation or worsening of the current political climate could result in regulatory restrictions being contemplated or imposed in the US or in China that could have a material adverse effect on the fund’s ability to invest in accordance with its investment policies and/or achieve its investment objective. In July 2020, the President’s Working Group on Financial Markets (“PWG”) proposed a number of regulatory changes aimed at addressing potential risks to US investors from investments in issuers that provide limited access to their financial statements, including Chinese companies. The PWG’s proposals included having the SEC consider encouraging or requiring US registered funds to conduct additional due diligence on an index’s exposure to such issuers and how the index provider addresses concerns arising from limited availability of such issuers’ financial information. If the SEC adopts these proposals, they could have a material adverse effect on the fund’s ability to continue tracking the Underlying Index. In addition, in June 2021, the President of the United States issued an executive order (“CMIC Order”) prohibiting US persons, including the fund, from purchasing or selling publicly traded securities (including publicly traded securities that are derivative of, or are designed to provide exposure to, such securities) of any Chinese company identified as a Chinese Military Industrial Complex Company (“CMIC”). This prohibition, effective August 2, 2021, expands on similar sanctions imposed by the prior administration on certain designated Chinese military companies (“CCMCs”) that took effect in January 2021. To the extent that any company in the Underlying Index is identified as a CMIC at any time (or was previously designated as a CCMC), it may have a material adverse effect on the fund’s ability to track its Underlying Index. Also,in December 2020, the Holding Foreign Companies Accountable Act (“HFCAA”) was signed into law. Since the HFCAA was signed, the SEC has placed many Chinese companies listed on a US stock exchange on a watchlist, indicating that securities of foreign issuers (including China) will be de-listed from US stock exchanges if those companies do
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not permit US oversight of the auditing of their financial information. On August 26, 2022, the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (“PCAOB”) signed a Statement of Protocol with the Chinese authorities that would, if fully implemented, allow the PCAOB to inspect and investigate accounting firms located in China. The ultimate impact of the HFCAA is unclear at this time, but to the extent that the fund currently transacts in securities of a foreign company in the Underlying Index on a US exchange but is unable to do so in the future, the fund will have to seek other markets in which to transact in such securities or obtain exposure to such securities through alternative means (such as derivatives), either of which could increase the fund’s costs and have a material adverse effect on the fund’s ability to continue tracking the Underlying Index. Finally, the Chair of the SEC announced in July 2021 that the SEC would be requiring additional disclosures about the corporate structure of Chinese companies listing in the US (pursuant to which US investors own shares in a VIE rather than the Chinese company itself) and the risks to US investors, including the risks of such companies being delisted from the US exchange under the HFCAA. Events such as these are difficult to predict and may or may not occur in the future.
China has been transitioning to a market economy since the late seventies, and has only recently opened up to foreign investment and permitted private economic activity. Under the economic reforms implemented by the Chinese government, the Chinese economy has experienced tremendous growth, developing into one of the largest and fastest growing economies in the world. There is no assurance, however, that the Chinese government will not revert to the economic policy of central planning that it implemented prior to 1978 or that such growth will be sustained in the future. An economic downturn in China would adversely impact the fund’s investments. These risks may be heightened to the extent China pursues a “zero COVID” or similar strategy that attempts to eradicate the incidence of a disease for extended periods, thus leading to shutdowns or other interventions which affect the Chinese and/or global economy for periods beyond that which might be caused by the public health policies of other countries.
Other sanctions and embargoes. From time to time, certain of the companies in which the fund expects to invest may operate in, or have dealings with, countries subject to sanctions or embargoes imposed by the US government and the United Nations and/or countries identified by the US government as state sponsors of terrorism. A company may suffer damage to its reputation if it is identified as a company which operates in, or has dealings with, countries subject to sanctions or embargoes imposed by the US government and the United Nations and/or countries identified by the US government as state sponsors of terrorism. As an investor in such companies, the fund will be indirectly subject to those risks.
Risks related to investing in Taiwan. Investments in Taiwanese issuers may subject the fund to legal, regulatory, political, currency and economic risks that are specific to Taiwan. Specifically, Taiwan’s geographic proximity and history of political contention with China have resulted in ongoing tensions between the two countries. These tensions may materially affect the Taiwanese economy and its securities market. Taiwan is a small island state with few raw material resources and limited land area and thus it relies heavily on imports for its commodity needs. Any fluctuations or shortages in the commodity markets could have a negative impact on the Taiwanese economy. Also, rising labor costs and increasing environmental consciousness have led some labor-intensive industries to relocate to countries with cheaper work forces, and continued labor outsourcing may adversely affect the Taiwanese economy. Taiwan’s economy also is intricately linked with economies of other Asian countries, which are often emerging market economies that often experience overextensions of credit, frequent and pronounced currency fluctuations, devaluations and restrictions, rising unemployment and fluctuations in inflation. Political and social unrest in other Asian countries could cause further economic and market uncertainty in Taiwan. Taiwan’s economy is export-oriented, so it depends on an open world trade regime and remains vulnerable to fluctuations in the world economy. In particular, the Taiwanese economy is dependent on the economies of Japan and China, and also the US, and a reduction in purchases by any of them of Taiwanese products and services or negative changes in their economies would likely have an adverse impact on the Taiwanese economy.
Risks of investing in Hong Kong. The fund’s investments which are listed and traded in Hong Kong may expose the fund to certain legal, regulatory, political, currency and economic risks. China is Hong Kong’s largest trading partner, both in terms of exports and imports. Any changes in the Chinese economy, trade regulations or currency exchange rates may have an adverse impact on Hong Kong’s economy. Hong Kong reverted to Chinese sovereignty on July 1, 1997 as a Special Administrative Region of the People’s Republic of China under the principle of “one country, two systems.” Although China is obligated to maintain the current capitalist economic and social system of Hong Kong through June 30, 2047, the continuation of economic and social freedoms enjoyed in Hong Kong is dependent on the government of China. With the enactment of the Hong Kong Law, China has been asserting greater control over Hong Kong’s political and legal systems, which has evoked substantial protests within Hong Kong and policy responses from other countries. China may continue increasing its control over Hong Kong and may further change its policies regarding Hong Kong at any time. Any further attempt by China to tighten its control over Hong Kong’s political, economic or social policies may result in an adverse effect on Hong Kong’s economy. Hong Kong is located in a part of the world that
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has historically been prone to natural disasters such as earthquakes and flooding and is economically sensitive to environmental events. Any such event could result in a significant adverse impact on the Hong Kong economy.
Derivatives risk. Derivatives involve risks different from, and possibly greater than, the risks associated with investing directly in securities and other more traditional investments. Risks associated with derivatives may include the risk that the derivative is not well correlated with the security, index or currency to which it relates; the risk that derivatives may result in losses or missed opportunities; the risk that the fund will be unable to sell the derivative because of an illiquid secondary market; the risk that a counterparty is unwilling or unable to meet its obligation, which may be heightened in derivative transactions entered into “over-the-counter” (i.e., not on an exchange or contract market); and the risk that the derivative transaction could expose the fund to the effects of leverage, which could increase the fund’s exposure to the market and magnify potential losses.
There is no guarantee that derivatives, to the extent employed, will have the intended effect, and their use could cause lower returns or even losses to the fund. The use of derivatives by the fund to hedge risk may reduce the opportunity for gain by offsetting the positive effect of favorable price movements.
Futures risk. The value of a futures contract tends to increase and decrease in tandem with the value of the underlying instrument. Depending on the terms of the particular contract, futures contracts are settled through either physical delivery of the underlying instrument on the settlement date or by payment of a cash settlement amount on the settlement date. A decision as to whether, when and how to use futures involves the exercise of skill and judgment and even a well-conceived futures transaction may be unsuccessful because of market behavior or unexpected events. In addition to the derivatives risks discussed above, the prices of futures can be highly volatile, using futures can lower total return and the potential loss from futures can exceed the fund’s initial investment in such contracts.
Counterparty risk. A financial institution or other counterparty with whom the fund does business, or that underwrites, distributes or guarantees any investments or contracts that the fund owns or is otherwise exposed to, may decline in financial health and become unable to honor its commitments. This could cause losses for the fund or could delay the return or delivery of collateral or other assets to the fund.
Securities lending risk. Securities lending involves the risk that the fund may lose money because the borrower of the loaned securities fails to return the securities in a timely manner or at all. A delay in the recovery of loaned securities could interfere with the fund’s ability to vote proxies or settle transactions. The fund could also lose
money in the event of a decline in the value of the collateral provided for the loaned securities, or a decline in the value of any investments made with cash collateral or even a loss of rights in the collateral should the borrower of the securities fail financially while holding the securities.
Xtrackers MSCI EAFE ESG Leaders Equity ETF
Investment Objective
Xtrackers MSCI EAFE ESG Leaders Equity ETF (the “fund”), seeks investment results that correspond generally to the performance, before fees and expenses, of the MSCI EAFE ESG Leaders Index (the “Underlying Index”).
Principal Investment Strategies
The fund, using a “passive” or indexing investment approach, seeks investment results that correspond generally to the performance, before fees and expenses, of the Underlying Index, which is a capitalization weighted index that provides exposure to companies with high environmental, social and governance (“ESG”) performance relative to their sector peers. The Underlying Index consists of large- and medium-capitalization companies across developed markets countries, excluding Canada and the United States. Under normal circumstances, the annual review of the Underlying Index takes place in May and it is rebalanced in August, November and February. The fund rebalances its portfolio in accordance with the Underlying Index, and, therefore, any changes to the Underlying Index's review and rebalance schedule will result in corresponding changes to the fund's rebalance schedule.
The Underlying Index uses MSCI ESG Ratings, MSCI ESG Controversies and MSCI Business Involvement Screening Research (collectively, “MSCI ESG Research”) to determine index components for the Underlying Index.
◾ MSCI ESG Ratings provides research, analysis and ratings of how well companies manage their ESG risks and opportunities. MSCI ESG Ratings provides a company with an overall ESG rating on a seven point scale, ranging from ‘AAA’ to ‘CCC.’ Existing constituents of the Underlying Index are required to have an MSCI ESG rating of BB or above to remain in the index, and companies that are currently not constituents of the Underlying Index are also required to have an MSCI ESG rating of BB or above to be considered eligible for addition.
◾ MSCI ESG Controversies provides assessments of controversies concerning the negative ESG impact of company operations, products and services. MSCI ESG Controversies score companies on a scale of 0 to 10, with 0 being the most severe controversy. Existing constituents of the Underlying Index are required to have an MSCI ESG Controversies Score of 1 or above to remain in the index, while companies that are currently not constituents
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of the Underlying Index are required to have an MSCI ESG Controversies Score of 3 or above to be considered eligible for addition.
◾ MSCI ESG Business Involvement Screening Research aims to enable institutional investors to manage ESG standards and restrictions reliably and efficiently. Companies that are involved in specific business activities which have high potential for negative social and/or environmental impact, such as alcohol, gambling, tobacco, nuclear power, fossil fuel extraction, thermal coal power, conventional weapons, nuclear weapons, controversial weapons and civilian firearms, are ineligible for inclusion.
The fund uses a full replication indexing strategy to seek to track the Underlying Index. As such, the fund invests directly in the component securities (or a substantial number of the component securities) of the Underlying Index in substantially the same weightings in which they are represented in the Underlying Index. If it is not possible for the fund to acquire component securities due to limited availability or regulatory restrictions, the fund may use a representative sampling indexing strategy to seek to track the Underlying Index instead of a full replication indexing strategy. “Representative sampling” is an indexing strategy that involves investing in a representative sample of securities that collectively has an investment profile similar to the Underlying Index. The securities selected are expected to have, in the aggregate, investment characteristics (based on factors such as market capitalization and industry weightings), fundamental characteristics (such as return variability and yield), and liquidity measures similar to those of the Underlying Index. The fund may or may not hold all of the securities in the Underlying Index when using a representative sampling indexing strategy. The fund will invest at least 80% of its total assets (but typically far more) in component securities (including depositary receipts in respect of such securities) of the Underlying Index.
As of October 31, 2022, the Underlying Index consisted of 394 securities, with an average market capitalization of approximately $16.40 billion and a minimum market capitalization of approximately $1.46 billion, from issuers in the following countries: Australia, Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom. The fund will normally invest at least 80% of its net assets, plus the amount of any borrowings for investment purposes, in equity securities of issuers from Europe, Australia and the Far East. As of October 31, 2022, a significant percentage of the Underlying Index was comprised of securities of issuers from Japan (22.56%) and the United Kingdom (16.04%).
The fund will concentrate its investments (i.e., hold 25% or more of its total assets) in a particular industry or group of industries to the extent that its Underlying Index is concentrated. As of October 31, 2022, a significant
percentage of the Underlying Index was comprised of issuers in the financials (17.55%), health care (16.57%) and industrials (15.39%) sectors. The financials sector includes companies involved in banking, consumer finance, asset management and custody banks, as well as investment banking and brokerage and insurance. Industries in the health care sector include pharmaceuticals, biotechnology, medical products and supplies, and health care services. The industrials sector includes companies engaged in the manufacture and distribution of capital goods, such as those used in defense, construction and engineering, companies that manufacture and distribute electrical equipment and industrial machinery and those that provide commercial and transportation services and supplies. To the extent that the fund tracks the Underlying Index, the fund’s investment in certain sectors or countries may change over time.
The fund may become “non-diversified,” as defined under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended, solely as a result of a change in relative market capitalization or index weighting of one or more constituents of the index that the fund is designed to track. Shareholder approval will not be sought when the fund crosses from diversified to non-diversified status under such circumstances.
The fund may invest its remaining assets in other securities, including securities not in the Underlying Index, cash and cash equivalents, money market instruments, such as repurchase agreements or money market funds (including money market funds advised by the Advisor or its affiliates (subject to applicable limitations under the 1940 Act), or exemptions therefrom), 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 in certain types of derivatives instruments (see “Derivatives” subsection).
The fund may also invest in depositary receipts in respect of equity securities that comprise its Underlying Index to seek performance that corresponds to the fund’s respective Underlying Index. Investments in such depositary receipts will count towards the fund’s 80% investment policy discussed above with respect to instruments that comprise the fund’s Underlying Index.
The fund or securities referred to herein are not sponsored, endorsed, issued, sold or promoted by MSCI, and MSCI bears no liability with respect to the fund or securities or any index on which the fund or securities are based. The Prospectus contains a more detailed description of the limited relationship MSCI has with DBX Advisors LLC and any related funds.
Derivatives. Portfolio management generally may use futures contracts, stock index futures, options on futures, swap contracts and other types of derivatives in seeking performance that corresponds to its Underlying Index and will not use such instruments for speculative purposes.
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The fund also may invest in these derivative instruments to the extent that the Advisor believes will help the fund to achieve its investment objective. A futures contract is a standardized exchange-traded agreement to buy or sell a specific quantity of an underlying instrument at a specific price at a specific future time.
Securities lending. 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 liquid collateral equal to at least 102% of the value of the portfolio securities being lent. This collateral is marked to market on a daily basis. The fund may lend its portfolio securities in an amount up to 33 1/3% of its total assets.
Underlying Index Information
MSCI EAFE ESG Leaders Index
Number of Components: approximately 394
Index Description. The MSCI EAFE ESG Leaders Index is a capitalization weighted index that provides exposure to companies with high environmental, social and governance (“ESG”) performance relative to their sector peers. The Underlying Index consists of large- and medium-capitalization companies across developed markets countries, excluding Canada and the United States. As of October 31, 2022, the country pool consists of the following set of countries: Australia, Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom. See the Appendix for additional information about calculating and maintaining the Underlying Index.
Main Risks
As with any investment, you could lose all or part of your investment in the fund, and the fund’s performance could trail that of other investments. The fund is subject to the main risks noted below, any of which may adversely affect the fund’s net asset value (“NAV”), trading price, yield, total return and ability to meet its investment objective.
ESG investment strategy risk. The Underlying Index’s ESG methodology, and thus the fund’s investment strategy, limits the types and number of investment opportunities available to the fund and, as a result, the fund may underperform other funds that do not have an ESG focus. The Underlying Index’s ESG methodology may result in the fund investing in securities or industry sectors that underperform the market as a whole or underperform other funds screened for ESG standards. The ESG scores used in the Underlying Index’s ESG methodology are based on information that is publicly available and/or provided by the companies themselves or by third parties and such information may be unavailable or unreliable. The Underlying Index seeks to include the companies in each sector that
have the highest ESG performance relative to the other companies in the sector, and as a result may include companies that do not exhibit positive ESG performance when compared to a broader universe of companies. Additionally, investors may differ in their interpretations of what constitutes positive or negative ESG characteristics of a company. For those reasons, the index provider may be unsuccessful in creating an index composed of companies that exhibit positive ESG characteristics. To the extent that circumstances change between the Underlying Index’s scheduled rebalancing dates, the Underlying Index may include, and the fund may hold for a period of time, securities of companies that do not align with the ESG criteria. The companies identified by the Index Provider as meeting the ESG criteria for the Underlying Index may not be the same companies selected by other index providers for other indices that use similar ESG criteria. Regulatory changes or interpretations regarding the definitions and/or use of ESG criteria could have a material adverse effect on the fund’s ability to invest in accordance with its investment policies and/or achieve its investment objective, as well as the ability of certain classes of investors to invest in funds following an ESG strategy such as the fund. For example, the SEC has proposed disclosure requirements applicable to funds that consider ESG factors. In addition, recent US state actions could prohibit certain state sponsored pension plans or investment funds from investing in certain funds that consider ESG factors.
Stock market risk. When stock prices fall, you should expect the value of your investment to fall as well. Stock prices can be hurt by poor management on the part of the stock’s issuer, shrinking product demand and other business risks. These may affect single companies as well as groups of companies. The market as a whole may not favor the types of investments the fund makes, which could adversely affect a stock’s price, regardless of how well the company performs, or the fund’s ability to sell a stock at an attractive price. There is a chance that stock prices overall will decline because stock markets tend to move in cycles, with periods of rising and falling prices. Events in the US and global financial markets, including actions taken by the US Federal Reserve or foreign central banks to stimulate or stabilize economic growth, may at times result in unusually high market volatility which could negatively affect performance. To the extent that the fund invests in a particular geographic region, capitalization or sector, the fund’s performance may be affected by the general performance of that region, capitalization or sector.
Market disruption risk. Economies and financial markets throughout the world are becoming increasingly interconnected, which increases the likelihood that events or conditions in one country or region will adversely impact markets or issuers in other countries or regions. The value of the fund’s investments may be negatively affected by adverse changes in overall economic or market conditions, such as the level of economic activity and productivity, unemployment and labor force participation rates, inflation
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or deflation (and expectations for inflation or deflation), interest rates, demand and supply for particular products or resources including labor, and debt levels and credit ratings, among other factors. Such adverse conditions may contribute to an overall economic contraction across entire economies or markets, which may negatively impact the profitability of issuers operating in those economies or markets, including the investments held by the fund. In addition, geopolitical and other events, including war, terrorism, economic uncertainty, trade disputes, public health crises and related geopolitical events have led, and in the future may lead, to disruptions in the US and world economies and markets, which may increase financial market volatility and have significant adverse direct or indirect effects on the fund and its investments. Adverse market conditions or disruptions could cause the fund to lose money, experience significant redemptions, and encounter operational difficulties. Although multiple asset classes may be affected by adverse market conditions or a particular market disruption, the duration and effects may not be the same for all types of assets.
Russia's recent military incursions in Ukraine have led to, and may lead to, additional sanctions being levied by the United States, European Union and other countries against Russia. Russia's military incursions and the resulting sanctions could adversely affect global energy, commodities and financial markets and thus could affect the value of the fund's investments. The extent and duration of the military action, sanctions and resulting market disruptions are impossible to predict, but could be substantial.
Other market disruption events include the pandemic spread of the novel coronavirus known as COVID-19, which at times has caused significant uncertainty, market volatility, decreased economic and other activity, increased government activity, including economic stimulus measures, and supply chain disruptions. The full effects, duration and costs of the COVID-19 pandemic are impossible to predict, and the circumstances surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic will continue to evolve including the risk of future increased rates of infection due to significant portions of the population remaining unvaccinated and/or the lack of effectiveness of current vaccines against new variants. The pandemic has affected and may continue to affect certain countries, industries, economic sectors, companies and investment products more than others, may exacerbate existing economic, political, or social tensions and may increase the probability of an economic recession or depression. The fund and its investments may be adversely affected by the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Adverse market conditions or particular market disruptions, such as those caused by Russian military action and the COVID-19 pandemic, may magnify the impact of each of the other risks described in this “MAIN RISKS” section
and may increase volatility in one or more markets in which the fund invests leading to the potential for greater losses for the fund.
Foreign investment risk. The fund faces the risks inherent in foreign investing. Adverse political, economic or social developments could undermine the value of the fund's foreign investments, prevent the fund from realizing the full value of its foreign investments or prevent the fund from selling foreign securities it holds. Financial reporting standards for companies based in foreign markets differ from those in the US. Additionally, foreign securities markets generally are smaller and less liquid than US markets. To the extent that the fund invests in non-US dollar denominated foreign securities, changes in currency exchange rates may affect the US dollar value of foreign securities or the income or gain received on these securities.
Foreign governments may restrict investment by foreigners, limit withdrawal of trading profit or currency from the country, restrict currency exchange or seize foreign investments. In addition, the fund may be limited in its ability to exercise its legal rights or enforce a counterparty's legal obligations in certain jurisdictions outside of the US. The foreign investments of the fund may also be subject to foreign withholding taxes. Foreign brokerage commissions and other fees are generally higher than those for US investments, and the transactions and custody of foreign assets may involve delays in payment, delivery or recovery of money or investments.
Foreign markets can have liquidity risks beyond those typical of US markets. Because foreign exchanges generally are smaller and less liquid than US exchanges, buying and selling foreign investments can be more difficult and costly. Relatively small transactions can sometimes materially affect the price and availability of securities. In certain situations, it may become virtually impossible to sell an investment at a price that approaches portfolio management’s estimate of its value. For the same reason, it may at times be difficult to value the fund’s foreign investments. In addition, because non-US markets may be open on days when the fund does not price its shares, the value of the foreign securities in the fund’s portfolio may change on days when shareholders will not be able to purchase or sell the fund’s shares.
Depositary receipt risk. Foreign investments in American Depositary Receipts and other depositary receipts may be less liquid than the underlying shares in their primary trading market. Certain of the depositary receipts in which the fund invests may be unsponsored depositary receipts. Unsponsored depositary receipts may not provide as much information about the underlying issuer and may not carry the same voting privileges as sponsored depositary receipts. Unsponsored depositary receipts are issued by one or more depositaries in response to market demand, but without a formal agreement with the company that issues the underlying securities.
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Currency risk. Changes in currency exchange rates and the relative value of non-US currencies may affect the value of the fund’s investment and the value of your fund shares. Because the fund’s NAV is determined on the basis of the US dollar and the fund does not attempt to hedge against changes in the value of non-US currencies, investors may lose money if the foreign currency depreciates against the US dollar, even if the foreign currency value of the fund’s holdings in that market increases. Conversely, the dollar value of your investment in the fund may go up if the value of the foreign currency appreciates against the US dollar. The value of the US dollar measured against other currencies is influenced by a variety of factors. These factors include: interest rates, national debt levels and trade deficits, changes in balances of payments and trade, domestic and foreign interest and inflation rates, global or regional political, economic or financial events, monetary policies of governments, actual or potential government intervention, and global energy prices. Political instability, the possibility of government intervention and restrictive or opaque business and investment policies may also reduce the value of a country’s currency. Government monetary policies and the buying or selling of currency by a country’s government may also influence exchange rates. Currency exchange rates can be very volatile and can change quickly and unpredictably. Therefore, the value of an investment in the fund may also go up or down quickly and unpredictably and investors may lose money.
Medium-sized company risk. Medium-sized company stocks tend to be more volatile than large company stocks. Because stock analysts are less likely to follow medium-sized companies, less information about them is available to investors. Industry-wide reversals may have a greater impact on medium-sized companies, since they lack the financial resources of larger companies. Medium-sized company stocks are typically less liquid than large company stocks.
Liquidity risk. In certain situations, it may be difficult or impossible to sell an investment at an acceptable price. This risk can be ongoing for any security that does not trade actively or in large volumes, for any security that trades primarily on smaller markets, and for investments that typically trade only among a limited number of large investors (such as restricted securities). In unusual market conditions, even normally liquid securities may be affected by a degree of liquidity risk. This may affect only certain securities or an overall securities market.
Although the fund primarily seeks to redeem shares of the fund on an in-kind basis, if the fund is forced to sell underlying investments at reduced prices or under unfavorable conditions to meet redemption requests or other cash needs, the fund may suffer a loss. This may be magnified in circumstances where redemptions from the fund may be higher than normal.
Focus risk. To the extent that the fund focuses its investments in particular industries, asset classes or sectors of the economy, any market price movements, regulatory or technological changes, or economic conditions affecting companies in those industries, asset classes or sectors may have a significant impact on the fund’s performance.
Financials sector risk. To the extent that the fund invests significantly in the financials sector, the fund will be sensitive to changes in, and the fund’s performance may depend to a greater extent on, the overall condition of the financials sector. The financials sector is subject to extensive government regulation, can be subject to relatively rapid change due to increasingly blurred distinctions between service segments, and can be significantly affected by the availability and cost of capital funds, changes in interest rates, the rate of corporate and consumer debt defaults, and price competition.
Certain events in the financials sector may cause an unusually high degree of volatility in the financial markets, and cause certain financials sector companies to incur large losses. Securities of financials sector companies may experience a decline in value when such companies experience substantial declines in the valuations of their assets, take action to raise capital (such as the issuance of debt or equity securities), or cease operations. Credit losses resulting from financial difficulties of borrowers and financial losses associated with investment activities can negatively impact the financials sector. Issuers that have exposure to the real estate, mortgage and credit markets can be particularly affected by market turmoil.
Health care sector risk. To the extent that the fund invests significantly in the health care sector, the fund will be sensitive to changes in, and the fund’s performance may depend to a greater extent on, the overall condition of the health care sector. The health care sector may be affected by government regulations and government health care programs, increases or decreases in the cost of medical products and services and product liability claims, among other factors. Many health care companies are heavily dependent on patent protection, and the expiration of a company’s patent may adversely affect that company’s profitability. Health care companies are subject to competitive forces that may result in price discounting, and may be thinly capitalized and susceptible to product obsolescence.
Industrials sector risk. To the extent that the fund invests significantly in the industrials sector, the fund will be sensitive to changes in, and the fund’s performance may depend to a greater extent on, the overall condition of the industrials sector. 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.
Prospectus December 22, 2022
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Passive investing risk. Unlike a fund that is actively managed, in which portfolio management buys and sells securities based on research and analysis, the fund invests in securities included in, or representative of, the Underlying Index, regardless of their investment merits. Because the fund is designed to maintain a high level of exposure to the Underlying Index at all times, portfolio management generally will not buy or sell a security unless the security is added or removed, respectively, from the Underlying Index, and will not take any steps to invest defensively or otherwise reduce the risk of loss during market downturns.
Index-related risk. The fund seeks investment results that correspond generally to the performance, before fees and expenses, of the Underlying Index as published by the index provider. There is no assurance that the Underlying Index provider will compile the Underlying Index accurately, or that the Underlying Index will be determined, composed or calculated accurately. Market disruptions could cause delays in the Underlying Index’s rebalancing schedule. During any such delay, it is possible that the Underlying Index and, in turn, the fund will deviate from the Underlying Index’s stated methodology and therefore experience returns different than those that would have been achieved under a normal rebalancing schedule. Generally, the index provider does not provide any warranty, or accept any liability, with respect to the quality, accuracy or completeness of the Underlying Index or its related data, and does not guarantee that the Underlying Index will be in line with its stated methodology. Errors in the Underlying Index data, the Underlying Index computations and/or the construction of the Underlying Index in accordance with its stated 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. The Advisor may have limited ability to detect such errors and neither the Advisor nor its affiliates provide any warranty or guarantee against such errors. Therefore, the gains, losses or costs associated with the index provider’s errors will generally be borne by the fund and its shareholders.
Index-related risk may be higher for a fund that tracks an index comprised of, or an index that includes, foreign securities because regulatory and reporting requirements may differ from those in the US, resulting in a heightened risk of errors in the index data, index computation and/or index construction due to unreliable, out-dated or unavailable information.
Tracking error risk. The fund may be subject to tracking error, which is the divergence of the fund’s performance from that of the Underlying Index. The performance of the fund may diverge from that of the Underlying Index for a number of reasons, including operating expenses, transaction costs, cash flows and operational inefficiencies. The fund’s return also may diverge from the return of the Underlying Index because the fund bears the costs and risks
associated with buying and selling securities (especially when rebalancing the fund’s securities holdings to reflect changes in the Underlying Index) while such costs and risks are not factored into the return of the Underlying Index. Transaction costs, including brokerage costs, will decrease the fund’s 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 in order to track the Underlying Index. To the extent that portfolio management uses a representative sampling approach (investing in a representative selection of securities included in the Underlying Index rather than all securities in the Underlying Index), such approach may cause the fund’s return to not be as well correlated with the return of the Underlying Index as would be the case if the fund purchased all of the securities in the Underlying Index in the proportions represented in the Underlying Index. In addition, the fund may not be able to invest in certain securities included in the Underlying Index, or invest in them in the exact proportions in which they are represented in the Underlying Index, due to government imposed legal restrictions or limitations, a lack of liquidity in the markets in which such securities trade, potential adverse tax consequences or other reasons. To the extent the fund calculates its net asset value based on fair value prices and the value of the Underlying Index is based on market prices (i.e., the value of the Underlying Index is not based on fair value prices), the fund’s ability to track the Underlying Index may be adversely affected. Tracking error risk may be heightened during times of increased market volatility or other unusual market conditions. 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 Underlying Index. In light of the factors discussed above, the fund’s return may deviate significantly from the return of the Underlying Index.
Tracking error risk may be higher for funds that track indices with significant weight in foreign issuers than funds that do not track such indices.
For purposes of calculating the fund’s net asset value, the value of assets denominated in non-US currencies is converted into US dollars using prevailing market rates on the date of valuation as quoted by one or more data service providers. This conversion may result in a difference between the prices used to calculate the fund’s net asset value and the prices used by the Underlying Index, which, in turn, could result in a difference between the fund’s performance and the performance of the Underlying Index.
The need to comply with the tax diversification and other requirements of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, may also impact the fund’s ability to replicate the performance of the Underlying Index. In addition, if the fund utilizes derivative instruments or holds other instruments that are not included in the Underlying Index, the
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fund’s return may not correlate as well with the returns of the Underlying Index as would be the case if the fund purchased all the securities in the Underlying Index directly. Actions taken in response to proposed corporate actions could result in increased tracking error.
Market price risk. Fund shares are listed for trading on an exchange and are bought and sold in the secondary market at market prices. The market prices of shares will fluctuate, in some cases materially, in response to changes in the NAV and supply and demand for shares. As a result, the trading prices of shares may deviate significantly from the NAV during periods of market volatility. Differences between secondary market prices and the value of the fund’s holdings may be due largely to supply and demand forces in the secondary market, which may not be the same forces as those influencing prices for securities held by the fund at a particular time. The Advisor cannot predict whether shares will trade above, below or at their NAV. Given the fact that shares can be created and redeemed in Creation Units, the Advisor believes that large discounts or premiums to the NAV of shares should not be sustained in the long-term. In addition, there may be times when the market price and the value of the fund’s holdings vary significantly and you may pay more than the value of the fund’s holdings when buying shares on the secondary market, and you may receive less than the value of the fund’s holdings when you sell those shares. 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, disruptions to creations and redemptions, including disruptions at market makers, APs or market participants, or during periods of significant market volatility, may result in trading prices that differ significantly from the value of the fund’s holdings. Although market makers will generally take advantage of differences between the NAV and the market price of fund shares through arbitrage opportunities, there is no guarantee that they will do so. If market makers exit the business or are unable to continue making markets in fund’s shares, shares may trade at a discount to NAV like closed-end fund shares and may even face delisting (that is, investors would no longer be able to trade shares in the secondary market). The market price of shares, like the price of any exchange-traded security, includes a “bid-ask spread” charged by the exchange specialist, market makers or other participants that trade the particular security. In times of severe market disruption, the bid-ask spread often increases significantly. This means that shares may trade at a discount to the fund’s NAV, and the discount is likely to be greatest when the price of shares is falling fastest, which may be the time that you most want to sell your shares. There are various methods by which investors can purchase and sell shares of the funds and various orders that may be placed. Investors should consult their financial intermediary before purchasing or selling shares of the fund.
In addition, the securities held by the fund may be traded in markets that close at a different time than an exchange. Liquidity in those securities may be reduced after the applicable closing times. Accordingly, during the time when an 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 is likely to widen. More generally, secondary markets may be subject to irregular trading activity, wide bid-ask spreads and extended trade settlement periods, which could cause a material decline in the fund’s NAV. The bid-ask spread varies over time for shares of the fund based on the fund’s trading volume and market liquidity, and is generally lower if the fund has substantial trading volume and market liquidity, and 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). The fund’s bid-ask spread may also be impacted by the liquidity of the underlying securities held by the fund, particularly for newly launched or smaller funds or in instances of significant volatility of the underlying securities. The fund’s investment results are measured based upon the daily NAV of the fund. Investors purchasing and selling shares in the secondary market may not experience investment results consistent with those experienced by those APs creating and redeeming shares directly with the fund. In addition, transactions by large shareholders may account for a large percentage of the trading volume on an exchange and may, therefore, have a material effect on the market price of the fund’s shares.
Operational and technology risk. Cyber-attacks, disruptions, or failures that affect the fund’s service providers or counterparties, issuers of securities held by the fund, or other market participants may adversely affect the fund and its shareholders, including by causing losses for the fund or impairing fund operations. For example, the fund’s or its service providers’ assets or sensitive or confidential information may be misappropriated, data may be corrupted and operations may be disrupted (e.g., cyber-attacks, operational failures or broader disruptions may cause the release of private shareholder information or confidential fund information, interfere with the processing of shareholder transactions, impact the ability to calculate the fund’s net asset value and impede trading). Market events and disruptions also may trigger a volume of transactions that overloads current information technology and communication systems and processes, impacting the ability to conduct the fund’s operations.
While the fund and its service providers may establish business continuity and other plans and processes that seek to address the possibility of and fallout from cyber-attacks, disruptions or failures, there are inherent limitations in such plans and systems, including that they do not apply to third parties, such as fund counterparties, issuers of securities held by the fund or other market participants, as well as the possibility that certain risks have not been identified or that unknown threats may
Prospectus December 22, 2022
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emerge in the future and there is no assurance that such plans and processes will be effective. Among other situations, disruptions (for example, pandemics or health crises) that cause prolonged periods of remote work or significant employee absences at the fund’s service providers could impact the ability to conduct the fund’s operations. In addition, the fund cannot directly control any cybersecurity plans and systems put in place by its service providers, fund counterparties, issuers of securities held by the fund or other market participants.
Cyber-attacks may include unauthorized attempts by third parties to improperly access, modify, disrupt the operations of, or prevent access to the systems of the fund’s service providers or counterparties, issuers of securities held by the fund or other market participants or data within them. In addition, power or communications outages, acts of god, information technology equipment malfunctions, operational errors, and inaccuracies within software or data processing systems may also disrupt business operations or impact critical data.
Cyber-attacks, disruptions, or failures may adversely affect the fund and its shareholders or cause reputational damage and subject the fund to regulatory fines, litigation costs, penalties or financial losses, reimbursement or other compensation costs, and/or additional compliance costs. In addition, cyber-attacks, disruptions, or failures involving a fund counterparty could affect such counterparty’s ability to meet its obligations to the fund, which may result in losses to the fund and its shareholders. Similar types of operational and technology risks are also present for issuers of securities held by the fund, which could have material adverse consequences for such issuers, and may cause the fund’s investments to lose value. Furthermore, as a result of cyber-attacks, disruptions, or failures, an exchange or market may close or issue trading halts on specific securities or the entire market, which may result in the fund being, among other things, unable to buy or sell certain securities or financial instruments or unable to accurately price its investments.
For example, the fund relies on various sources to calculate its NAV. Therefore, the fund is subject to certain operational risks associated with reliance on third party service providers and data sources. NAV calculation may be impacted by operational risks arising from factors such as failures in systems and technology. Such failures may result in delays in the calculation of the fund’s NAV and/or the inability to calculate NAV over extended time periods. The fund may be unable to recover any losses associated with such failures.
Non-diversification risk. At any given time, due to the composition of the Underlying Index, the fund may be classified as “non-diversified” and may invest a larger percentage of its assets in securities of a few issuers or a single issuer than that of a diversified fund. As a result, the fund may be more susceptible to the risks associated with these particular issuers, or to a single economic,
political or regulatory occurrence affecting these issuers. This may increase the fund’s volatility and cause the performance of a relatively smaller number of issuers to have a greater impact on the fund’s performance.
Authorized Participant concentration risk. The fund may have a limited number of financial institutions that may act as APs. Only APs who have entered into agreements with the fund’s distributor may engage in creation or redemption transactions directly with the fund (as described in the section of this Prospectus entitled “Buying and Selling Shares”). If those APs exit the business or are unable to process creation and/or redemption orders, (including in situations where APs have limited or diminished access to capital required to post collateral) and no other AP is able to step forward to create and redeem in either of these cases, shares may trade at a discount to NAV like closed-end fund shares and may even face delisting (that is, investors would no longer be able to trade shares in the secondary market).
Geographic focus risk. Focusing investments in a single country or few countries, or regions, involves increased political, regulatory and other risks. Market swings in such a targeted country, countries or regions are likely to have a greater effect on fund performance than they would in a more geographically diversified fund.
European investment risk. European financial markets have experienced volatility in recent years and have been adversely affected by concerns about economic downturns, credit rating downgrades, rising government debt level and possible default on or restructuring of government debt in several European countries. A default or debt restructuring by any European country would adversely impact holders of that country’s debt, and sellers of credit default swaps linked to that country’s creditworthiness. Most countries in Western Europe are members of the European Union (EU), which faces major issues involving its membership, structure, procedures and policies. As of January 1, 2021, the United Kingdom is no longer part of the EU customs union and single market, nor is it subject to EU policies and international agreements. The long-term impact of the United Kingdom's withdrawal from the EU is still unknown and could have adverse economic and political effects on the United Kingdom, the EU and its member countries, and the global economy, including financial markets and asset valuations.
European countries are also significantly affected by fiscal and monetary controls implemented by the European Economic and Monetary Union (EMU), and it is possible that the timing and substance of these controls may not address the needs of all EMU member countries. Investing in euro-denominated securities also risks exposure to a currency that may not fully reflect the strengths and weaknesses of the disparate economies that comprise Europe. There is continued concern over member state-level support for the euro, which could lead to certain countries leaving the EMU, the implementation of currency controls,
Prospectus December 22, 2022
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or potentially the dissolution of the euro. The dissolution of the euro could have significant negative effects on European financial markets.
Risks related to investing in Asia. Investment in securities of issuers in Asia involves risks and special considerations not typically associated with investment in the US securities markets. Certain Asian economies have experienced over-extension of credit, currency devaluations and restrictions, high unemployment, high inflation, decreased exports and economic recessions. Economic events in any one Asian country can have a significant effect on the entire Asian region as well as on major trading partners outside Asia, and any adverse effect on some or all of the Asian countries and regions in which the fund invests. The securities markets in some Asian economies are relatively underdeveloped and may subject the fund to higher action costs or greater uncertainty than investments in more developed securities markets. Such risks may adversely affect the value of the fund’s investments.
Governments of many Asian countries have implemented significant economic reforms in order to liberalize trade policy, promote foreign investment in their economies, reduce government control of the economy and develop market mechanisms. There can be no assurance these reforms will continue or that they will be effective. Despite recent reform and privatizations, significant regulation of investment and industry is still pervasive in many Asian countries and may restrict foreign ownership of domestic corporations and repatriation of assets, which may adversely affect fund investments. Governments in some Asian countries are authoritarian in nature, have been installed or removed as a result of military coups or have periodically used force to suppress civil dissent. Disparities of wealth, the pace and success of democratization, and ethnic, religious and racial disaffection have led to social turmoil, violence and labor unrest in some countries. Unanticipated or sudden political or social developments may result in sudden and significant investment losses. Investing in certain Asian countries involves risk of loss due to expropriation, nationalization, or confiscation of assets and property or the imposition of restrictions on foreign investments and on repatriation of capital invested.
Some countries and regions in which the fund invests have experienced acts of terrorism or strained international relations due to territorial disputes, historical animosities or other defense concerns. For example, North and South Korea each have substantial military capabilities, and historical local tensions between the two countries present the risk of war. Any outbreak of hostilities between the two countries could have a severe adverse effect on the South Korean economy and securities markets. These and other security situations may cause uncertainty in the markets of these geographic areas and may adversely affect the performance of local economies.
Risks related to investing in Japan. The growth of Japan’s economy has historically lagged behind that of its Asian neighbors and other major developed economies. The Japanese economy is heavily dependent on international trade and has been adversely affected by trade tariffs, other protectionist measures, competition from emerging economies and the economic conditions of its trading partners. Japan’s relations with its neighbors, particularly China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, have at times been strained due to territorial disputes, historical animosities and defense concerns. Most recently, the Japanese government has shown concern over the increased nuclear and military activity by North Korea. Strained relations may cause uncertainty in the Japanese markets and adversely affect the overall Japanese economy in times of crisis. China has become an important trading partner with Japan, yet the countries’ political relationship has become strained. Should political tension increase, it could adversely affect the economy, especially the export sector, and destabilize the region as a whole. Japan is located in a part of the world that has historically been prone to natural disasters such as earthquakes, volcanoes and tsunamis and is economically sensitive to environmental events. Any such event, such as the major earthquake and tsunami which struck Japan in March 2011, could result in a significant adverse impact on the Japanese economy. Japan also remains heavily dependent on oil imports, and higher commodity prices could therefore have a negative impact on the economy. Furthermore, Japanese corporations often engage in high levels of corporate leveraging, extensive cross-purchases of the securities of other corporations and are subject to a changing corporate governance structure. Japan may be subject to risks relating to political, economic and labor risks. Any of these risks, individually or in the aggregate, could adversely affect investments in the fund.
Historically, Japan has been subject to unpredictable national politics and may experience frequent political turnover. Future political developments may lead to changes in policy that might adversely affect the fund’s investments. In addition, the Japanese economy faces several concerns, including a financial system with large levels of nonperforming loans, over-leveraged corporate balance sheets, extensive cross- ownership by major corporations, a changing corporate governance structure, and large government deficits. The Japanese yen has fluctuated widely at times and any increase in its value may cause a decline in exports that could weaken the economy. Furthermore, Japan has an aging workforce. It is a labor market undergoing fundamental structural changes, as traditional lifetime employment clashes with the need for increased labor mobility, which may adversely affect Japan’s economic competitiveness.
Derivatives risk. Derivatives involve risks different from, and possibly greater than, the risks associated with investing directly in securities and other more traditional investments. Risks associated with derivatives may
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include the risk that the derivative is not well correlated with the security, index or currency to which it relates; the risk that derivatives may result in losses or missed opportunities; the risk that the fund will be unable to sell the derivative because of an illiquid secondary market; the risk that a counterparty is unwilling or unable to meet its obligation, which may be heightened in derivative transactions entered into “over-the-counter” (i.e., not on an exchange or contract market); and the risk that the derivative transaction could expose the fund to the effects of leverage, which could increase the fund’s exposure to the market and magnify potential losses.
There is no guarantee that derivatives, to the extent employed, will have the intended effect, and their use could cause lower returns or even losses to the fund. The use of derivatives by the fund to hedge risk may reduce the opportunity for gain by offsetting the positive effect of favorable price movements.
Futures risk. The value of a futures contract tends to increase and decrease in tandem with the value of the underlying instrument. Depending on the terms of the particular contract, futures contracts are settled through either physical delivery of the underlying instrument on the settlement date or by payment of a cash settlement amount on the settlement date. A decision as to whether, when and how to use futures involves the exercise of skill and judgment and even a well-conceived futures transaction may be unsuccessful because of market behavior or unexpected events. In addition to the derivatives risks discussed above, the prices of futures can be highly volatile, using futures can lower total return and the potential loss from futures can exceed the fund’s initial investment in such contracts.
Counterparty risk. A financial institution or other counterparty with whom the fund does business, or that underwrites, distributes or guarantees any investments or contracts that the fund owns or is otherwise exposed to, may decline in financial health and become unable to honor its commitments. This could cause losses for the fund or could delay the return or delivery of collateral or other assets to the fund.
Securities lending risk. Securities lending involves the risk that the fund may lose money because the borrower of the loaned securities fails to return the securities in a timely manner or at all. A delay in the recovery of loaned securities could interfere with the fund’s ability to vote proxies or settle transactions. The fund could also lose money in the event of a decline in the value of the collateral provided for the loaned securities, or a decline in the value of any investments made with cash collateral or even a loss of rights in the collateral should the borrower of the securities fail financially while holding the securities.
Xtrackers Emerging Markets Carbon Reduction and Climate Improvers ETF
Investment Objective
Xtrackers Emerging Markets Carbon Reduction and Climate Improvers ETF (the “fund”), seeks investment results that correspond generally to the performance, before fees and expenses, of the Solactive ISS Emerging Markets Carbon Reduction & Climate Improvers Index NTR (the “Underlying Index”).
Principal Investment Strategies
The fund, using a “passive” or indexing investment approach, seeks investment results that correspond generally to the performance, before fees and expenses, of the Underlying Index, which is comprised of large and mid-capitalization companies in emerging markets countries that meet certain environmental, social and governance (“ESG”) criteria and/or have committed to greenhouse gas emissions reduction targets. The Underlying Index is then weighted in such a manner seeking to align its constituent companies’ greenhouse gas emissions with the long-term global warming target of the Paris Climate Agreement. Under normal circumstances, the Underlying Index is rebalanced semi-annually in February and August. The fund rebalances its portfolio in accordance with the Underlying Index, and, therefore, any changes to the Underlying Index's rebalance schedule will result in corresponding changes to the fund's rebalance schedule.
In constructing the Underlying Index, Solactive AG (“Solactive”) begins with the universe of securities comprising the parent index, the Solactive GBS Emerging Markets Large & Mid Cap USD Index PR, which is designed to track the performance of the large and mid-capitalization segment covering approximately the largest 85% of the free-float market capitalization in the emerging markets. From this universe of securities, Solactive first seeks to identify only those companies operating in accordance with established standards for responsible ESG conduct in the following manner:
Companies in the parent universe are initially excluded from the Underlying Index for:
Failure to observe established norms with respect to environment, human rights, corruption and labor rights (or if incorporated in countries identified with high social risk);
Involvement in controversial weapons (i.e., chemical biological or nuclear weapons, depleted uranium, cluster munitions and anti-personnel mines); or
Deriving a specified percentage of revenues from one of the following sectors (“Sector Criteria”): fossil fuel, oil sands, military, pornography, tobacco, gambling, alcohol or cannabis.
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All companies that do not trigger an exclusion listed above are included in the Underlying Index. In addition, companies that were initially excluded based on the Sector Criteria or for being incorporated in countries identified with high social risk may still be included in the Underlying Index if they have committed to setting “science-based” greenhouse gas emissions reduction targets by signing on to the Science Based Targets initiative (“SBTi”). Reduction targets are considered “science-based” if they are in line with what the latest climate science deems necessary to limit global warming to well-below 2°C above pre-industrial levels and pursuing efforts to limit warming to 1.5°C, as determined by the SBTi.
Once the constituents of the Underlying Index are selected pursuant to the above criteria, the constituents are then weighted in a manner designed to reduce the “carbon intensity” (defined, for each company included in the Underlying Index, as its greenhouse gas emissions as a percentage of the company’s enterprise value including cash) in the following ways:
Reduce the carbon intensity of the Underlying Index by at least 60% compared to the parent index, and
Seek a year-over-year carbon intensity reduction target of at least 7%.
Solactive weights each Underlying Index constituent based on its “Carbon Risk Rating,” as calculated by Solactive’s data provider, Institutional Shareholder Services Inc. (“ISS”), with those companies judged to be doing more to reduce emissions being weighted more heavily. A company’s Carbon Risk Rating is a composite score based on two components: (i) the company’s Carbon Risk Classification, and (ii) the company’s Carbon Performance Score, each as assessed by ISS.
The Carbon Risk Classification assesses a company’s exposure to carbon-related transition risks by estimating the emission intensity in the company’s business model, based on its industry and business activities.
The Carbon Performance Score evaluates the current carbon-related performance of a company as well as a company’s risk management and measures to reduce its carbon intensity in the future.
Under the Underlying Index’s methodology, a company may have considerable carbon intensity today, resulting in a poor Carbon Risk Classification, and at the same time be actively working to improve their climate impact and carbon footprint in the future, resulting in a high Carbon Performance Score. These companies are considered to be “climate improvers” and may be included in the Underlying Index.
In calculating the Carbon Risk Classification and the Carbon Performance Score, ISS collects data from a range of public and private sources including company annual reports and sustainability reports, United Nations Global Compact Participant Communications on Progress, Principles for Responsible Investment Signatory Reporting,
subscription databases such as the Carbon Disclosure Project, and correspondence with individual companies during the rating process.
The fund uses a full replication indexing strategy to seek to track the Underlying Index. As such, the fund invests directly in the component securities (or a substantial number of the component securities) of the Underlying Index in substantially the same weightings in which they are represented in the Underlying Index. If it is not possible for the fund to acquire component securities due to limited availability or regulatory restrictions, the fund may use a representative sampling indexing strategy to seek to track the Underlying Index instead of a full replication indexing strategy. “Representative sampling” is an indexing strategy that involves investing in a representative sample of securities that collectively has an investment profile similar to the Underlying Index. The securities selected are expected to have, in the aggregate, investment characteristics (based on factors such as market capitalization and industry weightings), fundamental characteristics (such as return variability and yield), and liquidity measures similar to those of the Underlying Index. The fund may or may not hold all of the securities in the Underlying Index when using a representative sampling indexing strategy. The fund will invest at least 80% of its total assets (but typically far more) in component securities (including depositary receipts in respect of such securities) of the Underlying Index.
As of October 31, 2022, the Underlying Index consisted of 1,355 securities, with an average market capitalization of approximately $11.40 billion and a minimum market capitalization of approximately $51 million from issuers in the following countries: Brazil, Chile, China, Colombia, Czech Republic, Egypt, Greece, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Kuwait, Malaysia, Mexico, Pakistan, Peru, Philippines, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey and the United Arab Emirates. The fund will normally invest at least 80% of its net assets, plus the amount of any borrowings for investment purposes, in equity securities of issuers from countries classified as emerging markets, as defined by the index provider. Emerging market countries are countries that are generally considered to be less economically mature than developed nations. As of October 31, 2022, a significant percentage of the Underlying Index was comprised of securities of issuers from China (25.50%), Taiwan (17.61%), and India (16.50%).
The fund will concentrate its investments (i.e., hold 25% or more of its total assets) in a particular industry or group of industries to the extent that its Underlying Index is concentrated. As of October 31, 2022, a significant percentage of the Underlying Index was comprised of issuers in the financials (28.51%) and information technology (23.73%) sectors. The financials sector includes companies involved in banking, consumer finance, asset management and custody banks, as well as investment
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banking and brokerage and insurance. The information technology sector includes companies engaged in developing software and providing data processing and outsourced services, along with manufacturing and distributing communications equipment, computers and other electronic equipment and instruments. To the extent that the fund tracks the Underlying Index, the fund’s investment in certain sectors or countries may change over time.
The fund may become “non-diversified,” as defined under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended, solely as a result of a change in relative market capitalization or index weighting of one or more constituents of the index that the fund is designed to track. Shareholder approval will not be sought when the fund crosses from diversified to non-diversified status under such circumstances.
The fund may invest its remaining assets in other securities, including securities not in the Underlying Index, cash and cash equivalents, money market instruments, such as repurchase agreements or money market funds (including money market funds advised by the Advisor or its affiliates (subject to applicable limitations under the 1940 Act), or exemptions therefrom), 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 in certain types of derivatives instruments (see “Derivatives” subsection).
The fund may also invest in depositary receipts in respect of equity securities that comprise its Underlying Index to seek performance that corresponds to the fund’s respective Underlying Index. Investments in such depositary receipts will count towards the fund’s 80% investment policy discussed above with respect to instruments that comprise the fund’s Underlying Index.
The fund is not sponsored, endorsed, sold or promoted by Solactive.
Derivatives. Portfolio management generally may use futures contracts, stock index futures, options on futures, swap contracts and other types of derivatives in seeking performance that corresponds to its Underlying Index and will not use such instruments for speculative purposes. The fund also may invest in these derivative instruments to the extent that the Advisor believes will help the fund to achieve its investment objective. A futures contract is a standardized exchange-traded agreement to buy or sell a specific quantity of an underlying instrument at a specific price at a specific future time.
Securities lending. 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 liquid collateral equal to at least 102% of the
value of the portfolio securities being lent. This collateral is marked to market on a daily basis. The fund may lend its portfolio securities in an amount up to 33 1/3% of its total assets.
Underlying Index Information
Solactive ISS Emerging Markets Carbon Reduction & Climate Improvers Index NTR
Index Description. Solactive ISS Emerging Markets Carbon Reduction & Climate Improvers Index NTR seeks to provide exposure to large and mid-capitalization emerging markets companies that operate in accordance with certain international standards for responsible ESG conduct. The Underlying Index is weighted in a manner designed to align the carbon intensity of the index with long-term global carbon reduction goals.
Defining the Equity Universe. In constructing the Underlying Index, Solactive begins with the universe of securities comprising the parent index, the Solactive GBS Emerging Markets Large & Mid Cap USD Index PR. The parent index is designed to track the performance of the large and mid-capitalization segment covering approximately the largest 85% of the free-float market capitalization in the emerging markets.
Companies in the parent universe are first evaluated based on the following ESG criteria utilized by Solactive. A company in the parent universe will initially be excluded from the Underlying Index based on the following:
Norms
◾ a verified ongoing failure to respect established international norms, as set forth in the Principles of the UN Global Compact and the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises with respect to environment, human rights, corruption and labor rights.
◾ incorporated in a country identified with high social risk and the respective country’s state ownership exceeds 50% or the company exhibits alleged failure to respect established international norms, consisting of the Principles of the UN Global Compact and the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises and the UN Guiding Principles for Business and Human Rights.
Controversial Weapons
◾ verified ongoing involvement in the area of controversial weapons (including chemical, biological and nuclear weapons (both under and outside the Treaty on Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons), depleted uranium munitions, cluster munitions, and anti-personnel mines).
Sector Criteria
◾ generating revenues (in proportion to total revenues) of greater than 50% from services in the sector of fossil fuels, or greater than 5% from production, distribution or exploration of fossil fuels.
◾ generating revenues from the production or exploration of oil sands.
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◾ generating revenues (in proportion to total revenues) of greater than 50% from services, or greater than 5% from production or distribution in the sector of military equipment.
◾ generating revenues (in proportion to total revenues) of greater than 5% in the sector of pornography.
◾ generating revenues from the production of pornography.
◾ generating revenues (in proportion to total revenues) of greater than 50% from services, or greater than 5% from distribution in the sector of tobacco.
◾ generating revenues from the production of tobacco.
◾ generating revenues (in proportion to total revenues) of greater than 50% from services, or greater than 5% from production or distribution in the sector of gambling.
◾ generating revenues (in proportion to total revenues) of greater than 50% from services, or greater than 5% from production or distribution in the sector of alcohol.
◾ generating revenues (in proportion to total revenues) of greater than 50% from services, or greater than 5% from production or distribution in the sector of cannabis.
All companies in the parent universe that do not trigger one of the exclusions listed above are included in the Underlying Index. However, companies in the parent universe not meeting the Sector Criteria or that are incorporated in countries identified with high social risk may still be included in the Underlying Index if they have committed to science-based emissions reduction targets.
Science-based Emissions Reduction Targets
This factor identifies issuers who have signed a commitment letter with the Science Based Targets initiative (“SBTi”) to develop science-based targets to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The SBTi is a partnership between the Carbon Disclosure Project, The United Nations Global Compact, the World Resources Institute and the World Wild Fund for Nature which seeks to drive ambitious climate action in the private sector by enabling companies to set science-based emissions reductions targets. Targets are considered “science-based” if they are in line with what the latest climate science deems necessary to limit global warming to well-below 2°C above pre-industrial levels and pursuing efforts to limit warming to 1.5°C, as determined by the SBTi.
Weighting the Index for Carbon Reduction. Once the constituents of the Underlying Index have been identified, Solactive weights each constituent in such a manner seeking to achieve the carbon reductions described above and thus align the Underlying Index components’ greenhouse gas emissions with the long-term global warming target of the Paris Climate Agreement using the Carbon Risk Rating, as calculated by ISS. The Carbon Risk Rating is derived from two key components, the Carbon Risk Classification and the Carbon Performance Score.
The Carbon Risk Classification assesses a company’s exposure to carbon related transition risks by estimating the emission intensity in the company’s business model, based on its industry and business activities. It considers two elements: (i) the emissions based sector classification, which assesses the average sector emission intensity along the entire business model (including both direct and indirect emissions); and (ii) whether a company’s product and services activities contributes to climate change mitigation, thus creating positive impact, or rather obstructs climate change mitigation, thus constituting an adverse impact.
The Carbon Performance Score evaluates the current carbon related performance of a company as well as a company’s risk management and measures to reduce its carbon intensity in the future, thus addressing both material risk as well as adverse impact. The Carbon Performance Score is based on a combination of quantitative indicators (e.g., current intensity and trend of greenhouse gas emissions), and qualitative indicators (e.g., corporate policies, emission reduction targets and action plans). A company may have considerable carbon intensity today, resulting in a poor Carbon Risk Classification, and at the same time be actively working to improve their climate impact and carbon footprint in the future, resulting in a high Carbon Performance Score.
In calculating the Carbon Risk Classification and the Carbon Performance Score, ISS collects data from a range of public and private sources including company annual reports and sustainability reports, United Nations Global Compact Participant Communications on Progress, Principles for Responsible Investment Signatory Reporting, subscription databases such as the Carbon Disclosure Project, and correspondence with individual companies during the rating process.
ISS combines the Carbon Risk Classification and Carbon Performance Score to calculate the Carbon Risk Rating, which assesses, on a scale from 0 (poor) to 100 (excellent), how well a company deals with industry-specific climate risks. The scale can be translated into four broader performance categories: Climate Laggard (0-24), Climate Underperformer (25-49), Climate Performer (50-74), and Climate Leader (75-100).
To establish initial weightings, Climate Laggards and Climate Underperformers are underweighted and Climate Performers and Climate Leaders are overweighted. After the initial weightings have been assigned, the Underlying Index is optimized to establish a 60% reduction in carbon intensity relative to the parent index at its origination. At each subsequent rebalance, the Underlying Index is optimized to achieve a year-over-year 7% reduction in carbon intensity relative to its initial calculation, and a carbon-intensity level that is 60% lower than the parent index. Solactive also applies sector weight constraints in weighting the Underlying Index components. After the
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initial weights (aggregated at a sector level) are established, Solactive’s optimization aims to cap sector deviations at 5% (for sectors whose initial weight is 10% or more of the Underlying Index) or half of the initial sector weight (for sectors whose initial weight is less than 10% of the Underlying Index). However, if this constraint cannot be reached due to the exclusions from the Underlying Index under the ESG criteria described above, the maximum sector weight is set as the maximum possible cumulative initial and active weight of all remaining securities (if any) in the respective sector.
Maintaining the Underlying Index. The Underlying Index is rebalanced semi-annually, effective at the close of business on the first Wednesday in February and August. The constituents of the Underlying Index are drawn from the Solactive GBS Emerging Markets Large & Mid Cap USD Index PR.
The Underlying Index is reviewed on an ongoing basis to account for corporate events such as mergers, takeovers, delistings, suspensions, spin-offs/demergers or bankruptcies. Changes to index composition and related weight adjustments are made as soon as they are effective. Generally, no stocks are added to the Underlying Index between rebalancings. If a stock is dropped from the Solactive GBS Emerging Markets Large & Mid Cap USD Index PR, it is also removed from the Underlying Index at the next rebalancing of the Underlying Index. Between rebalancings, a stock may be deleted from the Underlying Index due to corporate events such as mergers, takeovers, delistings, suspensions, spinoffs/ demergers or bankruptcies.
As of October 31, 2022, there were approximately 1,355 components in the Underlying Index. The Underlying Index consists of emerging markets companies. In determining a country's market classification (e.g., emerging versus developed), the index provider assesses the country's market on the basis of its level of economic development, the size and liquidity of its equity markets, and its capital market structure. As of October 31, 2022, the following countries were classified as emerging markets: Brazil, Chile, China, Colombia, Czech Republic, Egypt, Greece, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Kuwait, Malaysia, Mexico, Pakistan, Peru, Philippines, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey, and the United Arab Emirates.
Under normal circumstances, the Underlying Index is rebalanced semi-annually in February and August. The fund rebalances its portfolio in accordance with the Underlying Index, and, therefore, any changes to the Underlying Index’s rebalance schedule will result in corresponding changes to the fund’s rebalance schedule.
During extraordinary market conditions, the Index Provider may delay any scheduled rebalancing of the Underlying Index. During any such delay it is possible that the Underlying Index will deviate from the Underlying Index’s stated methodology.
Main Risks
As with any investment, you could lose all or part of your investment in the fund, and the fund’s performance could trail that of other investments. The fund is subject to the main risks noted below, any of which may adversely affect the fund’s net asset value (“NAV”), trading price, yield, total return and ability to meet its investment objective.
ESG investment strategy risk. The Underlying Index’s ESG methodology, and thus the fund’s investment strategy, limits the types and number of investment opportunities available to the fund and, as a result, the fund may underperform other funds that do not have an ESG focus. The Underlying Index’s ESG methodology may result in the fund investing in securities or industry sectors that underperform the market as a whole or underperform other funds screened for ESG standards. The ESG scores used in the Underlying Index’s ESG methodology are based on information that is publicly available and/or provided by the companies themselves or by third parties and such information may be unavailable or unreliable. Additionally, investors may differ in their interpretations of what constitutes positive or negative ESG characteristics of a company. For those reasons, the index provider may be unsuccessful in creating an index composed of companies that exhibit positive ESG characteristics. To the extent that circumstances change between the Underlying Index’s scheduled rebalancing dates, the Underlying Index may include, and the fund may hold for a period of time, securities of companies that do not align with the ESG criteria. The companies identified by the Index Provider as meeting the ESG criteria for the Underlying Index may not be the same companies selected by other index providers for other indices that use similar ESG criteria. Regulatory changes or interpretations regarding the definitions and/or use of ESG criteria could have a material adverse effect on the fund’s ability to invest in accordance with its investment policies and/or achieve its investment objective, as well as the ability of certain classes of investors to invest in funds following an ESG strategy such as the fund. For example, the SEC has proposed disclosure requirements applicable to funds that consider ESG factors. In addition, recent US state actions could prohibit certain state sponsored pension plans or investment funds from investing in certain funds that consider ESG factors.
In addition, companies that fail to meet the Sector Criteria may nevertheless be included in the Underlying Index if they have committed to certain targets regarding climate change. The Underlying Index therefore may include companies involved in sectors that often are excluded by indices attempting to utilize an ESG approach.
Carbon reduction strategy risk. The Underlying Index’s methodology for identifying companies attempting to reduce their carbon footprint limits the types and number of investment opportunities available to the fund and, as a result, the fund may underperform other funds that do not follow a carbon reduction strategy. Carbon reduction
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may potentially have an adverse effect on a company’s profitability. Investing in a portfolio of securities of companies attempting to reduce their carbon footprint may impact the fund’s relative investment performance depending on whether such investments are in or out of favor in the market. The Carbon Risk Rating used to score and weight companies in the Underlying Index is based on publicly available information, third-party data sources and/or provided by the companies themselves and such information may be unavailable or unreliable. The criteria used to calculate a company’s greenhouse gas emissions may not properly measure a company’s carbon footprint. In addition, a company's commitment to science-based targets for reduced emissions are voluntary and may not be met by the company, or may be abandoned altogether. For those reasons, the index provider may be unsuccessful in creating an index composed of companies that positively contribute to carbon reduction goals. In addition, the Underlying Index’s methodology allows for the inclusion of companies with high carbon intensity as long as such companies adopt plans to improve their climate impact and carbon footprint in the future. While the Underlying Index’s methodology aims to reflect annual reductions in the carbon intensity of the Underlying Index, there is no assurance that such reduction targets will be achieved.
Stock market risk. When stock prices fall, you should expect the value of your investment to fall as well. Stock prices can be hurt by poor management on the part of the stock’s issuer, shrinking product demand and other business risks. These may affect single companies as well as groups of companies. The market as a whole may not favor the types of investments the fund makes, which could adversely affect a stock’s price, regardless of how well the company performs, or the fund’s ability to sell a stock at an attractive price. There is a chance that stock prices overall will decline because stock markets tend to move in cycles, with periods of rising and falling prices. Events in the US and global financial markets, including actions taken by the US Federal Reserve or foreign central banks to stimulate or stabilize economic growth, may at times result in unusually high market volatility which could negatively affect performance. To the extent that the fund invests in a particular geographic region, capitalization or sector, the fund’s performance may be affected by the general performance of that region, capitalization or sector.
Market disruption risk. Economies and financial markets throughout the world are becoming increasingly interconnected, which increases the likelihood that events or conditions in one country or region will adversely impact markets or issuers in other countries or regions. The value of the fund’s investments may be negatively affected by adverse changes in overall economic or market conditions, such as the level of economic activity and productivity, unemployment and labor force participation rates, inflation or deflation (and expectations for inflation or deflation), interest rates, demand and supply for particular products
or resources including labor, and debt levels and credit ratings, among other factors. Such adverse conditions may contribute to an overall economic contraction across entire economies or markets, which may negatively impact the profitability of issuers operating in those economies or markets, including the investments held by the fund. In addition, geopolitical and other events, including war, terrorism, economic uncertainty, trade disputes, public health crises and related geopolitical events have led, and in the future may lead, to disruptions in the US and world economies and markets, which may increase financial market volatility and have significant adverse direct or indirect effects on the fund and its investments. Adverse market conditions or disruptions could cause the fund to lose money, experience significant redemptions, and encounter operational difficulties. Although multiple asset classes may be affected by adverse market conditions or a particular market disruption, the duration and effects may not be the same for all types of assets.
Russia's recent military incursions in Ukraine have led to, and may lead to, additional sanctions being levied by the United States, European Union and other countries against Russia. Russia's military incursions and the resulting sanctions could adversely affect global energy, commodities and financial markets and thus could affect the value of the fund's investments. The extent and duration of the military action, sanctions and resulting market disruptions are impossible to predict, but could be substantial.
Other market disruption events include the pandemic spread of the novel coronavirus known as COVID-19, which at times has caused significant uncertainty, market volatility, decreased economic and other activity, increased government activity, including economic stimulus measures, and supply chain disruptions. The full effects, duration and costs of the COVID-19 pandemic are impossible to predict, and the circumstances surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic will continue to evolve including the risk of future increased rates of infection due to significant portions of the population remaining unvaccinated and/or the lack of effectiveness of current vaccines against new variants. The pandemic has affected and may continue to affect certain countries, industries, economic sectors, companies and investment products more than others, may exacerbate existing economic, political, or social tensions and may increase the probability of an economic recession or depression. The fund and its investments may be adversely affected by the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Adverse market conditions or particular market disruptions, such as those caused by Russian military action and the COVID-19 pandemic, may magnify the impact of each of the other risks described in this “MAIN RISKS” section and may increase volatility in one or more markets in which the fund invests leading to the potential for greater losses for the fund.
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Emerging market securities risk. Investment in emerging markets subjects the fund to a greater risk of loss than investments in a developed market. This is due to, among other things, (i) greater market volatility, (ii) lower trading volume, (iii) political and economic instability, (iv) high levels of inflation, deflation or currency devaluation, (v) greater risk of market shut down, (vi) more governmental limitations on foreign investments and limitations on repatriation of invested capital than those typically found in a developed market, and (vii) the risk that companies may be held to lower disclosure, corporate governance, auditing and financial reporting standards than companies in more developed markets.
The financial stability of issuers (including governments) in emerging market countries may be more precarious than in other countries. As a result, there will tend to be an increased risk of price volatility in the fund’s investments in emerging market countries, which may be magnified by currency fluctuations relative to the US dollar.
Settlement practices for transactions in foreign markets, particularly in emerging markets, may differ from those in US markets. Such differences include delays beyond periods customary in the US and practices, such as delivery of securities prior to receipt of payment, which increase the likelihood of a “failed settlement.” Failed settlements can result in losses to the fund. Low trading volumes and volatile prices in less developed markets make trades harder to complete and settle, and governments or trade groups may compel local agents to hold securities in designated depositories that are not subject to independent evaluation. Local agents are held only to the standards of care of their local markets.
Foreign investment risk. The fund faces the risks inherent in foreign investing. Adverse political, economic or social developments could undermine the value of the fund's foreign investments, prevent the fund from realizing the full value of its foreign investments or prevent the fund from selling foreign securities it holds. Financial reporting standards for companies based in foreign markets differ from those in the US. Additionally, foreign securities markets generally are smaller and less liquid than US markets. To the extent that the fund invests in non-US dollar denominated foreign securities, changes in currency exchange rates may affect the US dollar value of foreign securities or the income or gain received on these securities.
Foreign governments may restrict investment by foreigners, limit withdrawal of trading profit or currency from the country, restrict currency exchange or seize foreign investments. In addition, the fund may be limited in its ability to exercise its legal rights or enforce a counterparty's legal obligations in certain jurisdictions outside of the US. The foreign investments of the fund may also be subject to foreign withholding taxes. Foreign brokerage commissions and other fees are generally
higher than those for US investments, and the transactions and custody of foreign assets may involve delays in payment, delivery or recovery of money or investments.
Foreign markets can have liquidity risks beyond those typical of US markets. Because foreign exchanges generally are smaller and less liquid than US exchanges, buying and selling foreign investments can be more difficult and costly. Relatively small transactions can sometimes materially affect the price and availability of securities. In certain situations, it may become virtually impossible to sell an investment at a price that approaches portfolio management’s estimate of its value. For the same reason, it may at times be difficult to value the fund’s foreign investments. In addition, because non-US markets may be open on days when the fund does not price its shares, the value of the foreign securities in the fund’s portfolio may change on days when shareholders will not be able to purchase or sell the fund’s shares.
Depositary receipt risk. Foreign investments in American Depositary Receipts and other depositary receipts may be less liquid than the underlying shares in their primary trading market. Certain of the depositary receipts in which the fund invests may be unsponsored depositary receipts. Unsponsored depositary receipts may not provide as much information about the underlying issuer and may not carry the same voting privileges as sponsored depositary receipts. Unsponsored depositary receipts are issued by one or more depositaries in response to market demand, but without a formal agreement with the company that issues the underlying securities.
Currency risk. Changes in currency exchange rates and the relative value of non-US currencies may affect the value of the fund’s investment and the value of your fund shares. Because the fund’s NAV is determined on the basis of the US dollar and the fund does not attempt to hedge against changes in the value of non-US currencies, investors may lose money if the foreign currency depreciates against the US dollar, even if the foreign currency value of the fund’s holdings in that market increases. Conversely, the dollar value of your investment in the fund may go up if the value of the foreign currency appreciates against the US dollar. The value of the US dollar measured against other currencies is influenced by a variety of factors. These factors include: interest rates, national debt levels and trade deficits, changes in balances of payments and trade, domestic and foreign interest and inflation rates, global or regional political, economic or financial events, monetary policies of governments, actual or potential government intervention, and global energy prices. Political instability, the possibility of government intervention and restrictive or opaque business and investment policies may also reduce the value of a country’s currency. Government monetary policies and the buying or selling of currency by a country’s government may also influence exchange rates. Currency exchange rates can be very volatile and can change quickly and unpredictably.
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Therefore, the value of an investment in the fund may also go up or down quickly and unpredictably and investors may lose money.
Medium-sized company risk. Medium-sized company stocks tend to be more volatile than large company stocks. Because stock analysts are less likely to follow medium-sized companies, less information about them is available to investors. Industry-wide reversals may have a greater impact on medium-sized companies, since they lack the financial resources of larger companies. Medium-sized company stocks are typically less liquid than large company stocks.
Liquidity risk. In certain situations, it may be difficult or impossible to sell an investment at an acceptable price. This risk can be ongoing for any security that does not trade actively or in large volumes, for any security that trades primarily on smaller markets, and for investments that typically trade only among a limited number of large investors (such as restricted securities). In unusual market conditions, even normally liquid securities may be affected by a degree of liquidity risk. This may affect only certain securities or an overall securities market.
Although the fund primarily seeks to redeem shares of the fund on an in-kind basis, if the fund is forced to sell underlying investments at reduced prices or under unfavorable conditions to meet redemption requests or other cash needs, the fund may suffer a loss. This may be magnified in circumstances where redemptions from the fund may be higher than normal.
Focus risk. To the extent that the fund focuses its investments in particular industries, asset classes or sectors of the economy, any market price movements, regulatory or technological changes, or economic conditions affecting companies in those industries, asset classes or sectors may have a significant impact on the fund’s performance.
Financials sector risk. To the extent that the fund invests significantly in the financials sector, the fund will be sensitive to changes in, and the fund’s performance may depend to a greater extent on, the overall condition of the financials sector. The financials sector is subject to extensive government regulation, can be subject to relatively rapid change due to increasingly blurred distinctions between service segments, and can be significantly affected by the availability and cost of capital funds, changes in interest rates, the rate of corporate and consumer debt defaults, and price competition.
Certain events in the financials sector may cause an unusually high degree of volatility in the financial markets, and cause certain financials sector companies to incur large losses. Securities of financials sector companies may experience a decline in value when such companies experience substantial declines in the valuations of their assets, take action to raise capital (such as the issuance of debt or equity securities), or cease operations. Credit losses resulting from financial difficulties of borrowers and
financial losses associated with investment activities can negatively impact the financials sector. Issuers that have exposure to the real estate, mortgage and credit markets can be particularly affected by market turmoil.
Information technology sector risk. To the extent that the fund invests significantly in the information technology sector, the fund will be sensitive to changes in, and the fund’s performance may depend to a greater extent on, the overall condition of the information technology sector. Information technology companies are particularly vulnerable to government regulation and competition, both domestically and internationally, including competition from foreign competitors with lower production costs. Information technology companies also face competition for services of qualified personnel. Additionally, the products of information technology companies may face obsolescence due to rapid technological development and frequent new product introduction by competitors. Finally, information technology companies are heavily dependent on patent and intellectual property rights, the loss or impairment of which may adversely affect profitability.
Passive investing risk. Unlike a fund that is actively managed, in which portfolio management buys and sells securities based on research and analysis, the fund invests in securities included in, or representative of, the Underlying Index, regardless of their investment merits. Because the fund is designed to maintain a high level of exposure to the Underlying Index at all times, portfolio management generally will not buy or sell a security unless the security is added or removed, respectively, from the Underlying Index, and will not take any steps to invest defensively or otherwise reduce the risk of loss during market downturns.
Index-related risk. The fund seeks investment results that correspond generally to the performance, before fees and expenses, of the Underlying Index as published by the index provider. There is no assurance that the Underlying Index provider will compile the Underlying Index accurately, or that the Underlying Index will be determined, composed or calculated accurately. Market disruptions could cause delays in the Underlying Index’s rebalancing schedule. During any such delay, it is possible that the Underlying Index and, in turn, the fund will deviate from the Underlying Index’s stated methodology and therefore experience returns different than those that would have been achieved under a normal rebalancing schedule. Generally, the index provider does not provide any warranty, or accept any liability, with respect to the quality, accuracy or completeness of the Underlying Index or its related data, and does not guarantee that the Underlying Index will be in line with its stated methodology. Errors in the Underlying Index data, the Underlying Index computations and/or the construction of the Underlying Index in accordance with its stated 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
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on the fund and its shareholders. The Advisor may have limited ability to detect such errors and neither the Advisor nor its affiliates provide any warranty or guarantee against such errors. Therefore, the gains, losses or costs associated with the index provider’s errors will generally be borne by the fund and its shareholders.
Index-related risk may be higher for a fund that tracks an index comprised of, or an index that includes, foreign securities, and in particular emerging markets securities, because regulatory and reporting requirements may differ from those in the US, resulting in a heightened risk of errors in the index data, index computation and/or index construction due to unreliable, out-dated or unavailable information.
Tracking error risk. The fund may be subject to tracking error, which is the divergence of the fund’s performance from that of the Underlying Index. The performance of the fund may diverge from that of the Underlying Index for a number of reasons, including operating expenses, transaction costs, cash flows and operational inefficiencies. The fund’s return also may diverge from the return of the Underlying Index because the fund bears the costs and risks associated with buying and selling securities (especially when rebalancing the fund’s securities holdings to reflect changes in the Underlying Index) while such costs and risks are not factored into the return of the Underlying Index. Transaction costs, including brokerage costs, will decrease the fund’s 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 in order to track the Underlying Index. To the extent that portfolio management uses a representative sampling approach (investing in a representative selection of securities included in the Underlying Index rather than all securities in the Underlying Index), such approach may cause the fund’s return to not be as well correlated with the return of the Underlying Index as would be the case if the fund purchased all of the securities in the Underlying Index in the proportions represented in the Underlying Index. In addition, the fund may not be able to invest in certain securities included in the Underlying Index, or invest in them in the exact proportions in which they are represented in the Underlying Index, due to government imposed legal restrictions or limitations, a lack of liquidity in the markets in which such securities trade, potential adverse tax consequences or other reasons. To the extent the fund calculates its net asset value based on fair value prices and the value of the Underlying Index is based on market prices (i.e., the value of the Underlying Index is not based on fair value prices), the fund’s ability to track the Underlying Index may be adversely affected. Tracking error risk may be heightened during times of increased market volatility or other unusual market conditions. 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 Underlying Index. In light of the factors discussed above, the fund’s return may deviate significantly from the return of the Underlying Index.
Tracking error risk may be higher for funds that track indices with significant weight in foreign issuers, and in particular emerging markets issuers, than funds that do not track such indices.
For purposes of calculating the fund’s net asset value, the value of assets denominated in non-US currencies is converted into US dollars using prevailing market rates on the date of valuation as quoted by one or more data service providers. This conversion may result in a difference between the prices used to calculate the fund’s net asset value and the prices used by the Underlying Index, which, in turn, could result in a difference between the fund’s performance and the performance of the Underlying Index.
The need to comply with the tax diversification and other requirements of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, may also impact the fund’s ability to replicate the performance of the Underlying Index. In addition, if the fund utilizes derivative instruments or holds other instruments that are not included in the Underlying Index, the fund’s return may not correlate as well with the returns of the Underlying Index as would be the case if the fund purchased all the securities in the Underlying Index directly. Actions taken in response to proposed corporate actions could result in increased tracking error.
Market price risk. Fund shares are listed for trading on an exchange and are bought and sold in the secondary market at market prices. The market prices of shares will fluctuate, in some cases materially, in response to changes in the NAV and supply and demand for shares. As a result, the trading prices of shares may deviate significantly from the NAV during periods of market volatility. Differences between secondary market prices and the value of the fund’s holdings may be due largely to supply and demand forces in the secondary market, which may not be the same forces as those influencing prices for securities held by the fund at a particular time. The Advisor cannot predict whether shares will trade above, below or at their NAV. Given the fact that shares can be created and redeemed in Creation Units, the Advisor believes that large discounts or premiums to the NAV of shares should not be sustained in the long-term. In addition, there may be times when the market price and the value of the fund’s holdings vary significantly and you may pay more than the value of the fund’s holdings when buying shares on the secondary market, and you may receive less than the value of the fund’s holdings when you sell those shares. 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, disruptions to creations and redemptions, including disruptions at market makers, APs or market participants, or during periods of significant market volatility, may result in trading prices that differ significantly
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from the value of the fund’s holdings. Although market makers will generally take advantage of differences between the NAV and the market price of fund shares through arbitrage opportunities, there is no guarantee that they will do so. If market makers exit the business or are unable to continue making markets in fund’s shares, shares may trade at a discount to NAV like closed-end fund shares and may even face delisting (that is, investors would no longer be able to trade shares in the secondary market). The market price of shares, like the price of any exchange-traded security, includes a “bid-ask spread” charged by the exchange specialist, market makers or other participants that trade the particular security. In times of severe market disruption, the bid-ask spread often increases significantly. This means that shares may trade at a discount to the fund’s NAV, and the discount is likely to be greatest when the price of shares is falling fastest, which may be the time that you most want to sell your shares. There are various methods by which investors can purchase and sell shares of the funds and various orders that may be placed. Investors should consult their financial intermediary before purchasing or selling shares of the fund.
In addition, the securities held by the fund may be traded in markets that close at a different time than an exchange. Liquidity in those securities may be reduced after the applicable closing times. Accordingly, during the time when an 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 is likely to widen. More generally, secondary markets may be subject to irregular trading activity, wide bid-ask spreads and extended trade settlement periods, which could cause a material decline in the fund’s NAV. The bid-ask spread varies over time for shares of the fund based on the fund’s trading volume and market liquidity, and is generally lower if the fund has substantial trading volume and market liquidity, and 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). The fund’s bid-ask spread may also be impacted by the liquidity of the underlying securities held by the fund, particularly for newly launched or smaller funds or in instances of significant volatility of the underlying securities. The fund’s investment results are measured based upon the daily NAV of the fund. Investors purchasing and selling shares in the secondary market may not experience investment results consistent with those experienced by those APs creating and redeeming shares directly with the fund. In addition, transactions by large shareholders may account for a large percentage of the trading volume on an exchange and may, therefore, have a material effect on the market price of the fund’s shares.
Operational and technology risk. Cyber-attacks, disruptions, or failures that affect the fund’s service providers or counterparties, issuers of securities held by the fund, or other market participants may adversely affect the fund
and its shareholders, including by causing losses for the fund or impairing fund operations. For example, the fund’s or its service providers’ assets or sensitive or confidential information may be misappropriated, data may be corrupted and operations may be disrupted (e.g., cyber-attacks, operational failures or broader disruptions may cause the release of private shareholder information or confidential fund information, interfere with the processing of shareholder transactions, impact the ability to calculate the fund’s net asset value and impede trading). Market events and disruptions also may trigger a volume of transactions that overloads current information technology and communication systems and processes, impacting the ability to conduct the fund’s operations.
While the fund and its service providers may establish business continuity and other plans and processes that seek to address the possibility of and fallout from cyber-attacks, disruptions or failures, there are inherent limitations in such plans and systems, including that they do not apply to third parties, such as fund counterparties, issuers of securities held by the fund or other market participants, as well as the possibility that certain risks have not been identified or that unknown threats may emerge in the future and there is no assurance that such plans and processes will be effective. Among other situations, disruptions (for example, pandemics or health crises) that cause prolonged periods of remote work or significant employee absences at the fund’s service providers could impact the ability to conduct the fund’s operations. In addition, the fund cannot directly control any cybersecurity plans and systems put in place by its service providers, fund counterparties, issuers of securities held by the fund or other market participants.
Cyber-attacks may include unauthorized attempts by third parties to improperly access, modify, disrupt the operations of, or prevent access to the systems of the fund’s service providers or counterparties, issuers of securities held by the fund or other market participants or data within them. In addition, power or communications outages, acts of god, information technology equipment malfunctions, operational errors, and inaccuracies within software or data processing systems may also disrupt business operations or impact critical data.
Cyber-attacks, disruptions, or failures may adversely affect the fund and its shareholders or cause reputational damage and subject the fund to regulatory fines, litigation costs, penalties or financial losses, reimbursement or other compensation costs, and/or additional compliance costs. In addition, cyber-attacks, disruptions, or failures involving a fund counterparty could affect such counterparty’s ability to meet its obligations to the fund, which may result in losses to the fund and its shareholders. Similar types of operational and technology risks are also present for issuers of securities held by the fund, which could have material adverse consequences for such issuers, and may cause the fund’s investments to lose
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value. Furthermore, as a result of cyber-attacks, disruptions, or failures, an exchange or market may close or issue trading halts on specific securities or the entire market, which may result in the fund being, among other things, unable to buy or sell certain securities or financial instruments or unable to accurately price its investments.
For example, the fund relies on various sources to calculate its NAV. Therefore, the fund is subject to certain operational risks associated with reliance on third party service providers and data sources. NAV calculation may be impacted by operational risks arising from factors such as failures in systems and technology. Such failures may result in delays in the calculation of the fund’s NAV and/or the inability to calculate NAV over extended time periods. The fund may be unable to recover any losses associated with such failures.
Non-diversification risk. At any given time, due to the composition of the Underlying Index, the fund may be classified as “non-diversified” and may invest a larger percentage of its assets in securities of a few issuers or a single issuer than that of a diversified fund. As a result, the fund may be more susceptible to the risks associated with these particular issuers, or to a single economic, political or regulatory occurrence affecting these issuers. This may increase the fund’s volatility and cause the performance of a relatively smaller number of issuers to have a greater impact on the fund’s performance.
Authorized Participant concentration risk. The fund may have a limited number of financial institutions that may act as APs. Only APs who have entered into agreements with the fund’s distributor may engage in creation or redemption transactions directly with the fund (as described in the section of this Prospectus entitled “Buying and Selling Shares”). If those APs exit the business or are unable to process creation and/or redemption orders, (including in situations where APs have limited or diminished access to capital required to post collateral) and no other AP is able to step forward to create and redeem in either of these cases, shares may trade at a discount to NAV like closed-end fund shares and may even face delisting (that is, investors would no longer be able to trade shares in the secondary market).
Geographic focus risk. Focusing investments in a single country or few countries, or regions, involves increased political, regulatory and other risks. Market swings in such a targeted country, countries or regions are likely to have a greater effect on fund performance than they would in a more geographically diversified fund.
Risks related to investing in Asia. Investment in securities of issuers in Asia involves risks and special considerations not typically associated with investment in the US securities markets. Certain Asian economies have experienced over-extension of credit, currency devaluations and restrictions, high unemployment, high inflation, decreased exports and economic recessions. Economic events in any one Asian country can have a significant
effect on the entire Asian region as well as on major trading partners outside Asia, and any adverse effect on some or all of the Asian countries and regions in which the fund invests. The securities markets in some Asian economies are relatively underdeveloped and may subject the fund to higher action costs or greater uncertainty than investments in more developed securities markets. Such risks may adversely affect the value of the fund’s investments.
Governments of many Asian countries have implemented significant economic reforms in order to liberalize trade policy, promote foreign investment in their economies, reduce government control of the economy and develop market mechanisms. There can be no assurance these reforms will continue or that they will be effective. Despite recent reform and privatizations, significant regulation of investment and industry is still pervasive in many Asian countries and may restrict foreign ownership of domestic corporations and repatriation of assets, which may adversely affect fund investments. Governments in some Asian countries are authoritarian in nature, have been installed or removed as a result of military coups or have periodically used force to suppress civil dissent. Disparities of wealth, the pace and success of democratization, and ethnic, religious and racial disaffection have led to social turmoil, violence and labor unrest in some countries. Unanticipated or sudden political or social developments may result in sudden and significant investment losses. Investing in certain Asian countries involves risk of loss due to expropriation, nationalization, or confiscation of assets and property or the imposition of restrictions on foreign investments and on repatriation of capital invested.
Some countries and regions in which the fund invests have experienced acts of terrorism or strained international relations due to territorial disputes, historical animosities or other defense concerns. For example, North and South Korea each have substantial military capabilities, and historical local tensions between the two countries present the risk of war. Any outbreak of hostilities between the two countries could have a severe adverse effect on the South Korean economy and securities markets. These and other security situations may cause uncertainty in the markets of these geographic areas and may adversely affect the performance of local economies.
Risk of investing in China. Investments in China involve certain risks and special considerations, including the following:
Available disclosure about Chinese companies. Chinese companies are required to follow Chinese accounting standards and practices, which only follow international accounting standards to a certain extent. However, the accounting, auditing and financial reporting standards and practices applicable to People’s Republic of China (“China” or the “PRC”) companies, including those listed on US exchanges, may be less rigorous, and there may be significant differences between financial statements prepared
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in accordance with Chinese accounting standards and practice and those prepared in accordance with international accounting standards. In particular, the assets and profits appearing on the financial statements of a Chinese issuer may not reflect its financial position or results of operations in the way they would be reflected had such financial statements been prepared in accordance with US Generally Accepted Accounting Principles. The quality of audits in China may be unreliable, which may require enhanced procedures. Consequently, the fund may not be provided the same degree of protection or information as would generally apply in developed countries and the fund may be exposed to significant losses. There is also substantially less publicly available information about Chinese issuers than there is about US issuers. Therefore, disclosure of certain material information may not be made, and less information may be available to the fund and other investors than would be the case if the fund’s investments were restricted to securities of US issuers. Under the HFCAA, Chinese companies with securities listed in the US may be delisted if they do not meet US accounting and auditor oversight requirements, which could cause the fund to seek other markets in which to transact in such securities or obtain exposure to such securities through alternative means (such as derivatives), either of which could increase the fund's costs and have a material adverse effect on the fund's ability to continue tracking the Underlying Index.
Chinese corporate and securities law. Legal principles relating to corporate affairs and the validity of corporate procedures, directors’ fiduciary duties and liabilities and stockholders’ rights often differ from those that may apply in the US and other countries. Chinese laws providing protection to investors, such as laws regarding the fiduciary duties of officers and directors, are undeveloped and will not provide investors, such as the fund, with protection in all situations where protection would be provided by comparable laws in the US. China lacks a national set of laws that address all issues that may arise with regard to a foreign investor such as the fund. It may therefore be difficult for the fund to enforce its rights as an investor under Chinese corporate and securities laws, and it may be difficult or impossible for the fund to obtain a judgment in court. Moreover, as Chinese corporate and securities laws continue to develop, these developments may adversely affect foreign investors, such as the fund.
Due to restrictions on foreign ownership of Chinese companies imposed under Chinese law, Chinese companies that are listed in the US typically do not offer common stock in the company itself to US investors. Rather, Chinese companies typically offer shares of an offshore shell company (typically referred to as a “variable interest entity” or “VIE”) that has entered into service and other contracts with the Chinese company. Accordingly, US investors in Chinese companies listed on a US stock exchange do not actually own shares of the Chinese company itself. The US-listed shell company does not control the Chinese company and must rely on the
Chinese company to perform its contractual obligations (which, as noted above, are governed by Chinese corporate and securities laws that are less protective of shareholders than US laws). Moreover, the Chinese government may at any time invalidate or limit the contracts between a Chinese company and the offshore shell company which is offering shares in the US, which may result in the partial or total loss of the value of a US investor's shares in the offshore shell company even if a direct investment in the Chinese company would retain value.
Chinese securities markets. The securities markets in China have a limited operating history and are not as developed as those in the US. The markets tend to be smaller in size, have less liquidity and historically have had greater volatility than markets in the US and some other countries. In addition, under normal market conditions, there is less regulation and monitoring of Chinese securities markets and the activities of investors, brokers and other participants than in the US. Accordingly, issuers of securities in China are not subject to the same degree of regulation as are US issuers with respect to such matters as insider trading rules, tender offer regulation, stockholder proxy requirements and the requirements mandating timely disclosure of information. During periods of significant market volatility, the Chinese government has, from time to time, intervened in its domestic securities markets to a greater degree than would be typical in more developed markets, including both direct and indirect market stabilization efforts, which may affect valuations of Chinese issuers. Stock markets in China are in the process of change and further development. This may lead to trading volatility, difficulty in the settlement and recording of transactions and difficulty in interpreting and applying the relevant regulations.
Hong Kong policy. As part of Hong Kong’s transition from British to Chinese sovereignty in 1997, China agreed to allow Hong Kong to maintain a high degree of autonomy with regard to its political, legal and economic systems for a period of at least 50 years. China controls matters that relate to defense and foreign affairs. Under the agreement, China does not tax Hong Kong, does not limit the exchange of the Hong Kong dollar for foreign currencies and does not place restrictions on free trade in Hong Kong. However, there is no guarantee that China will continue to honor the agreement, and China may change its policies regarding Hong Kong at any time. As of July 2020, the Chinese Standing Committee of the National People's Congress enacted the Law of the PRC on Safeguarding National Security in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, (the “Hong Kong Law”), which imposed substantial limits on Hong Kong’s political and legal autonomy in a manner widely considered within Hong Kong and by other countries as a violation of China’s agreement in 1997. Hong Kong has experienced wide protests and extensive turmoil before and after the enactment of this law. Also as
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of July 2020, Hong Kong is no longer afforded preferential economic treatment by the United States under US law, and there is uncertainty as to how the economy of Hong Kong will be affected. Any further changes in China's policies could adversely affect market conditions and the performance of the Chinese economy and, thus, the value of securities in the fund’s portfolio.
Inflation. Economic growth in China has historically been accompanied by periods of high inflation. Beginning in 2004, the Chinese government commenced the implementation of various measures to control inflation, which included the tightening of the money supply, the raising of interest rates and more stringent control over certain industries. If these measures are not successful, and if inflation were to steadily increase, the performance of the Chinese economy and the fund’s investments could be adversely affected.
Nationalization and expropriation. After the formation of the Chinese socialist state in 1949, the Chinese government renounced various debt obligations and nationalized private assets without providing any form of compensation. There can be no assurance that the Chinese government will not take similar actions in the future. Accordingly, an investment in the fund involves a risk of a total loss.