BNY Mellon ETF Trust

Prospectus | March 1, 2023

BNY Mellon US Large Cap Core Equity ETF Ticker: BKLC
BNY Mellon US Mid Cap Core Equity ETF Ticker: BKMC
BNY Mellon US Small Cap Core Equity ETF Ticker: BKSE
BNY Mellon International Equity ETF Ticker: BKIE
BNY Mellon Emerging Markets Equity ETF Ticker: BKEM
BNY Mellon Core Bond ETF Ticker: BKAG
BNY Mellon Short Duration Corporate Bond ETF Ticker: BKSB
BNY Mellon High Yield Beta ETF Ticker: BKHY


Principal U.S. Listing Exchange: NYSE Arca, Inc.

The Securities and Exchange Commission has not approved or disapproved
these securities or passed upon the adequacy of this prospectus. Any representation to the contrary is
a criminal offense.


 

Contents

Fund Summaries

   

BNY Mellon US Large Cap Core Equity ETF

1

BNY Mellon US Mid Cap Core Equity ETF

6

BNY Mellon US Small Cap Core Equity ETF

11

BNY Mellon International Equity ETF

16

BNY Mellon Emerging Markets Equity ETF

23

BNY Mellon Core Bond ETF

30

BNY Mellon Short Duration Corporate Bond ETF

36

BNY Mellon High Yield Beta ETF

41

Fund Details

   

Goal and Approach

47

Investment Risks

56

Management

68

Distributor and Distribution and Service Plan

70

Index/Trademark Licenses/Disclaimers

70

Additional Information

   

Additional Purchase and Sale Information

72

Portfolio Holdings Disclosure

73

Distributions

73

Additional Tax Information

73

General Information

77

Financial Highlights

78

For More Information
 

 

 

See back cover.


 

Fund Summary

BNY Mellon US Large Cap Core Equity ETF
Investment Objective

The fund seeks to track the performance of the Morningstar® US Large Cap IndexSM.

Fees and Expenses

This table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy, hold and sell shares of the fund. You may pay other fees, such as brokerage commissions and other fees to financial intermediaries, which are not reflected in the table and Example below.

   

Annual Fund Operating Expenses*
(Expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)

Management fees

0.00%

Distribution and service (12b-1) fees

None

Other expenses

0.00%

Total annual fund operating expenses

0.00%

* The fund's management agreement provides that the Adviser, BNY Mellon ETF Investment Adviser, LLC, will pay substantially all expenses of the fund, except for interest expenses, taxes, brokerage commissions, costs of holding shareholder meetings, fees and expenses associated with the fund's securities lending program, and litigation and potential litigation and other extraordinary expenses not incurred in the ordinary course of the fund's business. The fund's management agreement also provides that the Adviser will pay all acquired fund fees and expenses.

Example

The 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 hold or redeem 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. 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

$0

$0

$0

$0

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 result in higher taxes when fund shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in annual fund operating expenses or in the Example, affect the fund's performance. During the most recent fiscal year, the fund's portfolio turnover rate was 5.74% of the average value of its portfolio.

Principal Investment Strategy

To pursue its goal, the fund normally invests substantially all of its assets in equity securities comprising the Morningstar® US Large Cap IndexSM.

The Morningstar® US Large Cap IndexSM is a float-adjusted market capitalization weighted index designed to measure the performance of U.S. large-capitalization stocks. The index's initial universe of eligible securities includes common stock, tracking stock and shares of real estate investment trusts (REITs) issued by U.S. companies and traded on the New York Stock Exchange, NASDAQ or NYSE Market LLC. At each reconstitution, the initial universe is screened to exclude securities based on the number of non-trading days in the preceding quarter and trading volume during the preceding six-month period. Securities with more than 10 non-trading days in the preceding quarter, or that have a bottom 25% liquidity score as ranked by the index provider based on the preceding six-month trading volume, are excluded. The remaining

3


 

securities comprise the investable universe. The index is composed of the securities of companies whose cumulative total market capitalization represents approximately the top 70% of the remaining securities comprising the investable universe. The index rebalances quarterly in March, June, September and December, and reconstitutes semi-annually in June and December. As of December 31, 2022, the index was comprised of 211 securities.

Under normal circumstances, the fund generally invests in all of the stocks in the index in proportion to their weighting in the index. However, the fund may invest in a representative sample of the index if replicating the index could be detrimental or disadvantageous to shareholders, such as when there are practical difficulties or substantial costs involved in compiling a portfolio of equity securities to replicate the index, in instances in which a security in the index becomes temporarily illiquid, unavailable or less liquid, or as a result of legal restrictions or limitations (such as tax diversification requirements) that apply to the fund but not the index.

In seeking to track the index, the fund's assets may be concentrated in (i.e., more than 25% of the fund's assets invested in) an industry or group of industries, but only to the extent that the index concentrates in a particular industry or group of industries. As of December 31, 2022, 25.5% of the index consisted of securities of issuers in the technology sector.

The fund is classified as diversified under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (1940 Act); however, the fund may become non-diversified solely as a result of changes in the composition of the index (e.g., changes in weightings of one or more component securities). When the fund is non-diversified, it may invest a relatively high percentage of its assets in a limited number of issuers.

Principal Risks

An investment in the fund is not a bank deposit. It is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) or any other government agency. It is not a complete investment program. The fund's share price fluctuates, sometimes dramatically, which means you could lose money.

 Risks of stock investing. Stocks generally fluctuate more in value than bonds and may decline significantly over short time periods. There is the chance that stock prices overall will decline because stock markets tend to move in cycles, with periods of rising prices and falling prices. The market value of a stock may decline due to general market conditions or because of factors that affect the particular company or the company's industry.

 Indexing strategy risk. The fund uses an indexing strategy. It does not attempt to manage market volatility, use defensive strategies or reduce the effects of any long-term periods of poor index performance. The correlation between fund and index performance may be affected by, among other things, among other things, the fund's expenses, changes in securities markets, changes in the composition of the index, the manner in which the total return of the fund's index is calculated, the size of the fund's portfolio, the manner in which the total return of the fund's index is calculated, the size of the fund's portfolio and the timing of purchases and redemptions of fund shares. Outdated or unreliable market information could result in errors in index data, index computations or the construction of the index in accordance with its methodology 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.

 Large-cap stock risk. The fund may underperform funds that invest primarily in the stocks of lower quality, smaller capitalization companies during periods when the stocks of such companies are in favor. Compared to small- and mid-capitalization companies, large-capitalization companies may be less responsive to changes and opportunities affecting their business. In addition, large-capitalization companies may be subject to greater regulation than small- and mid-capitalization companies.

 Concentration risk. The fund will concentrate its investments (i.e., invest more than 25% its total assets) in a particular industry or group of industries to approximately the same extent that the index is concentrated. To the extent the fund concentrates in a particular industry or group of industries, it will be more susceptible to economic conditions and risks affecting those industries.

 Technology company risk. The technology sector has been among the most volatile sectors of the stock market. Technology companies, especially small-cap technology companies, involve greater risk because their revenue and/or earnings tend to be less predictable (and some companies may be experiencing significant losses) and their share prices tend to be more volatile. Certain technology companies may have limited product lines, markets or financial resources, or may depend on a limited management group. In addition, these companies are strongly affected by worldwide technological developments, and their products and services may not be economically successful or may quickly become outdated. Investor perception may play a greater role in determining the day-to-day value of tech stocks than it does in other sectors. Fund investments made in anticipation of future products and services may decline dramatically in value if the anticipated products or services are delayed or cancelled. The risks associated with technology companies are magnified in the case of small cap technology companies. The shares of smaller technology

4


 

companies tend to trade less frequently than those of larger, more established companies, which can have an adverse effect on the pricing of these securities and on the fund's ability to sell these securities.

 REIT risk. Investments in REITs expose the fund to risks similar to investing directly in real estate. REITs are characterized as equity REITs, mortgage REITs and hybrid REITs, which combine the characteristics of both equity and mortgage REITs. Equity REITs, which may include operating or finance companies, own real estate directly and the value of, and income earned by, the REITs depends upon the income of the underlying properties and the rental income they earn. Equity REITs also can realize capital gains (or losses) by selling properties that have appreciated (or depreciated) in value. Mortgage REITs can make construction, development or long-term mortgage loans and are sensitive to the credit quality of the borrower. Mortgage REITs derive their income from interest payments on such loans. Hybrid REITs generally hold both ownership interests and mortgage interests in real estate. The value of securities issued by REITs is affected by tax and regulatory requirements and by perceptions of management skill. They also may be affected by general economic conditions and are subject to heavy cash flow dependency, defaults by borrowers or tenants, self-liquidation at an economically disadvantageous time, and the possibility of failing to qualify for favorable tax treatment under applicable U.S. or foreign law and/or to maintain exempt status under the 1940 Act. To the extent a REIT owns properties of, or makes loans to, companies concentrated in a particular industry or geographic region, the REIT will also be subject to risks affecting such industries and regions. When the fund invests in a REIT, shareholders of the fund will bear indirectly their proportionate share of the expenses of the REIT in addition to expenses of the fund.

 Tracking stock risk. Many of the risks of investing in common stock are applicable to tracking stock. Tracking stock is a separate class of common stock whose value is linked to a specific business unit or operating division within a larger company and which is designed to "track" the performance of such business unit or division. Therefore, tracking stock may decline in value even if the common stock of the larger company increases in value. In addition, holders of tracking stock may not have the same rights as holders of the company's common stock.

 Issuer risk. A security's market value may decline for a number of reasons which directly relate to the issuer, such as management performance, financial leverage and reduced demand for the issuer's products or services, or factors that affect the issuer's industry, such as labor shortages or increased production costs and competitive conditions within an industry.

 Authorized participants, market makers and liquidity providers risk. The fund has a limited number of financial institutions that may act as Authorized Participants, which are responsible for the creation and redemption activity for the fund. In addition, there may be a limited number of market makers and/or liquidity providers in the marketplace. To the extent either of the following events occur, fund shares may trade at a material discount to net asset value and possibly face delisting: (i) Authorized Participants exit the business or otherwise become unable to process creation and/or redemption orders and no other Authorized Participants step forward to perform these services, or (ii) market makers and/or liquidity providers exit the business or significantly reduce their business activities and no other entities step forward to perform their functions.

 Fluctuation of net asset value, share premiums and discounts risk. As with all exchange-traded funds, fund shares may be bought and sold in the secondary market at market prices. The trading prices of fund shares in the secondary market may differ from the fund's daily net asset value per share and there may be times when the market price of the shares is more than the net asset value per share (premium) or less than the net asset value per share (discount). This risk is heightened in times of market volatility or periods of steep market declines.

 Trading issues risk. Although fund shares are listed for trading on an exchange and may be listed or traded on other U.S. and non-U.S. stock exchanges as well, there can be no assurance that an active trading market for such fund shares will develop or be maintained. Trading in fund shares may be halted due to market conditions or for reasons that, in the view of the listing exchange, make trading in fund shares inadvisable. In addition, trading in fund shares on an exchange is subject to trading halts caused by extraordinary market volatility pursuant to exchange "circuit breaker" rules. There can be no assurance that the requirements of the listing exchange necessary to maintain the listing of the fund will continue to be met or will remain unchanged or that fund shares will trade with any volume, or at all, on any stock exchange.

 Market risk. The value of the securities in which the fund invests may be affected by political, regulatory, economic and social developments, and developments that impact specific economic sectors, industries or segments of the market. In addition, turbulence in financial markets and reduced liquidity in equity, credit and/or fixed income markets may negatively affect many issuers, which could adversely affect the fund. Global economies and financial markets are becoming increasingly interconnected, and conditions and events in one country, region or financial market may adversely impact issuers in a different country, region or financial market. These risks may be magnified if certain events or developments adversely interrupt the global supply chain; in these and other circumstances, such risks might affect companies world-wide. Recent examples include pandemic risks related to COVID-19 and

5


 

aggressive measures taken world-wide in response by governments, including closing borders, restricting international and domestic travel, and the imposition of prolonged quarantines of large populations, and by businesses, including changes to operations and reducing staff.  The effects of COVID-19 have contributed to increased volatility in global markets and will likely affect certain countries, companies, industries and market sectors more dramatically than others. The COVID-19 pandemic has had, and any other outbreak of an infectious disease or other serious public health concern could have, a significant negative impact on economic and market conditions and could trigger a prolonged period of global economic slowdown. To the extent the fund may overweight its investments in certain countries, companies, industries or market sectors, such positions will increase the fund's exposure to risk of loss from adverse developments affecting those countries, companies, industries or sectors.

 Non-diversification risk. To the extent the fund becomes non-diversified, the fund may invest a relatively high percentage of its assets in a limited number of issuers. Therefore, when the fund is non-diversified, the fund's performance may be more vulnerable to changes in the market value of a single issuer or group of issuers and more susceptible to risks associated with a single economic, political or regulatory occurrence than when the fund's invested assets are diversified.

Performance
 
 

The following bar chart and table provide some indication of the risks of investing in the fund. The bar chart shows changes in the performance of the fund from year to year. The table compares the average annual total returns of the fund to those of 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.  Recent performance information may be available at www.im.bnymellon.com.

   

Year-by-Year Total Returns as of 12/31 each year (%)

Best Quarter
Q4, 2021: 10.57%
Worst Quarter
Q2, 2022: -17.12%

(for the periods reflected in the bar chart)

After-tax returns in the table below are calculated using the historical highest individual federal marginal income tax rates, and do not reflect the impact of state and local taxes. Actual after-tax returns depend on the investor's tax situation and may differ from those shown, and the after-tax returns shown are not relevant to investors who hold their shares through U.S. tax-deferred arrangements such as 401(k) plans or individual retirement accounts. Returns after taxes on distributions and sale of fund shares may be higher than returns before taxes or returns after taxes on distributions due to an assumed tax benefit from losses on a sale of the fund's shares at the end of a period. 

     

Average Annual Total Returns as of 12/31/22

 

1 Year

Since Inception
(4/07/2020)

Returns before taxes

-20.40%

14.73%

Returns after taxes on distributions

-20.92%

14.24%

Returns after taxes on distributions and sale of fund shares

-12.07%

11.41%

Morningstar® US Large Cap IndexSM (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses or taxes)

-20.42%

14.78%

Portfolio Management

The fund's investment adviser is BNY Mellon ETF Investment Adviser, LLC (Adviser). The Adviser has engaged its affiliate, Mellon Investments Corporation (Mellon), to serve as the fund's sub-adviser.

David France, CFA, Todd Frysinger, CFA, Vlasta Sheremeta, CFA, Michael Stoll, and Marlene Walker Smith are the fund's primary portfolio managers, positions they have held since October 2020. Messrs. France, Frysinger and Stoll and Ms. Sheremeta are each a Vice President and Senior Portfolio Manager at Mellon. Ms. Walker Smith is a Director and

6


 

Head of Equity Index Portfolio Management at Mellon. Each portfolio manager is jointly and primarily responsible for the day-to-day management of the fund's portfolio.

Purchase and Sale of Fund Shares

The fund will issue (or redeem) fund shares to certain institutional investors known as "Authorized Participants" (typically market makers or other broker-dealers) only in large blocks of fund shares known as "Creation Units." Creation Unit transactions are conducted in exchange for the deposit or delivery of a portfolio of in-kind securities designated by the fund and/or cash.

Individual fund shares may only be purchased and sold on the NYSE Arca, Inc., other national securities exchanges, electronic crossing networks and other alternative trading systems through your broker-dealer at market prices. Because fund shares trade at market prices rather than at net asset value, fund shares may trade at a price greater than net asset value (premium) or less than net asset value (discount). When buying or selling shares in the secondary market, 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) (the "bid-ask spread"). Recent information regarding the fund's net asset value, market price, premiums and discounts, and bid-ask spreads is available at www.im.bnymellon.com.

Tax Information

The fund's distributions are taxable as qualified dividend income, ordinary income or capital gains, except when your investment is through an individual retirement account (IRA), retirement plan or other U.S. tax-advantaged investment plan (in which case you may be taxed upon withdrawal of your investment from such account).

Payments to Broker-Dealers and Other Financial Intermediaries

If you purchase fund shares through a broker-dealer or other financial intermediary (such as a bank), the Adviser or its affiliates may pay the financial intermediary for certain activities related to the fund, including educational training programs, conferences, the development of technology platforms and 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.

7


 

Fund Summary

BNY Mellon US Mid Cap Core Equity ETF
Investment Objective

The fund seeks to track the performance of the Morningstar® US Mid Cap IndexSM.

Fees and Expenses

This table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy, hold and sell shares of the fund. You may pay other fees, such as brokerage commissions and other fees to financial intermediaries, which are not reflected in the table and Example below.

   

Annual Fund Operating Expenses*
(Expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)

Management fees

0.04%

Distribution and service (12b-1) fees

None

Other expenses

0.00%

Total annual fund operating expenses

0.04%

* The fund's management agreement provides that the Adviser, BNY Mellon ETF Investment Adviser, LLC, will pay substantially all expenses of the fund, except for the management fees, payments under the fund's 12b-1 plan (if any), interest expenses, taxes, acquired fund fees and expenses, brokerage commissions, costs of holding shareholder meetings, fees and expenses associated with the fund's securities lending program, and litigation and potential litigation and other extraordinary expenses not incurred in the ordinary course of the fund's business.

Example

The 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 hold or redeem 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. 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

$4

$13

$23

$51

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 result in higher taxes when fund shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in annual fund operating expenses or in the Example, affect the fund's performance. During the most recent fiscal year end, the fund's portfolio turnover rate was 25.97% of the average value of its portfolio.

Principal Investment Strategy

To pursue its goal, the fund normally invests substantially all of its assets in equity securities comprising the Morningstar® US Mid Cap IndexSM.

The Morningstar® US Mid Cap IndexSM is a float-adjusted market capitalization weighted index designed to measure the performance of U.S. medium-capitalization stocks. The index's initial universe of eligible securities includes common stock, tracking stock and shares of real estate investment trusts (REITs) issued by U.S. companies and traded on the New York Stock Exchange, NASDAQ or NYSE Market LLC. At each reconstitution, the initial universe is screened to exclude securities based on the number of non-trading days in the preceding quarter and trading volume during the preceding six-month period. Securities with more than 10 non-trading days in the preceding quarter, or that have a bottom 25% liquidity score as ranked by the index provider based on the preceding six-month trading volume, are excluded. The remaining

8


 

securities comprise the investable universe. The index is composed of the securities of companies whose cumulative total market capitalization falls approximately between the bottom 10%-30% of the remaining securities comprising the investable universe. The index rebalances quarterly in March, June, September and December, and reconstitutes semi-annually in June and December. As of December 31, 2022, the index was comprised of 506 securities.

Under normal circumstances, the fund generally invests in all of the stocks in the index in proportion to their weighting in the index. However, the fund may invest in a representative sample of the index if replicating the index could be detrimental or disadvantageous to shareholders, such as when there are practical difficulties or substantial costs involved in compiling a portfolio of equity securities to replicate the index, in instances in which a security in the index becomes temporarily illiquid, unavailable or less liquid, or as a result of legal restrictions or limitations (such as tax diversification requirements) that apply to the fund but not the index.

In seeking to track the index, the fund's assets may be concentrated in (i.e., more than 25% of the fund's assets invested in) an industry or group of industries, but only to the extent that the index concentrates in a particular industry or group of industries.

The fund is classified as diversified under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (1940 Act); however, the fund may become non-diversified solely as a result of changes in the composition of the index (e.g., changes in weightings of one or more component securities). When the fund is non-diversified, it may invest a relatively high percentage of its assets in a limited number of issuers.

Principal Risks

An investment in the fund is not a bank deposit. It is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) or any other government agency. It is not a complete investment program. The fund's share price fluctuates, sometimes dramatically, which means you could lose money.

 Risks of stock investing. Stocks generally fluctuate more in value than bonds and may decline significantly over short time periods. There is the chance that stock prices overall will decline because stock markets tend to move in cycles, with periods of rising prices and falling prices. The market value of a stock may decline due to general market conditions or because of factors that affect the particular company or the company's industry.

 Indexing strategy risk. The fund uses an indexing strategy. It does not attempt to manage market volatility, use defensive strategies or reduce the effects of any long-term periods of poor index performance. The correlation between fund and index performance may be affected by, among other things, among other things, the fund's expenses, changes in securities markets, changes in the composition of the index, the manner in which the total return of the fund's index is calculated, the size of the fund's portfolio, the manner in which the total return of the fund's index is calculated, the size of the fund's portfolio and the timing of purchases and redemptions of fund shares. Outdated or unreliable market information could result in errors in index data, index computations or the construction of the index in accordance with its methodology 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.

 Midsize company risk. Midsize companies carry additional risks because the operating histories of these companies tend to be more limited, their earnings and revenues less predictable (and some companies may be experiencing significant losses), and their share prices more volatile than those of larger, more established companies. The shares of midsize companies tend to trade less frequently than those of larger, more established companies, which can adversely affect the pricing of these securities and the fund's ability to sell these securities.

 REIT risk. Investments in REITs expose the fund to risks similar to investing directly in real estate. REITs are characterized as equity REITs, mortgage REITs and hybrid REITs, which combine the characteristics of both equity and mortgage REITs. Equity REITs, which may include operating or finance companies, own real estate directly and the value of, and income earned by, the REITs depends upon the income of the underlying properties and the rental income they earn. Equity REITs also can realize capital gains (or losses) by selling properties that have appreciated (or depreciated) in value. Mortgage REITs can make construction, development or long-term mortgage loans and are sensitive to the credit quality of the borrower. Mortgage REITs derive their income from interest payments on such loans. Hybrid REITs generally hold both ownership interests and mortgage interests in real estate. The value of securities issued by REITs is affected by tax and regulatory requirements and by perceptions of management skill. They also may be affected by general economic conditions and are subject to heavy cash flow dependency, defaults by borrowers or tenants, self-liquidation at an economically disadvantageous time, and the possibility of failing to qualify for favorable tax treatment under applicable U.S. or foreign law and/or to maintain exempt status under the 1940 Act. To the extent a REIT owns properties of, or makes loans to, companies concentrated in a particular industry or geographic region, the REIT will also be subject to risks affecting such industries and regions. When the fund invests

9


 

in a REIT, shareholders of the fund will bear indirectly their proportionate share of the expenses of the REIT in addition to expenses of the fund.

 Tracking stock risk. Many of the risks of investing in common stock are applicable to tracking stock. Tracking stock is a separate class of common stock whose value is linked to a specific business unit or operating division within a larger company and which is designed to "track" the performance of such business unit or division. Therefore, tracking stock may decline in value even if the common stock of the larger company increases in value. In addition, holders of tracking stock may not have the same rights as holders of the company's common stock.

 Issuer risk. A security's market value may decline for a number of reasons which directly relate to the issuer, such as management performance, financial leverage and reduced demand for the issuer's products or services, or factors that affect the issuer's industry, such as labor shortages or increased production costs and competitive conditions within an industry.

 Authorized participants, market makers and liquidity providers risk. The fund has a limited number of financial institutions that may act as Authorized Participants, which are responsible for the creation and redemption activity for the fund. In addition, there may be a limited number of market makers and/or liquidity providers in the marketplace. To the extent either of the following events occur, fund shares may trade at a material discount to net asset value and possibly face delisting: (i) Authorized Participants exit the business or otherwise become unable to process creation and/or redemption orders and no other Authorized Participants step forward to perform these services, or (ii) market makers and/or liquidity providers exit the business or significantly reduce their business activities and no other entities step forward to perform their functions.

 Fluctuation of net asset value, share premiums and discounts risk. As with all exchange-traded funds, fund shares may be bought and sold in the secondary market at market prices. The trading prices of fund shares in the secondary market may differ from the fund's daily net asset value per share and there may be times when the market price of the shares is more than the net asset value per share (premium) or less than the net asset value per share (discount). This risk is heightened in times of market volatility or periods of steep market declines.

 Trading issues risk. Although fund shares are listed for trading on an exchange and may be listed or traded on other U.S. and non-U.S. stock exchanges as well, there can be no assurance that an active trading market for such fund shares will develop or be maintained. Trading in fund shares may be halted due to market conditions or for reasons that, in the view of the listing exchange, make trading in fund shares inadvisable. In addition, trading in fund shares on an exchange is subject to trading halts caused by extraordinary market volatility pursuant to exchange "circuit breaker" rules. There can be no assurance that the requirements of the listing exchange necessary to maintain the listing of the fund will continue to be met or will remain unchanged or that fund shares will trade with any volume, or at all, on any stock exchange.

 Market risk. The value of the securities in which the fund invests may be affected by political, regulatory, economic and social developments, and developments that impact specific economic sectors, industries or segments of the market. In addition, turbulence in financial markets and reduced liquidity in equity, credit and/or fixed income markets may negatively affect many issuers, which could adversely affect the fund. Global economies and financial markets are becoming increasingly interconnected, and conditions and events in one country, region or financial market may adversely impact issuers in a different country, region or financial market. These risks may be magnified if certain events or developments adversely interrupt the global supply chain; in these and other circumstances, such risks might affect companies world-wide. Recent examples include pandemic risks related to COVID-19 and aggressive measures taken world-wide in response by governments, including closing borders, restricting international and domestic travel, and the imposition of prolonged quarantines of large populations, and by businesses, including changes to operations and reducing staff.  The effects of COVID-19 have contributed to increased volatility in global markets and will likely affect certain countries, companies, industries and market sectors more dramatically than others. The COVID-19 pandemic has had, and any other outbreak of an infectious disease or other serious public health concern could have, a significant negative impact on economic and market conditions and could trigger a prolonged period of global economic slowdown. To the extent the fund may overweight its investments in certain countries, companies, industries or market sectors, such positions will increase the fund's exposure to risk of loss from adverse developments affecting those countries, companies, industries or sectors.

 Non-diversification risk. To the extent the fund becomes non-diversified, the fund may invest a relatively high percentage of its assets in a limited number of issuers. Therefore, when the fund is non-diversified, the fund's performance may be more vulnerable to changes in the market value of a single issuer or group of issuers and more susceptible to risks associated with a single economic, political or regulatory occurrence than when the fund's invested assets are diversified.

10


 

Performance
 
 

The following bar chart and table provide some indication of the risks of investing in the fund. The bar chart shows changes in the performance of the fund from year to year. The table compares the average annual total returns of the fund to those of 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.  Recent performance information may be available at www.im.bnymellon.com.

   

Year-by-Year Total Returns as of 12/31 each year (%)

Best Quarter
Q4, 2022: 9.50%
Worst Quarter
Q2, 2022: -15.87%

(for the periods reflected in the bar chart)

After-tax returns in the table below are calculated using the historical highest individual federal marginal income tax rates, and do not reflect the impact of state and local taxes. Actual after-tax returns depend on the investor's tax situation and may differ from those shown, and the after-tax returns shown are not relevant to investors who hold their shares through U.S. tax-deferred arrangements such as 401(k) plans or individual retirement accounts. Returns after taxes on distributions and sale of fund shares may be higher than returns before taxes or returns after taxes on distributions due to an assumed tax benefit from losses on a sale of the fund's shares at the end of a period.

     

Average Annual Total Returns as of 12/31/22

 

1 Year

Since Inception
(4/07/2020)

Returns before taxes

-15.94%

19.52%

Returns after taxes on distributions

-16.48%

18.98%

Returns after taxes on distributions and sale of fund shares

-9.43%

15.23%

Morningstar® US Mid Cap IndexSM (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses or taxes)

-16.06%

19.64%

Portfolio Management

The fund's investment adviser is BNY Mellon ETF Investment Adviser, LLC (Adviser). The Adviser has engaged its affiliate, Mellon Investments Corporation (Mellon), to serve as the fund's sub-adviser.

David France, CFA, Todd Frysinger, CFA, Vlasta Sheremeta, CFA, Michael Stoll, and Marlene Walker Smith are the fund's primary portfolio managers, positions they have held since October 2020. Messrs. France, Frysinger and Stoll and Ms. Sheremeta are each a Vice President and Senior Portfolio Manager at Mellon. Ms. Walker Smith is a Director and Head of Equity Index Portfolio Management at Mellon. Each portfolio manager is jointly and primarily responsible for the day-to-day management of the fund’s portfolio.

Purchase and Sale of Fund Shares

The fund will issue (or redeem) fund shares to certain institutional investors known as "Authorized Participants" (typically market makers or other broker-dealers) only in large blocks of fund shares known as "Creation Units." Creation Unit transactions are conducted in exchange for the deposit or delivery of a portfolio of in-kind securities designated by the fund and/or cash.

Individual fund shares may only be purchased and sold on the NYSE Arca, Inc., other national securities exchanges, electronic crossing networks and other alternative trading systems through your broker-dealer at market prices. Because fund shares trade at market prices rather than at net asset value, fund shares may trade at a price greater than net asset value (premium) or less than net asset value (discount). When buying or selling shares in the secondary market, 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) (the "bid-ask spread"). Recent information

11


 

regarding the fund's net asset value, market price, premiums and discounts, and bid-ask spreads is available at www.im.bnymellon.com.

Tax Information

The fund’s distributions are taxable as qualified dividend income, ordinary income or capital gains, except when your investment is through an individual retirement account (IRA), retirement plan or other U.S. tax-advantaged investment plan (in which case you may be taxed upon withdrawal of your investment from such account).

Payments to Broker-Dealers and Other Financial Intermediaries

If you purchase fund shares through a broker-dealer or other financial intermediary (such as a bank), the Adviser or its affiliates may pay the financial intermediary for certain activities related to the fund, including educational training programs, conferences, the development of technology platforms and 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.

12


 

Fund Summary

BNY Mellon US Small Cap Core Equity ETF
Investment Objective

The fund seeks to track the performance of the Morningstar® US Small Cap IndexSM.

Fees and Expenses

This table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy, hold and sell shares of the fund. You may pay other fees, such as brokerage commissions and other fees to financial intermediaries, which are not reflected in the table and Example below.

   

Annual Fund Operating Expenses*
(Expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)

Management fees

0.04%

Distribution and service (12b-1) fees

None

Other expenses

0.00%

Total annual fund operating expenses

0.04%

* The fund's management agreement provides that the Adviser, BNY Mellon ETF Investment Adviser, LLC, will pay substantially all expenses of the fund, except for the management fees, payments under the fund's 12b-1 plan (if any), interest expenses, taxes, acquired fund fees and expenses, brokerage commissions, costs of holding shareholder meetings, fees and expenses associated with the fund's securities lending program, and litigation and potential litigation and other extraordinary expenses not incurred in the ordinary course of the fund's business.

Example

The 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 hold or redeem 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. 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

$4

$13

$23

$51

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 result in higher taxes when fund shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in annual fund operating expenses or in the Example, affect the fund's performance. During the most recent fiscal year end, the fund's portfolio turnover rate was 37.93% of the average value of its portfolio.

Principal Investment Strategy

To pursue its goal, the fund normally invests substantially all of its assets in equity securities comprising the Morningstar® US Small Cap IndexSM.

The Morningstar® US Small Cap IndexSM is a float-adjusted market capitalization weighted index designed to measure the performance of U.S. small-capitalization stocks. The index's initial universe of eligible securities includes common stock, tracking stock and shares of real estate investment trusts (REITs) issued by U.S. companies and traded on the New York Stock Exchange, NASDAQ or NYSE Market LLC. At each reconstitution, the initial universe is screened to exclude securities based on the number of non-trading days in the preceding quarter and trading volume during the preceding six-month period. Securities with more than 10 non-trading days in the preceding quarter, or that have a bottom 25% liquidity score as ranked by the index provider based on the preceding six-month trading volume, are

13


 

excluded. The remaining securities comprise the investable universe. The index is composed of the securities of companies whose cumulative total market capitalization represents approximately the bottom 3%-10% of the remaining securities comprising the investable universe. The index rebalances quarterly in March, June, September and December, and reconstitutes semi-annually in June and December. As of December 31, 2022, the index was comprised of 779 securities.

Under normal circumstances, the fund generally invests in all of the stocks in the index in proportion to their weighting in the index. However, the fund may invest in a representative sample of the index if replicating the index could be detrimental or disadvantageous to shareholders, such as when there are practical difficulties or substantial costs involved in compiling a portfolio of equity securities to replicate the index, in instances in which a security in the index becomes temporarily illiquid, unavailable or less liquid, or as a result of legal restrictions or limitations (such as tax diversification requirements) that apply to the fund but not the index.

In seeking to track the index, the fund's assets may be concentrated in (i.e., more than 25% of the fund's assets invested in) an industry or group of industries, but only to the extent that the index concentrates in a particular industry or group of industries.

The fund is classified as diversified under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (1940 Act); however, the fund may become non-diversified solely as a result of changes in the composition of the index (e.g., changes in weightings of one or more component securities). When the fund is non-diversified, it may invest a relatively high percentage of its assets in a limited number of issuers.

Principal Risks

An investment in the fund is not a bank deposit. It is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) or any other government agency. It is not a complete investment program. The fund's share price fluctuates, sometimes dramatically, which means you could lose money.

 Risks of stock investing. Stocks generally fluctuate more in value than bonds and may decline significantly over short time periods. There is the chance that stock prices overall will decline because stock markets tend to move in cycles, with periods of rising prices and falling prices. The market value of a stock may decline due to general market conditions or because of factors that affect the particular company or the company's industry.

 Indexing strategy risk. The fund uses an indexing strategy. It does not attempt to manage market volatility, use defensive strategies or reduce the effects of any long-term periods of poor index performance. The correlation between fund and index performance may be affected by, among other things, among other things, the fund's expenses and use of sampling techniques, changes in securities markets, changes in the composition of the index, the manner in which the total return of the fund's index is calculated, the size of the fund's portfolio, the manner in which the total return of the fund's index is calculated, the size of the fund's portfolio and the timing of purchases and redemptions of fund shares. Outdated or unreliable market information could result in errors in index data, index computations or the construction of the index in accordance with its methodology 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.

 Small company risk. Small companies carry additional risks because the operating histories of these companies tend to be more limited, their earnings and revenues less predictable (and some companies may be experiencing significant losses), and their share prices more volatile than those of larger, more established companies. These companies may have limited product lines, markets or financial resources, or may depend on a limited management group. The shares of smaller companies tend to trade less frequently than those of larger, more established companies, which can adversely affect the pricing of these securities and the fund's ability to sell these securities.

 REIT risk. Investments in REITs expose the fund to risks similar to investing directly in real estate. REITs are characterized as equity REITs, mortgage REITs and hybrid REITs, which combine the characteristics of both equity and mortgage REITs. Equity REITs, which may include operating or finance companies, own real estate directly and the value of, and income earned by, the REITs depends upon the income of the underlying properties and the rental income they earn. Equity REITs also can realize capital gains (or losses) by selling properties that have appreciated (or depreciated) in value. Mortgage REITs can make construction, development or long-term mortgage loans and are sensitive to the credit quality of the borrower. Mortgage REITs derive their income from interest payments on such loans. Hybrid REITs generally hold both ownership interests and mortgage interests in real estate. The value of securities issued by REITs is affected by tax and regulatory requirements and by perceptions of management skill. They also may be affected by general economic conditions and are subject to heavy cash flow dependency, defaults by borrowers or tenants, self-liquidation at an economically disadvantageous time, and the possibility of failing to qualify for favorable tax treatment under applicable U.S. or foreign law and/or to maintain exempt status under the 1940 Act.

14


 

To the extent a REIT owns properties of, or makes loans to, companies concentrated in a particular industry or geographic region, the REIT will also be subject to risks affecting such industries and regions. When the fund invests in a REIT, shareholders of the fund will bear indirectly their proportionate share of the expenses of the REIT in addition to expenses of the fund.

 Tracking stock risk. Many of the risks of investing in common stock are applicable to tracking stock. Tracking stock is a separate class of common stock whose value is linked to a specific business unit or operating division within a larger company and which is designed to "track" the performance of such business unit or division. Therefore, tracking stock may decline in value even if the common stock of the larger company increases in value. In addition, holders of tracking stock may not have the same rights as holders of the company's common stock.

 Issuer risk. A security's market value may decline for a number of reasons which directly relate to the issuer, such as management performance, financial leverage and reduced demand for the issuer's products or services, or factors that affect the issuer's industry, such as labor shortages or increased production costs and competitive conditions within an industry.

 Authorized participants, market makers and liquidity providers risk. The fund has a limited number of financial institutions that may act as Authorized Participants, which are responsible for the creation and redemption activity for the fund. In addition, there may be a limited number of market makers and/or liquidity providers in the marketplace. To the extent either of the following events occur, fund shares may trade at a material discount to net asset value and possibly face delisting: (i) Authorized Participants exit the business or otherwise become unable to process creation and/or redemption orders and no other Authorized Participants step forward to perform these services, or (ii) market makers and/or liquidity providers exit the business or significantly reduce their business activities and no other entities step forward to perform their functions.

 Fluctuation of net asset value, share premiums and discounts risk. As with all exchange-traded funds, fund shares may be bought and sold in the secondary market at market prices. The trading prices of fund shares in the secondary market may differ from the fund's daily net asset value per share and there may be times when the market price of the shares is more than the net asset value per share (premium) or less than the net asset value per share (discount). This risk is heightened in times of market volatility or periods of steep market declines.

 Trading issues risk. Although fund shares are listed for trading on an exchange and may be listed or traded on other U.S. and non-U.S. stock exchanges as well, there can be no assurance that an active trading market for such fund shares will develop or be maintained. Trading in fund shares may be halted due to market conditions or for reasons that, in the view of the listing exchange, make trading in fund shares inadvisable. In addition, trading in fund shares on an exchange is subject to trading halts caused by extraordinary market volatility pursuant to exchange "circuit breaker" rules. There can be no assurance that the requirements of the listing exchange necessary to maintain the listing of the fund will continue to be met or will remain unchanged or that fund shares will trade with any volume, or at all, on any stock exchange.

 Market risk. The value of the securities in which the fund invests may be affected by political, regulatory, economic and social developments, and developments that impact specific economic sectors, industries or segments of the market. In addition, turbulence in financial markets and reduced liquidity in equity, credit and/or fixed income markets may negatively affect many issuers, which could adversely affect the fund. Global economies and financial markets are becoming increasingly interconnected, and conditions and events in one country, region or financial market may adversely impact issuers in a different country, region or financial market. These risks may be magnified if certain events or developments adversely interrupt the global supply chain; in these and other circumstances, such risks might affect companies world-wide. Recent examples include pandemic risks related to COVID-19 and aggressive measures taken world-wide in response by governments, including closing borders, restricting international and domestic travel, and the imposition of prolonged quarantines of large populations, and by businesses, including changes to operations and reducing staff.  The effects of COVID-19 have contributed to increased volatility in global markets and will likely affect certain countries, companies, industries and market sectors more dramatically than others. The COVID-19 pandemic has had, and any other outbreak of an infectious disease or other serious public health concern could have, a significant negative impact on economic and market conditions and could trigger a prolonged period of global economic slowdown. To the extent the fund may overweight its investments in certain countries, companies, industries or market sectors, such positions will increase the fund's exposure to risk of loss from adverse developments affecting those countries, companies, industries or sectors.

 Non-diversification risk. To the extent the fund becomes non-diversified, the fund may invest a relatively high percentage of its assets in a limited number of issuers. Therefore, when the fund is non-diversified, the fund's performance may be more vulnerable to changes in the market value of a single issuer or group of issuers and more susceptible to risks associated with a single economic, political or regulatory occurrence than when the fund's invested assets are diversified.

15


 

Performance
 
 

The following bar chart and table provide some indication of the risks of investing in the fund. The bar chart shows changes in the performance of the fund from year to year. The table compares the average annual total returns of the fund to those of 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.  Recent performance information may be available at www.im.bnymellon.com.

   

Year-by-Year Total Returns as of 12/31 each year (%)

Best Quarter
Q1, 2021: 11.69%
Worst Quarter
Q2, 2022: -16.42%

(for the periods reflected in the bar chart)

After-tax returns in the table below are calculated using the historical highest individual federal marginal income tax rates, and do not reflect the impact of state and local taxes. Actual after-tax returns depend on the investor's tax situation and may differ from those shown, and the after-tax returns shown are not relevant to investors who hold their shares through U.S. tax-deferred arrangements such as 401(k) plans or individual retirement accounts. Returns after taxes on distributions and sale of fund shares may be higher than returns before taxes or returns after taxes on distributions due to an assumed tax benefit from losses on a sale of the fund's shares at the end of a period.

     

Average Annual Total Returns as of 12/31/22

 

1 Year

Since Inception
(4/07/2020)

Returns before taxes

-18.44%

18.98%

Returns after taxes on distributions

-18.93%

18.47%

Returns after taxes on distributions and sale of fund shares

-10.91%

14.82%

Morningstar® US Small Cap IndexSM (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses or taxes)

-18.46%

19.09%

Portfolio Management

The fund's investment adviser is BNY Mellon ETF Investment Adviser, LLC (Adviser). The Adviser has engaged its affiliate, Mellon Investments Corporation (Mellon), to serve as the fund's sub-adviser.

David France, CFA, Todd Frysinger, CFA, Vlasta Sheremeta, CFA, Michael Stoll, and Marlene Walker Smith are the fund's primary portfolio managers, positions they have held since October 2020. Messrs. France, Frysinger and Stoll and Ms. Sheremeta are each a Vice President and Senior Portfolio Manager at Mellon. Ms. Walker Smith is a Director and Head of Equity Index Portfolio Management at Mellon. Each portfolio manager is jointly and primarily responsible for the day-to-day management of the fund’s portfolio.

Purchase and Sale of Fund Shares

The fund will issue (or redeem) fund shares to certain institutional investors known as "Authorized Participants" (typically market makers or other broker-dealers) only in large blocks of fund shares known as "Creation Units." Creation Unit transactions are conducted in exchange for the deposit or delivery of a portfolio of in-kind securities designated by the fund and/or cash.

Individual fund shares may only be purchased and sold on the NYSE Arca, Inc., other national securities exchanges, electronic crossing networks and other alternative trading systems through your broker-dealer at market prices. Because fund shares trade at market prices rather than at net asset value, fund shares may trade at a price greater than net asset value (premium) or less than net asset value (discount). When buying or selling shares in the secondary market, 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)

16


 

and the lowest price a seller is willing to accept for shares of the fund (ask) (the "bid-ask spread"). Recent information regarding the fund's net asset value, market price, premiums and discounts, and bid-ask spreads is available at www.im.bnymellon.com.

Tax Information

The fund's distributions are taxable as ordinary income or capital gains, except when your investment is through an individual retirement account (IRA), retirement plan or other U.S. tax-advantaged investment plan (in which case you may be taxed upon withdrawal of your investment from such account).

Payments to Broker-Dealers and Other Financial Intermediaries

If you purchase fund shares through a broker-dealer or other financial intermediary (such as a bank), the Adviser or its affiliates may pay the financial intermediary for certain activities related to the fund, including educational training programs, conferences, the development of technology platforms and 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.

17


 

Fund Summary

BNY Mellon International Equity ETF
Investment Objective

The fund seeks to track the performance of the Morningstar® Developed Markets ex-US Large Cap IndexSM.

Fees and Expenses

This table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy, hold and sell shares of the fund. You may pay other fees, such as brokerage commissions and other fees to financial intermediaries, which are not reflected in the table and Example below.

   

Annual Fund Operating Expenses*
(Expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)

Management fees

0.04%

Distribution and service (12b-1) fees

None

Other expenses

0.00%

Total annual fund operating expenses

0.04%

* The fund's management agreement provides that the Adviser, BNY Mellon ETF Investment Adviser, LLC, will pay substantially all expenses of the fund, except for the management fees, payments under the fund's 12b-1 plan (if any), interest expenses, taxes, acquired fund fees and expense, brokerage commissions, costs of holding shareholder meetings, fees and expenses associated with the fund's securities lending program, and litigation and potential litigation and other extraordinary expenses not incurred in the ordinary course of the fund's business.

Example

The 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 hold or redeem 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. 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

$4

$13

$23

$51

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 result in higher taxes when fund shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in annual fund operating expenses or in the Example, affect the fund's performance. During the most recent fiscal year end, the fund's portfolio turnover rate was 19.30% of the average value of its portfolio.

Principal Investment Strategy

To pursue its goal, the fund normally invests substantially all of its assets in equity securities comprising the Morningstar® Developed Markets ex-US Large Cap IndexSM, depositary receipts based on securities comprising the index, exchange-traded funds (ETFs) providing exposure to such securities, and derivatives with economic characteristics similar to such securities or the index. The fund’s derivatives investments may include futures, currency forwards, total return swaps and structured notes.

The Morningstar® Developed Markets ex-US Large Cap IndexSM is a float-adjusted market capitalization weighted index designed to measure the performance of developed market (excluding the United States) large-capitalization stocks. A country is considered developed if it meets the following criteria: (i) its annual per capita gross national income falls in the World Bank's high-income category for the most recent three years; (ii) it has not had any broad-based

18


 

discriminatory controls against non-domiciled investors for the most recent three years; and (iii) its stock markets exhibit the following characteristics: transparency, market regulation, operational efficiency, and the absence of broad-based investment restrictions. The index’s initial universe of eligible securities includes equity securities (including common stock, preferred stock and shares of real estate investment trusts (REITs)), issued by developed market companies (excluding the United States) and traded on a major foreign exchange. At each reconstitution, the initial universe is screened to exclude securities based on the number of non-trading days, trading volume and turnover during the preceding six-month period, and market capitalization. Securities not previously part of the last reconstitution are excluded from a current reconstitution if the security has 20 or more non-trading days during the last six months or their trading volume and turnover ranks in the bottom 25% of the initial universe as determined by the index provider based on the preceding six months of trade data. Securities previously part of the last reconstitution are provided a one-time buffer and not excluded unless the security has 30 or more non-trading days (20 or more non-trading days after the one-time buffer) during the last six months or their trading volume and turnover ranks in the bottom 20% (bottom 25% after the one-time buffer) of the initial universe as determined by the index provider based on the preceding six months of trade data. Of the remaining securities, the index includes large capitalization securities from each eligible country, targeting the top 70% of stocks by market capitalization from each eligible country. The index rebalances quarterly in March, June, September and December, and reconstitutes semi-annually in June and December. As of December 31, 2022, the index was comprised of 580 securities.

Under normal circumstances, the fund generally invests in all of the stocks in the index in proportion to their weighting in the index. However, the fund may invest in a representative sample of the index if replicating the index could be detrimental or disadvantageous to shareholders, such as when there are practical difficulties or substantial costs involved in compiling a portfolio of equity securities to replicate the index, in instances in which a security in the index becomes temporarily illiquid, unavailable or less liquid, or as a result of legal restrictions or limitations (such as tax diversification requirements) that apply to the fund but not the index.

In seeking to track the index, the fund's assets may be concentrated in (i.e., more than 25% of the fund's assets invested in) an industry or group of industries, but only to the extent that the index concentrates in a particular industry or group of industries. In addition, a significant portion of the fund's assets will generally be focused in a country or region to the extent the index is focused in a particular country or region. As of December 31, 2022, 21.00% of the index consisted of securities of issuers in the financials sector, and the index had significant exposure to issuers located in Japan and the European region.

The fund is classified as diversified under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (1940 Act); however, the fund may become non-diversified solely as a result of changes in the composition of the index (e.g., changes in weightings of one or more component securities). When the fund is non-diversified, it may invest a relatively high percentage of its assets in a limited number of issuers.

Principal Risks

An investment in the fund is not a bank deposit. It is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) or any other government agency. It is not a complete investment program. The fund's share price fluctuates, sometimes dramatically, which means you could lose money.

 Risks of stock investing. Stocks generally fluctuate more in value than bonds and may decline significantly over short time periods. There is the chance that stock prices overall will decline because stock markets tend to move in cycles, with periods of rising prices and falling prices. The market value of a stock may decline due to general market conditions or because of factors that affect the particular company or the company's industry.

 Indexing strategy risk. The fund uses an indexing strategy. It does not attempt to manage market volatility, use defensive strategies or reduce the effects of any long-term periods of poor index performance. The correlation between fund and index performance may be affected by, among other things, among other things, the fund's expenses, changes in securities markets, changes in the composition of the index, the manner in which the total return of the fund's index is calculated, the size of the fund's portfolio, the manner in which the total return of the fund's index is calculated, the size of the fund's portfolio and the timing of purchases and redemptions of fund shares. Outdated or unreliable market information could result in errors in index data, index computations or the construction of the index in accordance with its methodology 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.

 Large-cap stock risk. The fund may underperform funds that invest primarily in the stocks of lower quality, smaller capitalization companies during periods when the stocks of such companies are in favor. Compared to small- and mid-capitalization companies, large-capitalization companies may be less responsive to changes and opportunities affecting their business. In addition, large-capitalization companies may be subject to greater regulation than small- and mid-capitalization companies. A company with a large market capitalization relative to the market in a particular

19


 

country or region may not have a large capitalization relative to the market in another country or region or the global market generally.

 Foreign investment risk. The fund's performance will be influenced by political, social and economic factors affecting investments in foreign issuers. Special risks associated with investments in foreign issuers include exposure to currency fluctuations, less liquidity, less developed or less efficient trading markets, lack of comprehensive company information, political and economic instability and differing auditing and legal standards. The imposition of sanctions, confiscations, trade restrictions (including tariffs) and other government restrictions by the United States and other governments, or problems in share registration, settlement or custody, may result in losses and/or may impact the correlation between the fund and index performance. Investments denominated the foreign currencies are subject to the risk that such currencies will decline in value relative to the U.S. dollar and affect the value of these investments held by the fund. To the extent securities held by the fund trade in a market that is closed when the exchange on which the fund’s shares trade is open, there may be deviations between the current price of a security and the last quoted price for the security in the closed foreign market. These deviations could result in the fund experiencing premiums or discounts greater than those of ETFs that invest in domestic securities.

 Foreign currency risk. Investments in foreign currencies are subject to the risk that those currencies will decline in value relative to the U.S. dollar or, in the case of hedged positions, that the U.S. dollar will decline relative to the currency being hedged. Currency exchange rates may fluctuate significantly over short periods of time. Foreign currencies are also subject to risks caused by inflation, interest rates, budget deficits and low savings rates, political factors and government intervention and controls.

 Japan risk. To the extent the fund has significant exposure to Japanese companies, the fund's performance will be influenced by political, social and economic factors affecting Japan. From the late 1990's, Japan's economic growth rate has remained relatively low compared to that of its Asian neighbors and other major developed economies. The economy is characterized by an aging demographic, a declining population, a large government debt and a highly regulated labor market. The Japanese economy is more dependent on international trade than the United States, and can be adversely affected by trade tariffs, other protectionist measures, competition from emerging economies, and the economic conditions of its trading partners.

 European risk. To the extent the fund invests significantly in securities issued by European companies, the fund's performance will be influenced by political, social and economic factors affecting the European region. Investments in a single region, even though representing a number of different countries within the region, may be affected by common economic forces and other factors. A significant number of countries in Europe are member states in the ("EU"), and the member states no longer control their own monetary policies by directing independent interest rates for their currencies. In these member states, the authority to direct monetary policies including money supply and official interest rates for the Euro is exercised by the European Central Bank. The European sovereign debt crisis and the related austerity measures in certain countries have had, and continue to have, a significant impact on the economies of certain European countries and their future economic outlooks. Further, political or economic disruptions in European countries, even in countries in which the fund is not invested, may adversely affect security values and thus the fund’s holdings. There is particular uncertainty regarding the state of the EU following the United Kingdom's ("U.K.") exit from the EU ("Brexit"). On January 31, 2020, the U.K. formally withdrew from the EU and, after a transition period, left the EU single market and customs union under the terms of a new trade agreement on December 31, 2020. The agreement governs the new relationship between the U.K. and EU with respect to trading goods and services, but critical aspects of the relationship remain unresolved and subject to further negotiation and agreement. The full scope and nature of the consequences of the exit are not at this time known and are unlikely to be known for a significant period of time. It is also unknown whether the U.K.'s exit will increase the likelihood of other countries also departing the EU. Any exits from the EU, or the possibility of such exits, may have a significant impact on the U.K., Europe, and global economies, which may result in increased volatility and illiquidity, new legal and regulatory uncertainties and potentially lower economic growth for such economies that could potentially have an adverse effect on the value of the fund's investments.

 Financials sector risk. Companies in the financials sector are subject to extensive governmental regulation which may limit both the amounts and types of loans and other financial commitments they can make, the interest rates and fees they can charge, the scope of their activities, the prices they can charge and the amount of capital they must maintain. Profitability is largely dependent on the availability and cost of capital funds and can fluctuate significantly when interest rates change or due to increased competition. In addition, deterioration of the credit markets generally may cause an adverse impact in a broad range of markets, thereby affecting a wide range of financial institutions and markets. Certain events in the financial services sector may cause an unusually high degree of volatility in the financial markets and cause certain financial services companies to incur large losses.

 ADR risk. ADRs may be subject to certain of the risks associated with direct investments in the securities of foreign companies, such as currency risk, political and economic risk and market risk, because their values depend on the

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performance of the non-dollar denominated underlying foreign securities. Certain countries may limit the ability to convert ADRs into the underlying foreign securities and vice versa, which may cause the securities of the foreign company to trade at a discount or premium to the market price of the related ADR.

 ETF risk. To the extent the fund invests in ETFs, the fund will be affected by the investment policies, practices and performance of such entities in direct proportion to the amount of assets the fund has invested therein. The risks of investing in other ETFs typically reflect the risks associated with the types of instruments in which the investment companies invest. When the fund invests in an ETF, shareholders of the fund will bear indirectly their proportionate share of the expenses of the ETF (including management fees) in addition to the expenses of the fund. ETFs are exchange-traded investment companies that are, in many cases, designed to provide investment results corresponding to an index. The value of the underlying securities can fluctuate in response to activities of individual companies or in response to general market and/or economic conditions.

 REIT risk. Investments in REITs expose the fund to risks similar to investing directly in real estate. REITs are characterized as equity REITs, mortgage REITs and hybrid REITs, which combine the characteristics of both equity and mortgage REITs. Equity REITs, which may include operating or finance companies, own real estate directly and the value of, and income earned by, the REITs depends upon the income of the underlying properties and the rental income they earn. Equity REITs also can realize capital gains (or losses) by selling properties that have appreciated (or depreciated) in value. Mortgage REITs can make construction, development or long-term mortgage loans and are sensitive to the credit quality of the borrower. Mortgage REITs derive their income from interest payments on such loans. Hybrid REITs generally hold both ownership interests and mortgage interests in real estate. The value of securities issued by REITs is affected by tax and regulatory requirements and by perceptions of management skill. They also may be affected by general economic conditions and are subject to heavy cash flow dependency, defaults by borrowers or tenants, self-liquidation at an economically disadvantageous time, and the possibility of failing to qualify for favorable tax treatment under applicable U.S. or foreign law and/or to maintain exempt status under the 1940 Act. To the extent a REIT owns properties of, or makes loans to, companies concentrated in a particular industry or geographic region, the REIT will also be subject to risks affecting such industries and regions. When the fund invests in a REIT, shareholders of the fund will bear indirectly their proportionate share of the expenses of the REIT in addition to expenses of the fund.

 Preferred stock risk. Preferred stock is a class of a capital stock that typically pays dividends at a specified rate. Preferred stock is generally senior to common stock, but subordinate to debt securities, with respect to the payment of dividends and on liquidation of the issuer. The market value of preferred stock generally decreases when interest rates rise and is also affected by the issuer's ability to make payments on the preferred stock.

 Issuer risk. A security's market value may decline for a number of reasons which directly relate to the issuer, such as management performance, financial leverage and reduced demand for the issuer's products or services, or factors that affect the issuer's industry, such as labor shortages or increased production costs and competitive conditions within an industry.

 Derivatives risk. A small investment in derivatives could have a potentially large impact on the fund's performance. The use of derivatives involves risks different from, or possibly greater than, the risks associated with investing directly in the underlying assets, and the fund’s use of derivatives may result in losses to the fund. Derivatives in which the fund may invest can be highly volatile, illiquid and difficult to value, and there is the risk that changes in the value of a derivative held by the fund will not correlate with the underlying assets or the fund's other investments in the manner intended. Certain derivatives have the potential for unlimited loss, regardless of the size of the initial investment, and involve greater risks than the underlying assets because, in addition to general market risks, they are subject to liquidity risk (lack of a liquid secondary market), credit and counterparty risk (failure of the counterparty to the derivatives transaction to honor its obligation) and pricing risk (risk that the derivative cannot or will not be accurately valued).

 Futures risk. The value of a futures contract tends to increase and decrease in correlation with the value of the underlying instrument. Risks of futures contracts may arise from an imperfect correlation between movements in the price of the futures and the price of the underlying instrument. The fund's use of futures contracts exposes the fund to leverage risk because of the small margin requirements relative to the value of the futures contract. A relatively small market movement will have a proportionately larger impact on the funds that the fund has deposited or will have to deposit with a broker to maintain its futures position. While futures contracts are generally liquid instruments, under certain market conditions they may become illiquid. Futures exchanges may impose daily or intraday price change limits and/or limit the volume of trading. Additionally, government regulation may further reduce liquidity through similar trading restrictions. As a result, the fund may be unable to close out its futures contracts at a time that is advantageous. The price of futures can be highly volatile; using them could lower total return, and the potential loss from futures could exceed the fund's initial investment in such contracts.

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 Currency forward risk. Currency forward contracts are derivative instruments pursuant to a contract with a counterparty to buy or sell a specific currency at a future date at a price set at the time of the contract. Not all forward contracts require a counterparty to post collateral, which may expose the fund to greater losses in the event of a default by a counterparty. Foreign currency forward transactions include risks associated with fluctuations in foreign currency.

 Structured notes risk. Structured notes, a type of derivative instrument, can be volatile, and the possibility of default by the financial institution or counterparty may be greater for these instruments than for other types of derivative instruments. Structured notes typically are purchased in privately negotiated transactions from financial institutions and, thus, an active trading market for such instruments may not exist.

 Total return swap risk. A total return swap is a contract in which one party agrees to make periodic payments to another party based on the change in market value of the assets underlying the contract, which may include a specified security, basket of securities, or securities indices during the specified period, in return for periodic payments based on a fixed or variable interest rate or the total return from other underlying assets. Total return swap agreements may be used to obtain exposure to a security or market without owning or taking physical custody of such security or investing directly in such market. Total return swap agreements may effectively add leverage to the fund’s portfolio because, in addition to its total net assets, the fund would be subject to investment exposure on the notional amount of the swap. The primary risks associated with total returns swaps are credit risks (if the counterparty fails to meet its obligations) and market risk (if there is no liquid market for the agreement or unfavorable changes occur to the underlying asset).

 Authorized participants, market makers and liquidity providers risk. The fund has a limited number of financial institutions that may act as Authorized Participants, which are responsible for the creation and redemption activity for the fund. In addition, there may be a limited number of market makers and/or liquidity providers in the marketplace. To the extent either of the following events occur, fund shares may trade at a material discount to net asset value and possibly face delisting: (i) Authorized Participants exit the business or otherwise become unable to process creation and/or redemption orders and no other Authorized Participants step forward to perform these services, or (ii) market makers and/or liquidity providers exit the business or significantly reduce their business activities and no other entities step forward to perform their functions.

 Fluctuation of net asset value, share premiums and discounts risk. As with all exchange-traded funds, fund shares may be bought and sold in the secondary market at market prices. The trading prices of fund shares in the secondary market may differ from the fund's daily net asset value per share and there may be times when the market price of the shares is more than the net asset value per share (premium) or less than the net asset value per share (discount). This risk is heightened in times of market volatility or periods of steep market declines.

 Trading issues risk. Although fund shares are listed for trading on an exchange and may be listed or traded on other U.S. and non-U.S. stock exchanges as well, there can be no assurance that an active trading market for such fund shares will develop or be maintained. Trading in fund shares may be halted due to market conditions or for reasons that, in the view of the listing exchange, make trading in fund shares inadvisable. In addition, trading in fund shares on an exchange is subject to trading halts caused by extraordinary market volatility pursuant to exchange "circuit breaker" rules. There can be no assurance that the requirements of the listing exchange necessary to maintain the listing of the fund will continue to be met or will remain unchanged or that fund shares will trade with any volume, or at all, on any stock exchange.

 Market risk. The value of the securities in which the fund invests may be affected by political, regulatory, economic and social developments, and developments that impact specific economic sectors, industries or segments of the market. In addition, turbulence in financial markets and reduced liquidity in equity, credit and/or fixed income markets may negatively affect many issuers, which could adversely affect the fund. Global economies and financial markets are becoming increasingly interconnected, and conditions and events in one country, region or financial market may adversely impact issuers in a different country, region or financial market. These risks may be magnified if certain events or developments adversely interrupt the global supply chain; in these and other circumstances, such risks might affect companies world-wide. Recent examples include pandemic risks related to COVID-19 and aggressive measures taken world-wide in response by governments, including closing borders, restricting international and domestic travel, and the imposition of prolonged quarantines of large populations, and by businesses, including changes to operations and reducing staff.  The effects of COVID-19 have contributed to increased volatility in global markets and will likely affect certain countries, companies, industries and market sectors more dramatically than others. The COVID-19 pandemic has had, and any other outbreak of an infectious disease or other serious public health concern could have, a significant negative impact on economic and market conditions and could trigger a prolonged period of global economic slowdown. To the extent the fund may overweight its investments in certain countries, companies, industries or market sectors, such positions will increase the fund's exposure to risk of loss from adverse developments affecting those countries, companies, industries or sectors.

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 Non-diversification risk. To the extent the fund becomes non-diversified, the fund may invest a relatively high percentage of its assets in a limited number of issuers. Therefore, when the fund is non-diversified, the fund's performance may be more vulnerable to changes in the market value of a single issuer or group of issuers and more susceptible to risks associated with a single economic, political or regulatory occurrence than when the fund's invested assets are diversified.

Performance
 
 

The following bar chart and table provide some indication of the risks of investing in the fund. The bar chart shows changes in the performance of the fund from year to year. The table compares the average annual total returns of the fund to those of 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.  Recent performance information may be available at www.im.bnymellon.com.

   

Year-by-Year Total Returns as of 12/31 each year (%)

Best Quarter
Q, 2022: 16.53%
Worst Quarter
Q2, 2022: -14.59%

(for the periods reflected in the bar chart)

After-tax returns in the table below are calculated using the historical highest individual federal marginal income tax rates, and do not reflect the impact of state and local taxes. Actual after-tax returns depend on the investor's tax situation and may differ from those shown, and the after-tax returns shown are not relevant to investors who hold their shares through U.S. tax-deferred arrangements such as 401(k) plans or individual retirement accounts. Returns after taxes on distributions and sale of fund shares may be higher than returns before taxes or returns after taxes on distributions due to an assumed tax benefit from losses on a sale of the fund's shares at the end of the period.

     

Average Annual Total Returns as of 12/31/22

 

1 Year

Since Inception
(4/22/2020)

Returns before taxes

-13.74%

11.40%

Returns after taxes on distributions

-14.81%

10.49%

Returns after taxes on distributions and sale of fund shares

-8.16%

8.68%

Morningstar® Developed Markets ex-US Large Cap IndexSM (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses or taxes)

-13.82%

11.32%

Portfolio Management

The fund's investment adviser is BNY Mellon ETF Investment Adviser, LLC (Adviser). The Adviser has engaged its affiliate, Mellon Investments Corporation (Mellon), to serve as the fund's sub-adviser.

David France, CFA, Todd Frysinger, CFA, Vlasta Sheremeta, CFA, Michael Stoll, and Marlene Walker Smith are the fund's primary portfolio managers, positions they have held since October 2020. Messrs. France, Frysinger and Stoll and Ms. Sheremeta are each a Vice President and Senior Portfolio Manager at Mellon. Ms. Walker Smith is a Director and Head of Equity Index Portfolio Management at Mellon. Each portfolio manager is jointly and primarily responsible for the day-to-day management of the fund’s portfolio.

Purchase and Sale of Fund Shares

The fund will issue (or redeem) fund shares to certain institutional investors known as "Authorized Participants" (typically market makers or other broker-dealers) only in large blocks of fund shares known as "Creation Units." Creation Unit

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transactions are conducted in exchange for the deposit or delivery of a portfolio of in-kind securities designated by the fund and/or cash.

Individual fund shares may only be purchased and sold on the NYSE Arca, Inc., other national securities exchanges, electronic crossing networks and other alternative trading systems through your broker-dealer at market prices. Because fund shares trade at market prices rather than at net asset value, fund shares may trade at a price greater than net asset value (premium) or less than net asset value (discount). When buying or selling shares in the secondary market, 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) (the "bid-ask spread"). Recent information regarding the fund's net asset value, market price, premiums and discounts, and bid-ask spreads is available at www.im.bnymellon.com.

Tax Information

The fund's distributions are taxable as qualified dividend income, ordinary income or capital gains, except when your investment is through an individual retirement account (IRA), retirement plan or other U.S. tax-advantaged investment plan (in which case you may be taxed upon withdrawal of your investment from such account).

Payments to Broker-Dealers and Other Financial Intermediaries

If you purchase fund shares through a broker-dealer or other financial intermediary (such as a bank), the Adviser or its affiliates may pay the financial intermediary for certain activities related to the fund, including educational training programs, conferences, the development of technology platforms and 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 Summary

BNY Mellon Emerging Markets Equity ETF
Investment Objective

The fund seeks to track the performance of the Morningstar® Emerging Markets Large Cap IndexSM.

Fees and Expenses

This table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy, hold and sell shares of the fund. You may pay other fees, such as brokerage commissions and other fees to financial intermediaries, which are not reflected in the table and Example below.

   

Annual Fund Operating Expenses*
(Expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)

Management fees

0.11%

Distribution and service (12b-1) fees

None

Other expenses

0.00%

Total annual fund operating expenses

0.11%

* The fund's management agreement provides that the Adviser, BNY Mellon ETF Investment Adviser, LLC, will pay substantially all expenses of the fund, except for the management fees, payments under the fund's 12b-1 plan (if any), interest expenses, taxes, acquired fund fees and expenses, brokerage commissions, costs of holding shareholder meetings, fees and expenses associated with the fund's securities lending program, and litigation and potential litigation and other extraordinary expenses not incurred in the ordinary course of the fund's business.

Example

The 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 hold or redeem 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. 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

$11

$35

$62

$141

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 result in higher taxes when fund shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in annual fund operating expenses or in the Example, affect the fund's performance. During the most recent fiscal year end, the fund's portfolio turnover rate was 15.00% of the average value of its portfolio.

Principal Investment Strategy
 
 

To pursue its goal, the fund normally invests substantially all of its assets in equity securities comprising the Morningstar® Emerging Markets Large Cap IndexSM, depositary receipts based on securities comprising the index, exchange-traded funds (ETFs) providing exposure to such securities, and derivatives with economic characteristics similar to such securities or the index. The fund’s derivatives investments may include futures, currency forwards, total return swaps and structured notes. The Morningstar® Emerging Markets Large Cap IndexSM is a float-adjusted market capitalization weighted index designed to measure the performance of emerging market large-capitalization stocks. A country is considered emerging if: (i) its annual per capita gross national income does not fall in the World Bank's high-income category for the most recent three years; (ii) it has had broad-based discriminatory controls against non-domiciled investors during the most recent three years; and (iii) its stock markets do not exhibit any of the following characteristics: transparency, market regulation, operational efficiency, and the absence of broad-based investment restrictions. The index's initial universe of eligible securities includes equity securities (including common stock, preferred stock and shares of real estate investment trusts (REITs)), issued by emerging market companies and traded on a major foreign exchange. At each reconstitution, the initial universe is screened to exclude securities based on the

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number of non-trading days, trading volume and turnover during the preceding six-month period, and market capitalization. Securities not previously part of the last reconstitution are excluded from a current reconstitution if the security has 20 or more non-trading days during the last six months or their trading volume and turnover ranks in the bottom 25% of the initial universe as determined by the index provider based on the preceding six months of trade data. Securities previously part of the last reconstitution are provided a one-time buffer and not excluded unless the security has 30 or more non-trading days (20 or more non-trading days after the one-time buffer) during the last six months or their trading volume and turnover ranks in the bottom 20% (bottom 25% after the one-time buffer) of the initial universe as determined by the index provider based on the preceding six months of trade data. Of the remaining securities, the index includes large capitalization securities from each eligible country, targeting the top 70% of stocks by market capitalization from each eligible country. The index rebalances quarterly in March, June, September and December, and reconstitutes semi-annually in June and December. As of December 31, 2022, the index was comprised of 783 securities.

Under normal circumstances, in seeking to track the index's performance, the fund generally purchases a representative sample of the securities comprising the index. By using a sampling process, the fund typically will not invest in all of the securities in the index. The fund may also fully replicate the index when determined to be in the best interest of the fund in pursuing its objective.

In seeking to track the index, the fund's assets may be concentrated in (i.e., more than 25% of the fund's assets invested in) an industry or group of industries, but only to the extent that the index concentrates in a particular industry or group of industries. In addition, a significant portion of the fund’s assets will generally be focused in a country or region to the extent the index is focused in a particular country or region. As of December 31, 2022, 25.7% of the index consisted of securities of issuers in the financials sector. Additionally, as of December 31, 2022, the index had significant exposure to issuers located in China and the Asian region.

The fund is classified as diversified under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (1940 Act); however, the fund may become non-diversified solely as a result of changes in the composition of the index (e.g., changes in weightings of one or more component securities). When the fund is non-diversified, it may invest a relatively high percentage of its assets in a limited number of issuers.

Principal Risks

An investment in the fund is not a bank deposit. It is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) or any other government agency. It is not a complete investment program. The fund's share price fluctuates, sometimes dramatically, which means you could lose money.

 Risks of stock investing. Stocks generally fluctuate more in value than bonds and may decline significantly over short time periods. There is the chance that stock prices overall will decline because stock markets tend to move in cycles, with periods of rising prices and falling prices. The market value of a stock may decline due to general market conditions or because of factors that affect the particular company or the company's industry.

 Indexing strategy risk. The fund uses an indexing strategy. It does not attempt to manage market volatility, use defensive strategies or reduce the effects of any long-term periods of poor index performance. The correlation between fund and index performance may be affected by, among other things, among other things, the fund's expenses, changes in securities markets, changes in the composition of the index, the manner in which the total return of the fund's index is calculated, the size of the fund's portfolio, the manner in which the total return of the fund's index is calculated, the size of the fund's portfolio and the timing of purchases and redemptions of fund shares. Outdated or unreliable market information could result in errors in index data, index computations or the construction of the index in accordance with its methodology 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.

 Large-cap stock risk. The fund may underperform funds that invest primarily in the stocks of lower quality, smaller capitalization companies during periods when the stocks of such companies are in favor. Compared to small- and mid-capitalization companies, large-capitalization companies may be less responsive to changes and opportunities affecting their business. In addition, large-capitalization companies may be subject to greater regulation than small- and mid-capitalization companies. A company with a large market capitalization relative to the market in a particular country or region may not have a large capitalization relative to the market in another country or region or the global market generally.

 Index sampling risk.  The use of sampling techniques by the sub-adviser, Mellon, may result in the fund holding a smaller number of securities than are in the index. The sampling techniques used by the sub-adviser to select the securities in which the fund invests may not track the index the same as if the fund were replicating the index and may result in investment performance that differs from the index.  

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 Foreign investment risk. The fund's performance will be influenced by political, social and economic factors affecting investments in foreign issuers. Special risks associated with investments in foreign issuers include exposure to currency fluctuations, less liquidity, less developed or less efficient trading markets, lack of comprehensive company information, political and economic instability and differing auditing and legal standards. The imposition of sanctions, confiscations, trade restrictions (including tariffs) and other government restrictions by the United States and other governments, or problems in share registration, settlement or custody, may result in losses and/or may impact the correlation between the fund and index performance. Investments denominated the foreign currencies are subject to the risk that such currencies will decline in value relative to the U.S. dollar and affect the value of these investments held by the fund. To the extent securities held by the fund trade in a market that is closed when the exchange on which the fund’s shares trade is open, there may be deviations between the current price of a security and the last quoted price for the security in the closed foreign market. These deviations could result in the fund experiencing premiums or discounts greater than those of ETFs that invest in domestic securities.

 Emerging market risk. The securities of issuers located or doing substantial business in emerging market countries tend to be more volatile and less liquid than the securities of issuers located in countries with more mature economies. There may be less information publicly available about an emerging market issuer than about a developed market issuer and/or the available information may be outdated or unreliable. In addition, emerging market issuers may not be subject to accounting, auditing, legal and financial reporting standards comparable to those in developed markets, potentially making it difficult to evaluate such issuers. Emerging markets generally have less diverse and less mature economic structures and less stable political systems than those of developed countries. Additionally, investments in these countries may have restrictions that make it difficult or impossible for the fund to exercise rights, pursue legal remedies, and obtain judgements in foreign courts. Investments in these countries may be subject to political, economic, legal, market and currency risks. The risks may include less protection of property rights and uncertain political and economic policies, greater vulnerability to market manipulation, the imposition of capital controls and/or foreign investment limitations by a country, nationalization of businesses and the imposition of sanctions by other countries, such as the United States. These risks may impact the correlation between fund and index performance.

 Foreign currency risk. Investments in foreign currencies are subject to the risk that those currencies will decline in value relative to the U.S. dollar or, in the case of hedged positions, that the U.S. dollar will decline relative to the currency being hedged. Currency exchange rates may fluctuate significantly over short periods of time. Foreign currencies are also subject to risks caused by inflation, interest rates, budget deficits and low savings rates, political factors and government intervention and controls.

 China risk. To the extent the fund is significantly exposed to issuers located in China, the fund may be particularly exposed to the economy, industries, securities and currency markets of China. The Chinese economy and markets may be adversely affected by protectionist trade policies, slow economic activity in other Asian countries or worldwide, political and social instability, environmental events and natural disasters, regional and global conflicts, terrorism and war, including actions that are contrary to the interests of the United States. China's economy may be dependent on the economies of other Asian countries, many of which are developing countries. Recent protests and unrest have increased tensions between Hong Kong and mainland China. In addition, the current political climate and the further escalation of a trade war between China and the United States may have an adverse effect on both the U.S. and Chinese economies, as each country has imposed tariffs on the other country's products. Additionally, in November 2020, a U.S. executive order was issued prohibiting U.S. persons, including the fund, from transacting in securities of any Chinese company identified as a "Communist Chinese military company" or in instruments that are derivative of, or are designed to provide investment exposure to, prohibited securities of such companies. In June 2021, the executive order was amended to also include companies determined to be involved with China's "surveillance technology sector." It is unclear how long the executive order will continue in effect, but to the extent that it does and further companies are designated, there may be a material adverse impact on the value of those securities and in turn the fund if holding such securities.

 Asian risk. To the extent the fund invests significantly in stocks issued by companies located in Asian countries, the fund's performance will be influenced by political, social and economic factors affecting the Asian region. Many Asian countries can be characterized as either emerging or newly industrialized economies and tend to experience more volatile economic cycles than developed countries. Asian economies are also frequently subject to the risks of undeveloped financial service sectors, high inflation, frequent currency fluctuations, devaluations, or restrictions, political and social instability, corruption, and less efficient markets. Economies of Asian countries may also be heavily dependent on international trade and can be adversely affected by trade barriers, exchange controls and other measures imposed or negotiated by the countries with which they trade. Some economies in this region are dependent on a range of commodities, including oil, natural gas and coal. Accordingly, they are strongly affected by international commodity prices and particularly vulnerable to any weakening in global demand for these products. Adverse economic conditions or developments in neighboring countries may increase investors' perception of the risk of investing in the region as a whole, which may adversely impact the market value of the securities issued by companies

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in the region. Companies in Asia may be subject to risks such as nationalization or other forms of government interference. Increased political and social unrest could adversely affect the performance of investments in this region.

 Financials sector risk. Companies in the financials sector are subject to extensive governmental regulation which may limit both the amounts and types of loans and other financial commitments they can make, the interest rates and fees they can charge, the scope of their activities, the prices they can charge and the amount of capital they must maintain. Profitability is largely dependent on the availability and cost of capital funds and can fluctuate significantly when interest rates change or due to increased competition. In addition, deterioration of the credit markets generally may cause an adverse impact in a broad range of markets, thereby affecting a wide range of financial institutions and markets. Certain events in the financial services sector may cause an unusually high degree of volatility in the financial markets and cause certain financial services companies to incur large losses.

 ADR risk. ADRs may be subject to certain of the risks associated with direct investments in the securities of foreign companies, such as currency risk, political and economic risk and market risk, because their values depend on the performance of the non-dollar denominated underlying foreign securities. Certain countries may limit the ability to convert ADRs into the underlying foreign securities and vice versa, which may cause the securities of the foreign company to trade at a discount or premium to the market price of the related ADR.

 ETF risk. To the extent the fund invests in ETFs, the fund will be affected by the investment policies, practices and performance of such entities in direct proportion to the amount of assets the fund has invested therein. The risks of investing in other ETFs typically reflect the risks associated with the types of instruments in which the investment companies invest. When the fund invests in an ETF, shareholders of the fund will bear indirectly their proportionate share of the expenses of the ETF (including management fees) in addition to the expenses of the fund. ETFs are exchange-traded investment companies that are, in many cases, designed to provide investment results corresponding to an index. The value of the underlying securities can fluctuate in response to activities of individual companies or in response to general market and/or economic conditions.

 REIT risk. Investments in REITs expose the fund to risks similar to investing directly in real estate. REITs are characterized as equity REITs, mortgage REITs and hybrid REITs, which combine the characteristics of both equity and mortgage REITs. Equity REITs, which may include operating or finance companies, own real estate directly and the value of, and income earned by, the REITs depends upon the income of the underlying properties and the rental income they earn. Equity REITs also can realize capital gains (or losses) by selling properties that have appreciated (or depreciated) in value. Mortgage REITs can make construction, development or long-term mortgage loans and are sensitive to the credit quality of the borrower. Mortgage REITs derive their income from interest payments on such loans. Hybrid REITs generally hold both ownership interests and mortgage interests in real estate. The value of securities issued by REITs is affected by tax and regulatory requirements and by perceptions of management skill. They also may be affected by general economic conditions and are subject to heavy cash flow dependency, defaults by borrowers or tenants, self-liquidation at an economically disadvantageous time, and the possibility of failing to qualify for favorable tax treatment under applicable U.S. or foreign law and/or to maintain exempt status under the 1940 Act. To the extent a REIT owns properties of, or makes loans to, companies concentrated in a particular industry or geographic region, the REIT will also be subject to risks affecting such industries and regions. When the fund invests in a REIT, shareholders of the fund will bear indirectly their proportionate share of the expenses of the REIT in addition to expenses of the fund.

 Preferred stock risk. Preferred stock is a class of a capital stock that typically pays dividends at a specified rate. Preferred stock is generally senior to common stock, but subordinate to debt securities, with respect to the payment of dividends and on liquidation of the issuer. The market value of preferred stock generally decreases when interest rates rise and is also affected by the issuer's ability to make payments on the preferred stock.

 Issuer risk. A security's market value may decline for a number of reasons which directly relate to the issuer, such as management performance, financial leverage and reduced demand for the issuer's products or services, or factors that affect the issuer's industry, such as labor shortages or increased production costs and competitive conditions within an industry.

 Derivatives risk. A small investment in derivatives could have a potentially large impact on the fund's performance. The use of derivatives involves risks different from, or possibly greater than, the risks associated with investing directly in the underlying assets, and the fund’s use of derivatives may result in losses to the fund. Derivatives in which the fund may invest can be highly volatile, illiquid and difficult to value, and there is the risk that changes in the value of a derivative held by the fund will not correlate with the underlying assets or the fund's other investments in the manner intended. Certain derivatives have the potential for unlimited loss, regardless of the size of the initial investment, and involve greater risks than the underlying assets because, in addition to general market risks, they are subject to liquidity risk (lack of a liquid secondary market), credit and counterparty risk (failure of the counterparty to the derivatives transaction to honor its obligation) and pricing risk (risk that the derivative cannot or will not be accurately valued). Certain derivatives in which the fund may

28


 

invest may reference the London Interbank Offered Rate (LIBOR). On July 27, 2017, the United Kingdom's Financial Conduct Authority, which regulates LIBOR, announced that it intended to phase out LIBOR by the end of 2021. On March 5, 2021, the administrator of LIBOR announced a delay in the phase out of the majority of the USD LIBOR publications until June 30, 2023 (the remainder of the USD LIBOR publications ceased on December 31, 2021). There remains uncertainty regarding the future of LIBOR and the nature of any replacement rate. Certain alternatives to LIBOR have been established or are in development in most major currencies, including the Secured Overnight Financing Rate (SOFR), which the U.S. Federal Reserve has selected as the preferred replacement rate in the United States. The replacement and/or discontinuation of LIBOR could lead to significant short-term and long-term uncertainty and market instability. The unavailability and/or discontinuation of LIBOR could have adverse impacts on derivatives that reference LIBOR, may affect the value, liquidity or return on such derivatives, as they may fall out of favor, and may result in costs incurred by the fund in connection with closing out positions and entering into new positions. Any pricing adjustments to a fund's investments resulting from a substitute reference rate may also adversely affect the fund's performance and/or net asset value.

 Futures risk. The value of a futures contract tends to increase and decrease in correlation with the value of the underlying instrument. Risks of futures contracts may arise from an imperfect correlation between movements in the price of the futures and the price of the underlying instrument. The fund's use of futures contracts exposes the fund to leverage risk because of the small margin requirements relative to the value of the futures contract. A relatively small market movement will have a proportionately larger impact on the funds that the fund has deposited or will have to deposit with a broker to maintain its futures position. While futures contracts are generally liquid instruments, under certain market conditions they may become illiquid. Futures exchanges may impose daily or intraday price change limits and/or limit the volume of trading. Additionally, government regulation may further reduce liquidity through similar trading restrictions. As a result, the fund may be unable to close out its futures contracts at a time that is advantageous. The price of futures can be highly volatile; using them could lower total return, and the potential loss from futures could exceed the fund's initial investment in such contracts.

 Currency forward risk. Currency forward contracts are derivative instruments pursuant to a contract with a counterparty to buy or sell a specific currency at a future date at a price set at the time of the contract. Not all forward contracts require a counterparty to post collateral, which may expose the fund to greater losses in the event of a default by a counterparty. Foreign currency forward transactions include risks associated with fluctuations in foreign currency.

 Structured notes risk. Structured notes, a type of derivative instrument, can be volatile, and the possibility of default by the financial institution or counterparty may be greater for these instruments than for other types of derivative instruments. Structured notes typically are purchased in privately negotiated transactions from financial institutions and, thus, an active trading market for such instruments may not exist.

 Total return swap risk. A total return swap is a contract in which one party agrees to make periodic payments to another party based on the change in market value of the assets underlying the contract, which may include a specified security, basket of securities, or securities indices during the specified period, in return for periodic payments based on a fixed or variable interest rate or the total return from other underlying assets. Total return swap agreements may be used to obtain exposure to a security or market without owning or taking physical custody of such security or investing directly in such market. Total return swap agreements may effectively add leverage to the fund’s portfolio because, in addition to its total net assets, the fund would be subject to investment exposure on the notional amount of the swap. The primary risks associated with total returns swaps are credit risks (if the counterparty fails to meet its obligations) and market risk (if there is no liquid market for the agreement or unfavorable changes occur to the underlying asset).

 Liquidity risk. When there is little or no active trading market for specific types of securities, it can become more difficult to sell the securities in a timely manner at or near their perceived value. In such a market, the value of such securities and the fund's share price may fall dramatically. Investments that are illiquid or that trade in lower volumes may be more difficult to value. Investments in foreign securities, particularly those of issuers located in emerging markets, tend to have greater exposure to liquidity risk than domestic securities. In addition, in stressed market conditions the market for the fund's shares may become less liquid in response to deteriorating liquidity with respect to the fund's portfolio securities, which could lead to differences between the market price of the fund's shares and the net asset value of the fund's shares.

 Authorized participants, market makers and liquidity providers risk. The fund has a limited number of financial institutions that may act as Authorized Participants, which are responsible for the creation and redemption activity for the fund. In addition, there may be a limited number of market makers and/or liquidity providers in the marketplace. To the extent either of the following events occur, fund shares may trade at a material discount to net asset value and possibly face delisting: (i) Authorized Participants exit the business or otherwise become unable to process creation and/or redemption orders and no other Authorized Participants step forward to perform these services, or (ii) market makers and/or liquidity providers exit the business or significantly reduce their business activities and no other entities step forward to perform their functions.

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 Fluctuation of net asset value, share premiums and discounts risk. As with all exchange-traded funds, fund shares may be bought and sold in the secondary market at market prices. The trading prices of fund shares in the secondary market may differ from the fund's daily net asset value per share and there may be times when the market price of the shares is more than the net asset value per share (premium) or less than the net asset value per share (discount). This risk is heightened in times of market volatility or periods of steep market declines.

 Trading issues risk. Although fund shares are listed for trading on an exchange and may be listed or traded on other U.S. and non-U.S. stock exchanges as well, there can be no assurance that an active trading market for such fund shares will develop or be maintained. Trading in fund shares may be halted due to market conditions or for reasons that, in the view of the listing exchange, make trading in fund shares inadvisable. In addition, trading in fund shares on an exchange is subject to trading halts caused by extraordinary market volatility pursuant to exchange "circuit breaker" rules. There can be no assurance that the requirements of the listing exchange necessary to maintain the listing of the fund will continue to be met or will remain unchanged or that fund shares will trade with any volume, or at all, on any stock exchange.

 Market risk. The value of the securities in which the fund invests may be affected by political, regulatory, economic and social developments, and developments that impact specific economic sectors, industries or segments of the market. In addition, turbulence in financial markets and reduced liquidity in equity, credit and/or fixed income markets may negatively affect many issuers, which could adversely affect the fund. Global economies and financial markets are becoming increasingly interconnected, and conditions and events in one country, region or financial market may adversely impact issuers in a different country, region or financial market. These risks may be magnified if certain events or developments adversely interrupt the global supply chain; in these and other circumstances, such risks might affect companies world-wide. Recent examples include pandemic risks related to COVID-19 and aggressive measures taken world-wide in response by governments, including closing borders, restricting international and domestic travel, and the imposition of prolonged quarantines of large populations, and by businesses, including changes to operations and reducing staff.  The effects of COVID-19 have contributed to increased volatility in global markets and will likely affect certain countries, companies, industries and market sectors more dramatically than others. The COVID-19 pandemic has had, and any other outbreak of an infectious disease or other serious public health concern could have, a significant negative impact on economic and market conditions and could trigger a prolonged period of global economic slowdown. To the extent the fund may overweight its investments in certain countries, companies, industries or market sectors, such positions will increase the fund's exposure to risk of loss from adverse developments affecting those countries, companies, industries or sectors.

 Non-diversification risk. To the extent the fund becomes non-diversified, the fund may invest a relatively high percentage of its assets in a limited number of issuers. Therefore, when the fund is non-diversified, the fund's performance may be more vulnerable to changes in the market value of a single issuer or group of issuers and more susceptible to risks associated with a single economic, political or regulatory occurrence than when the fund's invested assets are diversified.

Performance
 
 

The following bar chart and table provide some indication of the risks of investing in the fund. The bar chart shows changes in the performance of the fund from year to year. The table compares the average annual total returns of the fund to those of 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.  Recent performance information may be available at www.im.bnymellon.com.

   

Year-by-Year Total Returns as of 12/31 each year (%)

Best Quarter
Q4, 2022: 8.55%
Worst Quarter
Q2, 2022: -11.24%

(for the periods reflected in the bar chart)

After-tax returns in the table below are calculated using the historical highest individual federal marginal income tax rates, and do not reflect the impact of state and local taxes. Actual after-tax returns depend on the investor's tax

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situation and may differ from those shown, and the after-tax returns shown are not relevant to investors who hold their shares through U.S. tax-deferred arrangements such as 401(k) plans or individual retirement accounts. Returns after taxes on distributions and sale of fund shares may be higher than returns before taxes or returns after taxes on distributions due to an assumed tax benefit from losses on a sale of the fund's shares at the end of a period.

     

Average Annual Total Returns as of 12/31/22

 

1 Year

Since Inception
(4/22/2020)

Returns before taxes

-19.60%

5.07%

Returns after taxes on distributions

-20.60%

4.16%

Returns after taxes on distributions and sale of fund shares

-11.60%

3.72%

Morningstar® Emerging Markets Large Cap IndexSM ( reflects no deductions for fees, expenses or taxes)

-19.21%

5.61%

Portfolio Management

The fund's investment adviser is BNY Mellon ETF Investment Adviser, LLC (Adviser). The Adviser has engaged its affiliate, Mellon Investments Corporation (Mellon), to serve as the fund's sub-adviser.

David France, CFA, Todd Frysinger, CFA, Vlasta Sheremeta, CFA, Michael Stoll, and Marlene Walker Smith are the fund's primary portfolio managers, positions they have held since October 2020. Messrs. France, Frysinger and Stoll and Ms. Sheremeta are each a Vice President and Senior Portfolio Manager at Mellon. Ms. Walker Smith is a Director and Head of Equity Index Portfolio Management at Mellon. Each portfolio manager is jointly and primarily responsible for the day-to-day management of the fund’s portfolio.

Purchase and Sale of Fund Shares

The fund will issue (or redeem) fund shares to certain institutional investors known as "Authorized Participants" (typically market makers or other broker-dealers) only in large blocks of fund shares known as "Creation Units." Creation Unit transactions are conducted in exchange for the deposit or delivery of a portfolio of in-kind securities designated by the fund and/or cash.

Individual fund shares may only be purchased and sold on the NYSE Arca, Inc., other national securities exchanges, electronic crossing networks and other alternative trading systems through your broker-dealer at market prices. Because fund shares trade at market prices rather than at net asset value, fund shares may trade at a price greater than net asset value (premium) or less than net asset value (discount). When buying or selling shares in the secondary market, 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) (the "bid-ask spread"). Recent information regarding the fund's net asset value, market price, premiums and discounts, and bid-ask spreads is available at www.im.bnymellon.com.

Tax Information

The fund’s distributions are taxable as qualified dividend income, ordinary income or capital gains, except when your investment is through an individual retirement account (IRA), retirement plan or other U.S. tax-advantaged investment plan (in which case you may be taxed upon withdrawal of your investment from such account).

Payments to Broker-Dealers and Other Financial Intermediaries

If you purchase fund shares through a broker-dealer or other financial intermediary (such as a bank), the Adviser or its affiliates may pay the financial intermediary for certain activities related to the fund, including educational training programs, conferences, the development of technology platforms and 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 Summary

BNY Mellon Core Bond ETF
Investment Objective

The fund seeks to track the performance of the Bloomberg US Aggregate Total Return Index.

Fees and Expenses

This table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy, hold and sell shares of the fund. You may pay other fees, such as brokerage commissions and other fees to financial intermediaries, which are not reflected in the table and Example below.

   

Annual Fund Operating Expenses*
(Expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)

Management fees

0.00%

Distribution and service (12b-1) fees

None

Other expenses

0.00%

Total annual fund operating expenses

0.00%

* The fund's management agreement provides that the Adviser, BNY Mellon ETF Investment Adviser, LLC, will pay substantially all expenses of the fund, except for interest expenses, taxes, brokerage commissions, costs of holding shareholder meetings, fees and expenses associated with the fund's securities lending program, and litigation and potential litigation and other extraordinary expenses not incurred in the ordinary course of the fund's business. The fund's management agreement also provides that the Adviser will pay all acquired fund fees and expenses.

Example

The 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 hold or redeem 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. 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

$0

$0

$0

$0

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 result in higher taxes when fund shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in annual fund operating expenses or in the Example, affect the fund's performance. During the most recent fiscal year end, the fund's portfolio turnover rate was 84.75% of the average value of its portfolio.

Principal Investment Strategy

To pursue its goal, the fund normally invests substantially all, but at least 80%, of its assets in bonds comprising the Bloomberg US Aggregate Total Return Index and TBA transactions (as defined below) representing bonds included in the index.

The Bloomberg US Aggregate Total Return Index is designed to measure the investment grade, U.S. dollar-denominated, fixed-rate taxable bond market. The index includes Treasuries, government-related and corporate securities, mortgage-backed pass-through securities (agency fixed-rate), commercial mortgage-backed securities (agency and non-agency) and other asset-backed securities having at least one year until final maturity. Treasury, government-related and corporate securities must have $300 million or more par amount outstanding. For mortgage-backed pass-through securities, pool aggregates must have $1 billion or more par amount outstanding. Asset-backed securities must have a minimum deal size of $500 million and a minimum tranche size of $25 million. Commercial mortgage-backed securities must have a minimum deal size of $500 million with at least $300 million outstanding and a minimum tranche size of $25 million. To be included in the index, securities must be rated investment grade (Baa3/BBB-/BBB- or higher) using the middle rating of Moody's, S&P and Fitch.

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When a rating from only two agencies is available, the lower is used; when only one agency rates a bond, that rating is used. In cases where explicit bond level ratings may not be available, the index provider may use other sources to classify securities by credit quality. The index may include U.S. dollar-denominated bonds issued by foreign issuers. Securities in the index are updated on the last business day of each month. The fund seeks to maintain a dollar-weighted average maturity consistent with that of the index. As of December 31, 2022, the index was comprised of approximately 13,100 securities and had a dollar-weighted average maturity of 8.4 years.

Under normal circumstances, in seeking to track the index's performance, the fund generally purchases a representative sample of the securities comprising the index. By using a sampling process, the fund typically will not invest in all of the securities in the index. The fund may also fully replicate the index when determined to be in the best interest of the fund in pursuing its objective.

In seeking to track the index, the fund’s assets may be concentrated in (i.e., more than 25% of the fund’s assets invested in) an industry or group of industries, but only to the extent that the index concentrates in a particular industry or group of industries.

As of December 31, 2022, approximately 27.5% of the bonds represented in the index were U.S. agency mortgage-backed pass-through securities. U.S. agency mortgage-backed pass-through securities are securities issued by entities such as Government National Mortgage Association (GNMA) and Federal National Mortgage Association (FNMA) that are backed by pools of mortgages. Certain transactions in mortgage-backed pass-through securities occur through standardized contracts for future delivery in which the exact mortgage-backed pools to be delivered are not specified until a few days prior to settlement, referred to as a "to-be-announced transaction" or "TBA transaction." In a TBA transaction, the buyer and seller agree upon general trade parameters such as agency, settlement date, par amount and price. The actual pools delivered generally are determined two days prior to the settlement date. It is anticipated that the fund will generally participate in rolling TBA transactions, but it may also receive pools of mortgages. The fund expects to enter into TBA transactions on a regular basis. The fund, pending settlement of such contracts, will invest its assets in high-quality, liquid short term instruments, including shares of affiliated money market funds.

The fund is classified as diversified under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (1940 Act); however, the fund may become non-diversified solely as a result of changes in the composition of the index (e.g., changes in weightings of one or more component securities). When the fund is non-diversified, it may invest a relatively high percentage of its assets in a limited number of issuers.

Principal Risks

An investment in the fund is not a bank deposit. It is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) or any other government agency. It is not a complete investment program. The fund's share price fluctuates, sometimes dramatically, which means you could lose money.

 Fixed-income market risk. The market value of a fixed-income security may decline due to general market conditions that are not specifically related to a particular company, such as real or perceived adverse economic conditions, changes in the outlook for corporate earnings, changes in interest or currency rates or adverse investor sentiment generally. The fixed-income securities market can be susceptible to increases in volatility and decreases in liquidity. Liquidity can decline unpredictably in response to overall economic conditions or credit tightening. Increases in volatility and decreases in liquidity may be caused by a rise in interest rates (or the expectation of a rise in interest rates).

 Interest rate risk. Prices of bonds and other fixed rate fixed-income securities tend to move inversely with changes in interest rates. Typically, a rise in rates will adversely affect fixed-income securities and, accordingly, will cause the value of the fund's investments in these securities to decline. During periods of very low interest rates, which occur from time to time due to market forces or actions of governments and/or their central banks, including the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System in the U.S., the fund may be subject to a greater risk of principal decline from rising interest rates. When interest rates fall, the fund's investments in new securities may be at lower yields and may reduce the fund's income. The magnitude of these fluctuations in the market price of fixed-income securities is generally greater for securities with longer effective maturities and durations because such instruments do not mature, reset interest rates or become callable for longer periods of time. Duration is an indication of an investment's "interest rate risk," or how sensitive a bond or the fund's portfolio may be to changes in interest rates. The change in the value of a fixed-income security or portfolio can be approximated by multiplying its duration by a change in interest rates.

 Credit risk. Failure of an issuer of a security to make timely interest or principal payments when due, or a decline or perception of a decline in the credit quality of the security, can cause the security's price to fall. The lower a security's credit rating, the greater the chance that the issuer of the security will default or fail to meet its payment obligations.

 Indexing strategy risk. The fund uses an indexing strategy. It does not attempt to manage market volatility, use defensive strategies or reduce the effects of any long-term periods of poor index performance. The correlation

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between fund and index performance may be affected by, among other things, among other things, the fund's expenses, changes in securities markets, changes in the composition of the index, the manner in which the total return of the fund's index is calculated, the size of the fund's portfolio, the manner in which the total return of the fund's index is calculated, the size of the fund's portfolio and the timing of purchases and redemptions of fund shares. Outdated or unreliable market information could result in errors in index data, index computations or the construction of the index in accordance with its methodology 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.

 Index sampling risk.  The use of sampling techniques by the sub-adviser, Mellon, may result in the fund holding a smaller number of securities than are in the index. The sampling techniques used by the sub-adviser to select the securities in which the fund invests may not track the index the same as if the fund were replicating the index and may result in investment performance that differs from the index.  

 Government securities risk. Not all obligations of the U.S. government, its agencies and instrumentalities are backed by the full faith and credit of the U.S. Treasury. Some obligations are backed only by the credit of the issuing agency or instrumentality, and in some cases there may be some risk of default by the issuer. Any guarantee by the U.S. government or its agencies or instrumentalities of a security held by the fund does not apply to the market value of such security or to shares of the fund itself. A security backed by the U.S. Treasury or the full faith and credit of the United States is guaranteed only as to the timely payment of interest and principal when held to maturity.

 Mortgage-backed securities risk. Mortgage-backed securities represent a participation in, or are secured by, mortgage loans. Certain of the mortgage-backed securities in which the fund may invest are not backed by the full faith and credit of the U.S. government and there can be no assurance that the U.S. government would provide financial support to its agencies or instrumentalities where it was not obligated to do so. Mortgage-backed securities tend to increase in value less than other debt securities when interest rates decline, but are subject to similar or greater risk of decline in market value during periods of rising interest rates. Because of prepayment and extension risk, mortgage-backed securities react differently to changes in interest rates than other bonds. Small movements in interest rates may quickly and significantly affect the value of certain mortgage-backed securities. Transactions in mortgage-backed pass-through securities often occur through TBA transactions, as described in the "Principal Investment Strategy" section above. Default by or bankruptcy of a counterparty to a TBA transaction could expose the fund to possible losses because of an adverse market action, expenses, or delays in connection with the purchase or sale of the pools of mortgage-backed pass-through securities specified in the TBA transaction.

 Asset-backed securities risk. Asset-backed securities are typically structured like mortgage-backed securities, but instead of mortgage loans or interests in mortgage loans, the underlying assets may include, for example, items such as motor vehicle installment sales or installment loan contracts, leases on various types of real and personal property, and receivables from credit card agreements. General downturns in the economy could cause the value of asset-backed securities to fall. In addition, asset-backed securities present certain risks that are not presented by mortgage-backed securities. Primarily, these securities may provide the fund with a less effective security interest in the related collateral than do mortgage-backed securities. Therefore, there is the possibility that recoveries on the underlying collateral may not, in some cases, be available to support payments on these securities.

 Prepayment and extension risk. When interest rates fall, the principal on mortgage-backed and certain asset- backed securities may be prepaid. The loss of higher yielding underlying mortgages and the reinvestment of proceeds at lower interest rates can reduce the fund’s potential price gain in response to falling interest rates, reduce the fund’s yield, or cause the fund’s share price to fall. When interest rates rise, the effective duration of the fund’s mortgage- backed and other asset-backed securities may lengthen due to a drop in prepayments of the underlying mortgages or other assets. This is known as extension risk and would increase the fund’s sensitivity to rising interest rates and its potential for price declines.

 Foreign investment risk. To the extent the fund invests in foreign securities, the fund's performance will be influenced by political, social and economic factors affecting investments in foreign issuers. Special risks associated with investments in foreign issuers include exposure to currency fluctuations, less liquidity, less developed or less efficient trading markets, lack of comprehensive company information, political and economic instability and differing auditing and legal standards. The imposition of sanctions, confiscations, trade restrictions (including tariffs) and other government restrictions by the United States and other governments, or problems in share registration, settlement or custody, may result in losses and/or may impact the correlation between the fund and index performance. To the extent securities held by the fund trade in a market that is closed when the exchange on which the fund’s shares trade is open, there may be deviations between the current price of a security and the last quoted price for the security in the closed foreign market. These deviations could result in the fund experiencing premiums or discounts greater than those of ETFs that invest in domestic securities.

 Liquidity risk. When there is little or no active trading market for specific types of securities, it can become more difficult to sell the securities in a timely manner at or near their perceived value. In such a market, the value of such

34


 

securities and the fund's share price may fall dramatically, even during periods of declining interest rates. Investments that are illiquid or that trade in lower volumes may be more difficult to value. Investments in foreign securities tend to have greater exposure to liquidity risk than domestic securities. In addition, in stressed market conditions the market for the fund's shares may become less liquid in response to deteriorating liquidity with respect to the fund's portfolio securities, which could lead to differences between the market price of the fund's shares and the net asset value of the fund's shares.

 Issuer risk. A security's market value may decline for a number of reasons which directly relate to the issuer, such as management performance, financial leverage and reduced demand for the issuer's products or services, or factors that affect the issuer's industry, such as labor shortages or increased production costs and competitive conditions within an industry.

 Authorized participants, market makers and liquidity providers risk. The fund has a limited number of financial institutions that may act as Authorized Participants, which are responsible for the creation and redemption activity for the fund. In addition, there may be a limited number of market makers and/or liquidity providers in the marketplace. To the extent either of the following events occur, fund shares may trade at a material discount to net asset value and possibly face delisting: (i) Authorized Participants exit the business or otherwise become unable to process creation and/or redemption orders and no other Authorized Participants step forward to perform these services, or (ii) market makers and/or liquidity providers exit the business or significantly reduce their business activities and no other entities step forward to perform their functions.

 Fluctuation of net asset value, share premiums and discounts risk. As with all exchange-traded funds, fund shares may be bought and sold in the secondary market at market prices. The trading prices of fund shares in the secondary market may differ from the fund's daily net asset value per share and there may be times when the market price of the shares is more than the net asset value per share (premium) or less than the net asset value per share (discount). This risk is heightened in times of market volatility or periods of steep market declines.

 Trading issues risk. Although fund shares are listed for trading on an exchange and may be listed or traded on other U.S. and non-U.S. stock exchanges as well, there can be no assurance that an active trading market for such fund shares will develop or be maintained. Trading in fund shares may be halted due to market conditions or for reasons that, in the view of the listing exchange, make trading in fund shares inadvisable. In addition, trading in fund shares on an exchange is subject to trading halts caused by extraordinary market volatility pursuant to exchange "circuit breaker" rules. There can be no assurance that the requirements of the listing exchange necessary to maintain the listing of the fund will continue to be met or will remain unchanged or that fund shares will trade with any volume, or at all, on any stock exchange.

 Market risk. The value of the securities in which the fund invests may be affected by political, regulatory, economic and social developments, and developments that impact specific economic sectors, industries or segments of the market. In addition, turbulence in financial markets and reduced liquidity in equity, credit and/or fixed income markets may negatively affect many issuers, which could adversely affect the fund. Global economies and financial markets are becoming increasingly interconnected, and conditions and events in one country, region or financial market may adversely impact issuers in a different country, region or financial market. These risks may be magnified if certain events or developments adversely interrupt the global supply chain; in these and other circumstances, such risks might affect companies world-wide. Recent examples include pandemic risks related to COVID-19 and aggressive measures taken world-wide in response by governments, including closing borders, restricting international and domestic travel, and the imposition of prolonged quarantines of large populations, and by businesses, including changes to operations and reducing staff.  The effects of COVID-19 have contributed to increased volatility in global markets and will likely affect certain countries, companies, industries and market sectors more dramatically than others. The COVID-19 pandemic has had, and any other outbreak of an infectious disease or other serious public health concern could have, a significant negative impact on economic and market conditions and could trigger a prolonged period of global economic slowdown. To the extent the fund may overweight its investments in certain countries, companies, industries or market sectors, such positions will increase the fund's exposure to risk of loss from adverse developments affecting those countries, companies, industries or sectors.

 Non-diversification risk. To the extent the fund becomes non-diversified, the fund may invest a relatively high percentage of its assets in a limited number of issuers. Therefore, when the fund is non-diversified, the fund's performance may be more vulnerable to changes in the market value of a single issuer or group of issuers and more susceptible to risks associated with a single economic, political or regulatory occurrence than when the fund's invested assets are diversified.

35


 

Performance
 
 

The following bar chart and table provide some indication of the risks of investing in the fund. The bar chart shows changes in the performance of the fund from year to year. The table compares the average annual total returns of the fund to those of 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.  Recent performance information may be available at www.im.bnymellon.com.

   

Year-by-Year Total Returns as of 12/31 each year (%)

Best Quarter
Q4, 2022: 1.84%
Worst Quarter
Q1, 2022: -6.01%

(for the periods reflected in the bar chart)

After-tax returns in the table below are calculated using the historical highest individual federal marginal income tax rates, and do not reflect the impact of state and local taxes. Actual after-tax returns depend on the investor's tax situation and may differ from those shown, and the after-tax returns shown are not relevant to investors who hold their shares through U.S. tax-deferred arrangements such as 401(k) plans or individual retirement accounts. Returns after taxes on distributions and sale of fund shares may be higher than returns before taxes or returns after taxes on distributions due to an assumed tax benefit from losses on a sale of the fund's shares at the end of the period.

     

Average Annual Total Returns as of 12/31/22

 

1 Year

Since Inception
(4/22/2020)

Returns before taxes

-13.15%

-4.78%

Returns after taxes on distributions

-13.98%

-5.50%

Returns after taxes on distributions and sale of fund shares

-7.77%

-3.87%

Bloomberg US Aggregate Total Return Index. (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses or taxes)

-13.01%

-4.71%

Portfolio Management

The fund’s investment adviser is BNY Mellon ETF Investment Adviser, LLC (Adviser). The Adviser has engaged its affiliate, Mellon Investments Corporation (Mellon), to serve as the fund’s sub-adviser.

Gregory A. Lee, CFA, and Nancy G. Rogers, CFA, the primary portfolio managers of the fund, are jointly and primarily responsible for management of the fund. Each portfolio manager has been a primary portfolio manager of the fund since its inception in April 2020. Mr. Lee is a Director, Senior Portfolio Manager at Mellon. Ms. Rogers is a Managing Director, Head of Fixed Income Index Portfolio Management at Mellon.

Purchase and Sale of Fund Shares

The fund will issue (or redeem) fund shares to certain institutional investors known as "Authorized Participants" (typically market makers or other broker-dealers) only in large blocks of fund shares known as "Creation Units." Creation Unit transactions are conducted in exchange for the deposit or delivery of a portfolio of in-kind securities designated by the fund and/or cash.

Individual fund shares may only be purchased and sold on the NYSE Arca, Inc., other national securities exchanges, electronic crossing networks and other alternative trading systems through your broker-dealer at market prices. Because fund shares trade at market prices rather than at net asset value, fund shares may trade at a price greater than net asset value (premium) or less than net asset value (discount). When buying or selling shares in the secondary market, 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) (the "bid-ask spread"). Recent information

36


 

regarding the fund's net asset value, market price, premiums and discounts, and bid-ask spreads is available at www.im.bnymellon.com.

Tax Information

The fund’s distributions are taxable as qualified dividend income, ordinary income or capital gains, except when your investment is through an individual retirement account (IRA), retirement plan or other U.S. tax-advantaged investment plan (in which case you may be taxed upon withdrawal of your investment from such account).

Payments to Broker-Dealers and Other Financial Intermediaries

If you purchase fund shares through a broker-dealer or other financial intermediary (such as a bank), the Adviser or its affiliates may pay the financial intermediary for certain activities related to the fund, including educational training programs, conferences, the development of technology platforms and 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.

37


 

Fund Summary

BNY Mellon Short Duration Corporate Bond ETF
Investment Objective

The fund seeks to track the performance of the Bloomberg US Corporate 1-5 Years Total Return Index.

Fees and Expenses

This table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy, hold and sell shares of the fund. You may pay other fees, such as brokerage commissions and other fees to financial intermediaries, which are not reflected in the table and Example below.

   

Annual Fund Operating Expenses*
(Expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)

Management fees

0.06%

Distribution and service (12b-1) fees

None

Other expenses

0.00%

Total annual fund operating expenses

0.06%

* The fund's management agreement provides that the Adviser, BNY Mellon ETF Investment Adviser, LLC, will pay substantially all expenses of the fund, except for the management fees, payments under the fund's 12b-1 plan (if any), interest expenses, taxes, acquired fund fees and expenses, brokerage commissions, costs of holding shareholder meetings, fees and expenses associated with the fund's securities lending program, and litigation and potential litigation and other extraordinary expenses not incurred in the ordinary course of the fund's business.

Example

The 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 hold or redeem 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. 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

$6

$19

$34

$77

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 result in higher taxes when fund shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in annual fund operating expenses or in the Example, affect the fund's performance. During the most recent fiscal year end, the fund's portfolio turnover rate was 40.54% of the average value of its portfolio.

Principal Investment Strategy

To pursue its goal, the fund normally invests substantially all, but at least 80%, of its assets in bonds comprising the Bloomberg US Corporate 1-5 Years Total Return Index.

The Bloomberg US Corporate 1-5 Years Total Return Index is designed to measure the market for investment grade, U.S. dollar-denominated, fixed-rate, taxable corporate bonds with one to five years left to maturity. To be included in the index, securities must have $300 million or more par amount outstanding and be rated investment grade (Baa3/BBB-/BBB- or higher) using the middle rating of Moody’s, S&P and Fitch. When a rating from only two agencies is available, the lower is used; when only one agency rates a bond, that rating is used. In cases where explicit bond level ratings may not be available, the index provider may use other sources to classify securities by credit quality. The index may include U.S. dollar-denominated bonds issued by foreign issuers. Securities in the index are updated on the last business day of each month. The fund seeks to maintain a dollar-weighted average maturity consistent with that of the index. As of December 31, 2022, the index was comprised of approximately 2,500 securities and had a dollar-weighted average maturity of 2.9 years.

38


 

Under normal circumstances, in seeking to track the index’s performance, the fund generally purchases a representative sample of the securities comprising the index. By using a sampling process, the fund typically will not invest in all of the securities in the index. The fund may also fully replicate the index when determined to be in the best interest of the fund in pursuing its objective.

In seeking to track the index, the fund’s assets may be concentrated in (i.e., more than 25% of the fund’s assets invested in) an industry or group of industries, but only to the extent that the index concentrates in a particular industry or group of industries. As of December 31, 2022, 37.9% of the index consisted of securities of issuers in the Banking industry.

The fund is classified as diversified under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (1940 Act); however, the fund may become non-diversified solely as a result of changes in the composition of the index (e.g., changes in weightings of one or more component securities). When the fund is non-diversified, it may invest a relatively high percentage of its assets in a limited number of issuers.

Principal Risks

An investment in the fund is not a bank deposit. It is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) or any other government agency. It is not a complete investment program. The fund's share price fluctuates, sometimes dramatically, which means you could lose money.

 Fixed-income market risk. The market value of a fixed-income security may decline due to general market conditions that are not specifically related to a particular company, such as real or perceived adverse economic conditions, changes in the outlook for corporate earnings, changes in interest or currency rates or adverse investor sentiment generally. The fixed-income securities market can be susceptible to increases in volatility and decreases in liquidity. Liquidity can decline unpredictably in response to overall economic conditions or credit tightening. Increases in volatility and decreases in liquidity may be caused by a rise in interest rates (or the expectation of a rise in interest rates).

 Interest rate risk. Prices of bonds and other fixed rate fixed-income securities tend to move inversely with changes in interest rates. Typically, a rise in rates will adversely affect fixed-income securities and, accordingly, will cause the value of the fund's investments in these securities to decline. During periods of very low interest rates, which occur from time to time due to market forces or actions of governments and/or their central banks, including the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System in the U.S., the fund may be subject to a greater risk of principal decline from rising interest rates. When interest rates fall, the fund's investments in new securities may be at lower yields and may reduce the fund's income. The magnitude of these fluctuations in the market price of fixed-income securities is generally greater for securities with longer effective maturities and durations because such instruments do not mature, reset interest rates or become callable for longer periods of time. Duration is an indication of an investment's "interest rate risk," or how sensitive a bond or the fund’s portfolio may be to changes in interest rates. The change in the value of a fixed-income security or portfolio can be approximated by multiplying its duration by a change in interest rates.

 Credit risk. Failure of an issuer of a security to make timely interest or principal payments when due, or a decline or perception of a decline in the credit quality of the security, can cause the security's price to fall. The lower a security's credit rating, the greater the chance that the issuer of the security will default or fail to meet its payment obligations.

 Indexing strategy risk. The fund uses an indexing strategy. It does not attempt to manage market volatility, use defensive strategies or reduce the effects of any long-term periods of poor index performance. The correlation between fund and index performance may be affected by, among other things, among other things, the fund's expenses, changes in securities markets, changes in the composition of the index, the manner in which the total return of the fund's index is calculated, the size of the fund's portfolio, the manner in which the total return of the fund's index is calculated, the size of the fund's portfolio and the timing of purchases and redemptions of fund shares. Outdated or unreliable market information could result in errors in index data, index computations or the construction of the index in accordance with its methodology 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.

 Index sampling risk.  The use of sampling techniques by the sub-adviser, Mellon, may result in the fund holding a smaller number of securities than are in the index. The sampling techniques used by the sub-adviser to select the securities in which the fund invests may not track the index the same as if the fund were replicating the index and may result in investment performance that differs from the index.  

 Foreign investment risk. To the extent the fund invests in foreign securities, the fund's performance will be influenced by political, social and economic factors affecting investments in foreign issuers. Special risks associated with investments in foreign issuers include exposure to currency fluctuations, less liquidity, less developed or less efficient trading markets, lack of comprehensive company information, political and economic instability and differing auditing and legal standards. The imposition of sanctions, confiscations, trade restrictions (including tariffs) and other government restrictions by the United States and other governments, or problems in share registration, settlement or

39


 

custody, may result in losses and/or may impact the correlation between the fund and index performance. To the extent securities held by the fund trade in a market that is closed when the exchange on which the fund’s shares trade is open, there may be deviations between the current price of a security and the last quoted price for the security in the closed foreign market. These deviations could result in the fund experiencing premiums or discounts greater than those of ETFs that invest in domestic securities.

 Concentration risk. The fund will concentrate its investments (i.e., invest more than 25% its total assets) in a particular industry or group of industries to approximately the same extent that the index is concentrated. To the extent the fund concentrates in a particular industry or group of industries, it will be more susceptible to economic conditions and risks affecting those industries.

 Banking companies risk. The performance of bank stocks may be affected by extensive governmental regulation which may limit both the amounts and types of loans and other financial commitments they can make, and the interest rates and fees they can charge and the amount of capital they must maintain. Profitability is largely dependent on the availability and cost of capital funds, and can fluctuate significantly when interest rates change. Credit losses resulting from financial difficulties of borrowers can negatively impact banking companies. Banks may also be subject to severe price competition. Competition is high among banking companies and failure to maintain or increase market share may result in lost market value.

 Liquidity risk. When there is little or no active trading market for specific types of securities, it can become more difficult to sell the securities in a timely manner at or near their perceived value. In such a market, the value of such securities and the fund's share price may fall dramatically, even during periods of declining interest rates. Investments that are illiquid or that trade in lower volumes may be more difficult to value. Investments in foreign securities tend to have greater exposure to liquidity risk than domestic securities. In addition, in stressed market conditions the market for the fund's shares may become less liquid in response to deteriorating liquidity with respect to the fund's portfolio securities, which could lead to differences between the market price of the fund's shares and the net asset value of the fund's shares.

 Issuer risk. A security's market value may decline for a number of reasons which directly relate to the issuer, such as management performance, financial leverage and reduced demand for the issuer's products or services, or factors that affect the issuer's industry, such as labor shortages or increased production costs and competitive conditions within an industry.

 Authorized participants, market makers and liquidity providers risk. The fund has a limited number of financial institutions that may act as Authorized Participants, which are responsible for the creation and redemption activity for the fund. In addition, there may be a limited number of market makers and/or liquidity providers in the marketplace. To the extent either of the following events occur, fund shares may trade at a material discount to net asset value and possibly face delisting: (i) Authorized Participants exit the business or otherwise become unable to process creation and/or redemption orders and no other Authorized Participants step forward to perform these services, or (ii) market makers and/or liquidity providers exit the business or significantly reduce their business activities and no other entities step forward to perform their functions.

 Fluctuation of net asset value, share premiums and discounts risk. As with all exchange-traded funds, fund shares may be bought and sold in the secondary market at market prices. The trading prices of fund shares in the secondary market may differ from the fund's daily net asset value per share and there may be times when the market price of the shares is more than the net asset value per share (premium) or less than the net asset value per share (discount). This risk is heightened in times of market volatility or periods of steep market declines.

 Trading issues risk. Although fund shares are listed for trading on an exchange and may be listed or traded on other U.S. and non-U.S. stock exchanges as well, there can be no assurance that an active trading market for such fund shares will develop or be maintained. Trading in fund shares may be halted due to market conditions or for reasons that, in the view of the listing exchange, make trading in fund shares inadvisable. In addition, trading in fund shares on an exchange is subject to trading halts caused by extraordinary market volatility pursuant to exchange "circuit breaker" rules. There can be no assurance that the requirements of the listing exchange necessary to maintain the listing of the fund will continue to be met or will remain unchanged or that fund shares will trade with any volume, or at all, on any stock exchange.

 Market risk. The value of the securities in which the fund invests may be affected by political, regulatory, economic and social developments, and developments that impact specific economic sectors, industries or segments of the market. In addition, turbulence in financial markets and reduced liquidity in equity, credit and/or fixed income markets may negatively affect many issuers, which could adversely affect the fund. Global economies and financial markets are becoming increasingly interconnected, and conditions and events in one country, region or financial market may adversely impact issuers in a different country, region or financial market. These risks may be magnified if certain events or developments adversely interrupt the global supply chain; in these and other circumstances, such

40


 

risks might affect companies world-wide. Recent examples include pandemic risks related to COVID-19 and aggressive measures taken world-wide in response by governments, including closing borders, restricting international and domestic travel, and the imposition of prolonged quarantines of large populations, and by businesses, including changes to operations and reducing staff.  The effects of COVID-19 have contributed to increased volatility in global markets and will likely affect certain countries, companies, industries and market sectors more dramatically than others. The COVID-19 pandemic has had, and any other outbreak of an infectious disease or other serious public health concern could have, a significant negative impact on economic and market conditions and could trigger a prolonged period of global economic slowdown. To the extent the fund may overweight its investments in certain countries, companies, industries or market sectors, such positions will increase the fund's exposure to risk of loss from adverse developments affecting those countries, companies, industries or sectors.

 Non-diversification risk. To the extent the fund becomes non-diversified, the fund may invest a relatively high percentage of its assets in a limited number of issuers. Therefore, when the fund is non-diversified, the fund's performance may be more vulnerable to changes in the market value of a single issuer or group of issuers and more susceptible to risks associated with a single economic, political or regulatory occurrence than when the fund's invested assets are diversified.

Performance
 
 

The following bar chart and table provide some indication of the risks of investing in the fund. The bar chart shows changes in the performance of the fund from year to year. The table compares the average annual total returns of the fund to those of 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.  Recent performance information may be available at www.im.bnymellon.com.

   

Year-by-Year Total Returns as of 12/31 each year (%)

Best Quarter
Q4, 2022: 1.96%
Worst Quarter
Q1, 2022: -3.76%

(for the periods reflected in the bar chart)

After-tax returns in the table below are calculated using the historical highest individual federal marginal income tax rates, and do not reflect the impact of state and local taxes. Actual after-tax returns depend on the investor's tax situation and may differ from those shown, and the after-tax returns shown are not relevant to investors who hold their shares through U.S. tax-deferred arrangements such as 401(k) plans or individual retirement accounts. Returns after taxes on distributions and sale of fund shares may be higher than returns before taxes or returns after taxes on distributions due to an assumed tax benefit from losses on a sale of the fund's shares at the end of the period.

     

Average Annual Total Returns as of 12/31/22

 

1 Year

Since Inception
(4/22/2020)

Returns before taxes

-5.71%

-0.63%

Returns after taxes on distributions

-6.43%

-1.37%

Returns after taxes on distributions and sale of fund shares

-3.38%

-0.76%

Bloomberg US Corporate 1-5 Years Total Return Index (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses or taxes)

-5.62%

-0.49%

Portfolio Management

The fund’s investment adviser is BNY Mellon ETF Investment Adviser, LLC (Adviser). The Adviser has engaged its affiliate, Mellon Investments Corporation (Mellon), to serve as the fund’s sub-adviser.

Gregory A. Lee, CFA, and Nancy G. Rogers, CFA, the primary portfolio managers of the fund, are jointly and primarily responsible for management of the fund. Each portfolio manager has been a primary portfolio manager of the fund since

41


 

its inception in April 2020. Mr. Lee is a Director, Senior Portfolio Manager at Mellon. Ms. Rogers is a Managing Director, Head of Fixed Income Index Portfolio Management at Mellon.

Purchase and Sale of Fund Shares

The fund will issue (or redeem) fund shares to certain institutional investors known as "Authorized Participants" (typically market makers or other broker-dealers) only in large blocks of fund shares known as "Creation Units." Creation Unit transactions are conducted in exchange for the deposit or delivery of a portfolio of in-kind securities designated by the fund and/or cash.

Individual fund shares may only be purchased and sold on the NYSE Arca, Inc., other national securities exchanges, electronic crossing networks and other alternative trading systems through your broker-dealer at market prices. Because fund shares trade at market prices rather than at net asset value, fund shares may trade at a price greater than net asset value (premium) or less than net asset value (discount). When buying or selling shares in the secondary market, 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) (the "bid-ask spread"). Recent information regarding the fund's net asset value, market price, premiums and discounts, and bid-ask spreads is available at www.im.bnymellon.com.

Tax Information

The fund’s distributions are taxable as ordinary income or capital gains, except when your investment is through an individual retirement account (IRA), retirement plan or other U.S. tax-advantaged investment plan (in which case you may be taxed upon withdrawal of your investment from such account).

Payments to Broker-Dealers and Other Financial Intermediaries

If you purchase fund shares through a broker-dealer or other financial intermediary (such as a bank), the Adviser or its affiliates may pay the financial intermediary for certain activities related to the fund, including educational training programs, conferences, the development of technology platforms and 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.

42


 

Fund Summary

BNY Mellon High Yield Beta ETF
Investment Objective

The fund seeks to track the performance of the Bloomberg US Corporate High Yield Total Return Index.

Fees and Expenses

This table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy, hold and sell shares of the fund. You may pay other fees, such as brokerage commissions and other fees to financial intermediaries, which are not reflected in the table and Example below.

   

Annual Fund Operating Expenses*
(Expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)

Management fees

0.22%

Distribution and service (12b-1) fees

None

Other expenses

0.00%

Total annual fund operating expenses

0.22%

* The fund's management agreement provides that the Adviser, BNY Mellon ETF Investment Adviser, LLC, will pay substantially all expenses of the fund, except for the management fees, payments under the fund's 12b-1 plan (if any), interest expenses, taxes, acquired fund fees and expenses, brokerage commissions, costs of holding shareholder meetings, fees and expenses associated with the fund's securities lending program, and litigation and potential litigation and other extraordinary expenses not incurred in the ordinary course of the fund's business.

Example

The 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 hold or redeem 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. 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

$23

$71

$124

$280

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 result in higher taxes when fund shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in annual fund operating expenses or in the Example, affect the fund's performance. During the most recent fiscal year end, the fund's portfolio turnover rate was 35.81% of the average value of its portfolio.

Principal Investment Strategy

The fund uses a rules-based, systematic investment strategy that seeks to track an index designed to measure the performance of the high yield bond market. To pursue its goal, the fund normally invests substantially all, but at least 80%, of its assets in bonds comprising the Bloomberg US Corporate High Yield Total Return Index. The fund may also invest in derivatives with economic characteristics similar to such bonds or the index. The fund's derivatives investments may include credit default swap indexes, total return swaps, structured notes and futures.

The Bloomberg US Corporate High Yield Total Return Index is designed to measure the U.S. dollar-denominated, high yield (junk), fixed-rate, taxable corporate bond market. Bonds included in the index must have $150 million or more par amount outstanding and at least one year until final maturity. Bonds are classified as high yield if the middle rating of Moody’s, Fitch and S&P is Ba1/BB+/BB+ or below. When a rating from only two agencies is available, the lower is used; when only one agency rates a bond, that rating is used. In cases where explicit bond level ratings may not be available, the index provider may use other sources to classify securities by credit quality. The index may include U.S. dollar-denominated bonds issued by foreign issuers. Securities in the index are updated on the last business day of each month. The fund seeks to maintain a dollar-weighted average

43


 

maturity consistent with that of the index. As of December 31, 2022, the index was comprised of approximately 2,000 securities and had a dollar-weighted average maturity of 5.5 years.

Under normal circumstances, in seeking to track the index's performance, the fund generally purchases a representative sample of the securities comprising the index. By using a sampling process, the fund typically will not invest in all of the securities in the index. The fund may also fully replicate the index when determined to be in the best interest of the fund in pursuing its objective.

In seeking to track the index, the fund's assets may be concentrated in (i.e., more than 25% of the fund’s assets invested in) an industry or group of industries, but only to the extent that the index concentrates in a particular industry or group of industries. As of December 31, 2022, 22.9% of the index consisted of securities of issuers in the Consumer Cyclical industry.

The fund is classified as diversified under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (1940 Act); however, the fund may become non-diversified solely as a result of changes in the composition of the index (e.g., changes in weightings of one or more component securities). When the fund is non-diversified, it may invest a relatively high percentage of its assets in a limited number of issuers.

Principal Risks

An investment in the fund is not a bank deposit. It is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) or any other government agency. It is not a complete investment program. The fund's share price fluctuates, sometimes dramatically, which means you could lose money.

 Fixed-income market risk. The market value of a fixed-income security may decline due to general market conditions that are not specifically related to a particular company, such as real or perceived adverse economic conditions, changes in the outlook for corporate earnings, changes in interest or currency rates or adverse investor sentiment generally. The fixed-income securities market can be susceptible to increases in volatility and decreases in liquidity. Liquidity can decline unpredictably in response to overall economic conditions or credit tightening. Increases in volatility and decreases in liquidity may be caused by a rise in interest rates (or the expectation of a rise in interest rates).

 Interest rate risk. Prices of bonds and other fixed rate fixed-income securities tend to move inversely with changes in interest rates. Typically, a rise in rates will adversely affect fixed-income securities and, accordingly, will cause the value of the fund's investments in these securities to decline. During periods of very low interest rates, which occur from time to time due to market forces or actions of governments and/or their central banks, including the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System in the U.S., the fund may be subject to a greater risk of principal decline from rising interest rates. When interest rates fall, the fund's investments in new securities may be at lower yields and may reduce the fund's income. The magnitude of these fluctuations in the market price of fixed-income securities is generally greater for securities with longer effective maturities and durations because such instruments do not mature, reset interest rates or become callable for longer periods of time. Duration is an indication of an investment's "interest rate risk," or how sensitive a bond or the fund’s portfolio may be to changes in interest rates. The change in the value of a fixed-income security or portfolio can be approximated by multiplying its duration by a change in interest rates.

 Credit risk. Failure of an issuer of a security to make timely interest or principal payments when due, or a decline or perception of a decline in the credit quality of the security, can cause the security's price to fall. The lower a security's credit rating, the greater the chance that the issuer of the security will default or fail to meet its payment obligations.

 High yield securities risk. High yield ("junk") securities involve greater credit risk, including the risk of default, than investment grade securities, and are considered predominantly speculative with respect to the issuer's ability to make principal and interest payments. The prices of high yield securities can fall in response to bad news about the issuer or its industry, or the economy in general, to a greater extent than those of higher rated securities.

 Indexing strategy risk. The fund uses an indexing strategy. It does not attempt to manage market volatility, use defensive strategies or reduce the effects of any long-term periods of poor index performance. The correlation between fund and index performance may be affected by, among other things, among other things, the fund's expenses, changes in securities markets, changes in the composition of the index, the manner in which the total return of the fund's index is calculated, the size of the fund's portfolio, the manner in which the total return of the fund's index is calculated, the size of the fund's portfolio and the timing of purchases and redemptions of fund shares. Outdated or unreliable market information could result in errors in index data, index computations or the construction of the index in accordance with its methodology 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.

 Index sampling risk.  The use of sampling techniques by the sub-adviser, INA, may result in the fund holding a smaller number of securities than are in the index. The sampling techniques used by the sub-adviser to select the securities in

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which the fund invests may not track the index the same as if the fund were replicating the index and may result in investment performance that differs from the index.  

 Foreign investment risk. To the extent the fund invests in foreign securities, the fund's performance will be influenced by political, social and economic factors affecting investments in foreign issuers. Special risks associated with investments in foreign issuers include exposure to currency fluctuations, less liquidity, less developed or less efficient trading markets, lack of comprehensive company information, political and economic instability and differing auditing and legal standards. The imposition of sanctions, confiscations, trade restrictions (including tariffs) and other government restrictions by the United States and other governments, or problems in share registration, settlement or custody, may result in losses and/or may impact the correlation between the fund and index performance. To the extent securities held by the fund trade in a market that is closed when the exchange on which the fund’s shares trade is open, there may be deviations between the current price of a security and the last quoted price for the security in the closed foreign market. These deviations could result in the fund experiencing premiums or discounts greater than those of ETFs that invest in domestic securities.

 Privately-issued securities risk. Privately-issued securities, including those that are normally purchased pursuant to Rule 144A or Regulation S promulgated under the 1933 Act, are securities that have not been registered under the 1933 Act and as a result may be subject to legal restrictions on resale. Privately-issued securities are generally not traded on established markets. As a result of the absence of a public trading market, privately issued securities may be deemed to be illiquid investments, may be more difficult to value than publicly traded securities and may be subject to wide fluctuations in value. Delay or difficulty in selling such securities may result in a loss to the fund.

 Consumer cyclical industry risk. Consumer cyclical companies rely heavily on business cycles and economic conditions. Consumer cyclical companies may be adversely affected by domestic and international economic downturns, changes in exchange and interest rates, competition, consumers’ disposable income and preferences, social trends and marketing campaigns.

 Liquidity risk. When there is little or no active trading market for specific types of securities, it can become more difficult to sell the securities in a timely manner at or near their perceived value. In such a market, the value of such securities and the fund's share price may fall dramatically, even during periods of declining interest rates. Investments that are illiquid or that trade in lower volumes may be more difficult to value. Investments in foreign securities tend to have greater exposure to liquidity risk than domestic securities. In addition, in stressed market conditions the market for the fund's shares may become less liquid in response to deteriorating liquidity with respect to the fund's portfolio securities, which could lead to differences between the market price of the fund's shares and the net asset value of the fund's shares.

 Issuer risk. A security's market value may decline for a number of reasons which directly relate to the issuer, such as management performance, financial leverage and reduced demand for the issuer's products or services, or factors that affect the issuer's industry, such as labor shortages or increased production costs and competitive conditions within an industry.

 Derivatives risk. A small investment in derivatives could have a potentially large impact on the fund's performance. The use of derivatives involves risks different from, or possibly greater than, the risks associated with investing directly in the underlying assets, and the fund’s use of derivatives may result in losses to the fund. Derivatives in which the fund may invest can be highly volatile, illiquid and difficult to value, and there is the risk that changes in the value of a derivative held by the fund will not correlate with the underlying assets or the fund's other investments in the manner intended. Certain derivatives have the potential for unlimited loss, regardless of the size of the initial investment, and involve greater risks than the underlying assets because, in addition to general market risks, they are subject to liquidity risk (lack of a liquid secondary market), credit and counterparty risk (failure of the counterparty to the derivatives transaction to honor its obligation) and pricing risk (risk that the derivative cannot or will not be accurately valued).

 Credit default swap index risk. Credit default swap indexes (CDXs) are derivative contracts that reflect the performance of an index of credit default swaps and transfer credit exposure between two parties (for example, between an exchange and the fund). The use of CDXs involves investment techniques and risks different from those associated with ordinary portfolio security transactions, such as potentially heightened counterparty, concentration and exposure risks. Further, the fund's return from investment in a CDX may not match the return of the referenced index of credit default swaps and could result in losses if the referenced index of credit default swaps does not perform as expected. Unexpected changes in the composition of the index of credit default swaps may also affect performance of the CDX. If a referenced index of credit default swaps has a dramatic intraday move that causes a material decline in the fund’s net assets, the terms of the fund's CDX may permit the counterparty to immediately close out the transaction. In that event, the fund may be unable to enter into another CDX or otherwise achieve desired exposure, even if the referenced index of credit default swaps reverses all or a portion of its intraday move.

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 Structured notes risk. Structured notes, a type of derivative instrument, can be volatile, and the possibility of default by the financial institution or counterparty may be greater for these instruments than for other types of derivative instruments. Structured notes typically are purchased in privately negotiated transactions from financial institutions and, thus, an active trading market for such instruments may not exist.

 Total return swap risk. A total return swap is a contract in which one party agrees to make periodic payments to another party based on the change in market value of the assets underlying the contract, which may include a specified security, basket of securities, or securities indices during the specified period, in return for periodic payments based on a fixed or variable interest rate or the total return from other underlying assets. Total return swap agreements may be used to obtain exposure to a security or market without owning or taking physical custody of such security or investing directly in such market. Total return swap agreements may effectively add leverage to the fund’s portfolio because, in addition to its total net assets, the fund would be subject to investment exposure on the notional amount of the swap. The primary risks associated with total returns swaps are credit risks (if the counterparty fails to meet its obligations) and market risk (if there is no liquid market for the agreement or unfavorable changes occur to the underlying asset).

 Futures risk. The value of a futures contract tends to increase and decrease in correlation with the value of the underlying instrument. Risks of futures contracts may arise from an imperfect correlation between movements in the price of the futures and the price of the underlying instrument. The fund's use of futures contracts exposes the fund to leverage risk because of the small margin requirements relative to the value of the futures contract. A relatively small market movement will have a proportionately larger impact on the funds that the fund has deposited or will have to deposit with a broker to maintain its futures position. While futures contracts are generally liquid instruments, under certain market conditions they may become illiquid. Futures exchanges may impose daily or intraday price change limits and/or limit the volume of trading. Additionally, government regulation may further reduce liquidity through similar trading restrictions. As a result, the fund may be unable to close out its futures contracts at a time that is advantageous. The price of futures can be highly volatile; using them could lower total return, and the potential loss from futures could exceed the fund's initial investment in such contracts.

 Authorized participants, market makers and liquidity providers risk. The fund has a limited number of financial institutions that may act as Authorized Participants, which are responsible for the creation and redemption activity for the fund. In addition, there may be a limited number of market makers and/or liquidity providers in the marketplace. To the extent either of the following events occur, fund shares may trade at a material discount to net asset value and possibly face delisting: (i) Authorized Participants exit the business or otherwise become unable to process creation and/or redemption orders and no other Authorized Participants step forward to perform these services, or (ii) market makers and/or liquidity providers exit the business or significantly reduce their business activities and no other entities step forward to perform their functions.

 Fluctuation of net asset value, share premiums and discounts risk. As with all exchange-traded funds, fund shares may be bought and sold in the secondary market at market prices. The trading prices of fund shares in the secondary market may differ from the fund's daily net asset value per share and there may be times when the market price of the shares is more than the net asset value per share (premium) or less than the net asset value per share (discount). This risk is heightened in times of market volatility or periods of steep market declines.

 Trading issues risk. Although fund shares are listed for trading on an exchange and may be listed or traded on other U.S. and non-U.S. stock exchanges as well, there can be no assurance that an active trading market for such fund shares will develop or be maintained. Trading in fund shares may be halted due to market conditions or for reasons that, in the view of the listing exchange, make trading in fund shares inadvisable. In addition, trading in fund shares on an exchange is subject to trading halts caused by extraordinary market volatility pursuant to exchange "circuit breaker" rules. There can be no assurance that the requirements of the listing exchange necessary to maintain the listing of the fund will continue to be met or will remain unchanged or that fund shares will trade with any volume, or at all, on any stock exchange.

 Market risk. The value of the securities in which the fund invests may be affected by political, regulatory, economic and social developments, and developments that impact specific economic sectors, industries or segments of the market. In addition, turbulence in financial markets and reduced liquidity in equity, credit and/or fixed income markets may negatively affect many issuers, which could adversely affect the fund. Global economies and financial markets are becoming increasingly interconnected, and conditions and events in one country, region or financial market may adversely impact issuers in a different country, region or financial market. These risks may be magnified if certain events or developments adversely interrupt the global supply chain; in these and other circumstances, such risks might affect companies world-wide. Recent examples include pandemic risks related to COVID-19 and aggressive measures taken world-wide in response by governments, including closing borders, restricting international and domestic travel, and the imposition of prolonged quarantines of large populations, and by businesses, including changes to operations and reducing staff.  The effects of COVID-19 have contributed to increased volatility in global markets and will likely affect certain countries, companies, industries and market sectors more dramatically than

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others. The COVID-19 pandemic has had, and any other outbreak of an infectious disease or other serious public health concern could have, a significant negative impact on economic and market conditions and could trigger a prolonged period of global economic slowdown. To the extent the fund may overweight its investments in certain countries, companies, industries or market sectors, such positions will increase the fund's exposure to risk of loss from adverse developments affecting those countries, companies, industries or sectors.

 Non-diversification risk. To the extent the fund becomes non-diversified, the fund may invest a relatively high percentage of its assets in a limited number of issuers. Therefore, when the fund is non-diversified, the fund's performance may be more vulnerable to changes in the market value of a single issuer or group of issuers and more susceptible to risks associated with a single economic, political or regulatory occurrence than when the fund's invested assets are diversified.

Performance
 
 

The following bar chart and table provide some indication of the risks of investing in the fund. The bar chart shows changes in the performance of the fund from year to year. The table compares the average annual total returns of the fund to those of 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.  Recent performance information may be available at www.im.bnymellon.com.

   

Year-by-Year Total Returns as of 12/31 each year (%)

Best Quarter
Q4, 2022: 4.53%
Worst Quarter
Q2, 2022: -10.30%

(for the periods reflected in the bar chart)

After-tax returns in the table below are calculated using the historical highest individual federal marginal income tax rates, and do not reflect the impact of state and local taxes. Actual after-tax returns depend on the investor's tax situation and may differ from those shown, and the after-tax returns shown are not relevant to investors who hold their shares through U.S. tax-deferred arrangements such as 401(k) plans or individual retirement accounts. Returns after taxes on distributions and sale of fund shares may be higher than returns before taxes or returns after taxes on distributions due to an assumed tax benefit from losses on a sale of the fund's shares at the end of the period.

     

Average Annual Total Returns as of 12/31/22

 

1 Year

Since Inception
(4/22/2020)

Returns before taxes

-11.20%

3.45%

Returns after taxes on distributions

-13.45%

0.71%

Returns after taxes on distributions and sale of fund shares

-6.61%

1.57%

Bloomberg US Corporate High Yield Total Return Index. (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses or taxes)

-11.19%

3.69%

Portfolio Management

The fund’s investment adviser is BNY Mellon ETF Investment Adviser, LLC (Adviser). The Adviser has engaged its affiliate, Insight North America LLC (INA), to serve as the fund's sub-investment advisor.

Paul Benson, CFA, CAIA, Manuel Hayes, and Stephanie Shu, CFA, the primary portfolio managers of the fund, are jointly and primarily responsible for management of the fund. Each portfolio manager has been a primary portfolio manager of the fund since its inception in April 2020. Mr. Benson is a Managing Director, Head of Fixed Income Efficient Beta at INA. Mr. Hayes is a Director, Senior Portfolio Manager at INA. Ms. Shu is a Managing Director, Senior Portfolio Manager at INA.

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Purchase and Sale of Fund Shares

The fund will issue (or redeem) fund shares to certain institutional investors known as "Authorized Participants" (typically market makers or other broker-dealers) only in large blocks of fund shares known as "Creation Units." Creation Unit transactions are conducted in exchange for the deposit or delivery of a portfolio of in-kind securities designated by the fund and/or cash.

Individual fund shares may only be purchased and sold on the NYSE Arca, Inc., other national securities exchanges, electronic crossing networks and other alternative trading systems through your broker-dealer at market prices. Because fund shares trade at market prices rather than at net asset value, fund shares may trade at a price greater than net asset value (premium) or less than net asset value (discount). When buying or selling shares in the secondary market, 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) (the "bid-ask spread"). Recent information regarding the fund's net asset value, market price, premiums and discounts, and bid-ask spreads is available at www.im.bnymellon.com.

Tax Information

The fund's distributions are taxable as ordinary income or capital gains, except when your investment is through an individual retirement account (IRA), retirement plan or other U.S. tax-advantaged investment plan (in which case you may be taxed upon withdrawal of your investment from such account).

Payments to Broker-Dealers and Other Financial Intermediaries

If you purchase fund shares through a broker-dealer or other financial intermediary (such as a bank), the Adviser or its affiliates may pay the financial intermediary for certain activities related to the fund, including educational training programs, conferences, the development of technology platforms and 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

Goal and Approach

The funds invest in various types of securities using an indexing approach. Each fund's investment objective is to seek to track the performance of its respective underlying index, as described in the following pages. A number of factors may affect a fund's ability to achieve a high degree of correlation with its underlying index, and there can be no guarantee that a fund will achieve a high degree of correlation. For example, a fund may not be able to achieve a high degree of correlation with its underlying index when there are practical difficulties or substantial costs involved in compiling a portfolio of securities to follow the underlying index, when a security in the underlying index becomes temporarily illiquid, unavailable or less liquid, or legal restrictions exist that prohibit the fund from investing in a security in the underlying index. Each fund’s investment objective, strategies and underlying index may be changed without shareholder approval.

In managing the portfolios, the funds do not rely on the professional judgment of a portfolio manager for decisions about asset allocation or securities selections, as do actively managed funds. Instead, each fund looks to its respective index in determining which securities to hold, and in what proportion, using an indexing approach. Indexing has the potential to eliminate some of the risks of active management, and to increase an investor's after-tax performance. At the same time, indexing also means that a fund does not have the option of changing its strategy, even at times when it may appear advantageous to do so. Additionally, from time to time, an index provider may make changes to the methodology or other adjustments to the index that a fund seeks to track.

For the BNY Mellon US Large Cap Core Equity ETF, BNY Mellon US Mid Cap Core Equity ETF, BNY Mellon US Small Cap Core Equity ETF and BNY Mellon International Equity ETF, Mellon, as sub-adviser, anticipates that, under normal circumstances, each fund will hold all of the securities that comprise its respective index in proportion to their weightings in such index. However, under various circumstances, it may not be possible or practicable to purchase all of those securities in those weightings. In these circumstances, each of these funds may utilize a sampling strategy to track its respective index. For the BNY Mellon Emerging Markets Equity ETF, BNY Mellon Core Bond ETF, and BNY Mellon Short Duration Corporate Bond ETF, Mellon, as sub-adviser, and for the BNY Mellon High Yield Beta ETF, INA, as sub-adviser, anticipate that, under normal circumstances, each of these funds will use a sampling strategy to select securities so that the fund has investment characteristics that closely approximate those of the index. However, each fund may fully replicate the index when it is determined to be in the best interest of the fund in pursuing its objective. Sampling means that the sub-adviser uses quantitative analysis to select securities, including securities in the index, outside of the index and derivatives that have a similar investment profile as the index in terms of key risk factors, performance attributes and other economic characteristics. By using a sampling process, a fund typically will not invest in all of the securities in the index.

There also may be instances in which the sub-adviser, may choose to underweight or overweight a security in a fund's index, purchase securities not in a fund’s index that the sub-adviser believes are appropriate to substitute for certain securities in such index or utilize various combinations of other available investment techniques in seeking to replicate, as closely as possible, the performance of a fund's index. Each fund may sell securities that are represented in its respective index in anticipation of their removal from such index or purchase securities not represented in such index in anticipation of their addition. In certain situations or market conditions, a fund may temporarily depart from its normal investment policies and strategies, provided that the alternative is consistent with the fund’s investment objective and is in the best interest of the fund. For example, a fund may make larger than normal investments in futures or other derivatives to maintain exposure to its index if it is unable to invest directly in a component security.

Throughout this prospectus, references to the "fund" apply to all of the funds, unless otherwise noted.

BNY Mellon US Large Cap Core Equity ETF

The fund seeks to track the performance of the Morningstar® US Large Cap IndexSM. To pursue its goal, the fund normally invests substantially all of its assets in equity securities comprising the index. The fund may also invest in ETFs providing exposure to securities included in the index and futures with economic characteristics similar to such securities or the index. Under normal circumstances, the fund will invest at least 80% of its net assets, plus any borrowings for investment purposes, in equity securities of large-capitalization U.S. companies, ETFs providing exposure to such

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securities, and derivatives with economic characteristics similar to such securities. The fund’s policy with respect to the investment of 80% of its net assets may be changed by the fund's board, upon 60 days’ prior notice to shareholders. The fund considers large-capitalization companies to be companies with market capitalizations within the range of market capitalization of companies included in the Morningstar® US Large Cap IndexSM. As of December 31, 2022, the full market capitalization range of companies included in the Morningstar® US Large Cap IndexSM was $57,800 million to $2,270 billion.

The Morningstar® US Large Cap IndexSM is a float-adjusted market capitalization weighted index designed to measure the performance of U.S. large-capitalization stocks. The index’s initial universe of eligible securities includes common stock, tracking stock and shares of real estate investment trusts (REITs) issued by U.S. companies and traded on the New York Stock Exchange, NASDAQ or NYSE Market LLC. At each reconstitution, the initial universe is screened to exclude securities based on the number of non-trading days in the preceding quarter and trading volume during the preceding six-month period. Securities with more than 10 non-trading days in the preceding quarter, or that have a bottom 25% liquidity score as ranked by the index provider based on the preceding six-month trading volume, are excluded. The remaining securities comprise the investable universe. The index is composed of the securities of companies whose cumulative total market capitalization represents approximately the top 70% of the remaining securities comprising the investable universe. The index rebalances quarterly in March, June, September and December, and reconstitutes semiannually in June and December. As of December 31, 2022, the index was comprised of 211 securities.

Under normal circumstances, the fund generally invests in all of the stocks in the index in proportion to their weighting in the index. However, the fund may invest in a representative sample of the index if replicating the index could be detrimental or disadvantageous to shareholders, such as when there are practical difficulties or substantial costs involved in compiling a portfolio of equity securities to replicate the index, in instances in which a security in the index becomes temporarily illiquid, unavailable or less liquid, or as a result of legal restrictions or limitations (such as tax diversification requirements) that apply to the fund but not the index.

The fund attempts to have a correlation between its performance and that of the index of at least .95, before fees and expenses. A correlation of 1.00 would mean that the fund and the index were perfectly correlated.

In seeking to track the index, the fund’s assets may be concentrated in (i.e., more than 25% of the fund’s assets invested in) an industry or group of industries, but only to the extent that the index concentrates in a particular industry or group of industries. As of December 31, 2022, 25.5% of the index consisted of securities of issuers in the technology sector.

The fund is classified as diversified under the 1940 Act; however, the fund may become non-diversified solely as a result of changes in the composition of the index (e.g., changes in weightings of one or more component securities). When the fund is non-diversified, it may invest a relatively high percentage of its assets in a limited number of issuers.

The fund may lend its portfolio securities to brokers, dealers and other financial institutions. Loans of portfolio securities may not exceed 33-1/3% of the value of the fund’s total assets.

More information about the fund's portfolio securities and investment techniques, and associated risks, is provided in the fund's Statement of Additional Information.

The fund is not sponsored, endorsed, sold or promoted by Morningstar, Inc. (index provider) and the index provider makes no representation regarding the advisability of investing in the fund. The index provider determines the composition of the index and relative weightings of the securities in the index, which is subject to change by the index provider. The index provider publishes information regarding the market value of the index.

BNY Mellon US Mid Cap Core Equity ETF

The fund seeks to track the performance of the Morningstar® US Mid Cap IndexSM. To pursue its goal, the fund normally invests substantially all of its assets in equity securities comprising the index. The fund may also invest in ETFs providing exposure to securities included in the index and futures with economic characteristics similar to such securities or the index. Under normal circumstances, the fund will invest at least 80% of its net assets, plus any borrowings for investment purposes, in equity securities of medium-capitalization U.S. companies, ETFs providing exposure to such securities, and derivatives with economic characteristics similar to such securities. The fund’s policy with respect to the investment of 80% of its net assets may be changed by the fund’s board, upon 60 days’ prior notice to shareholders. The fund considers medium-capitalization companies to be companies with market capitalizations within the range of market capitalization of companies included in the Morningstar® US Mid Cap IndexSM. As of December 31, 2022, the full market capitalization range of companies included in the Morningstar® US Mid Cap IndexSM was $16,850 million to $48,900 million.

The Morningstar® US Mid Cap IndexSM is a float-adjusted market capitalization weighted index designed to measure the performance of U.S. medium-capitalization stocks. The index’s initial universe of eligible securities includes common stock, tracking stock and shares of real estate investment trusts (REITs) issued by U.S. companies and traded on the

50


 

New York Stock Exchange, NASDAQ or NYSE Market LLC. At each reconstitution, the initial universe is screened to exclude securities based on the number of non-trading days in the preceding quarter and trading volume during the preceding six-month period. Securities with more than 10 non-trading days in the preceding quarter, or that have a bottom 25% liquidity score as ranked by the index provider based on the preceding six-month trading volume, are excluded. The remaining securities comprise the investable universe. The index is composed of the securities of companies whose cumulative total market capitalization falls approximately between the bottom 10%-30% of the remaining securities comprising the investment universe. The index rebalances quarterly in March, June, September and December, and reconstitutes semi-annually in June and December. As of December 31, 2022, the index was comprised of 506 securities.

Under normal circumstances, the fund generally invests in all of the stocks in the index in proportion to their weighting in the index. However, the fund may invest in a representative sample of the index if replicating the index could be detrimental or disadvantageous to shareholders, such as when there are practical difficulties or substantial costs involved in compiling a portfolio of equity securities to replicate the index, in instances in which a security in the index becomes temporarily illiquid, unavailable or less liquid, or as a result of legal restrictions or limitations (such as tax diversification requirements) that apply to the fund but not the index.

The fund attempts to have a correlation between its performance and that of the index of at least .95, before fees and expenses. A correlation of 1.00 would mean that the fund and the index were perfectly correlated.

In seeking to track the index, the fund's assets may be concentrated in (i.e., more than 25% of the fund's assets invested in) an industry or group of industries, but only to the extent that the index concentrates in a particular industry or group of industries.

The fund is classified as diversified under the 1940 Act; however, the fund may become non-diversified solely as a result of changes in the composition of the index (e.g., changes in weightings of one or more component securities). When the fund is non-diversified, it may invest a relatively high percentage of its assets in a limited number of issuers.

The fund may lend its portfolio securities to brokers, dealers and other financial institutions. Loans of portfolio securities may not exceed 33-1/3% of the value of the fund’s total assets.

More information about the fund's portfolio securities and investment techniques, and associated risks, is provided in the fund's Statement of Additional Information.

The fund is not sponsored, endorsed, sold or promoted by Morningstar, Inc. (index provider) and the index provider makes no representation regarding the advisability of investing in the fund. The index provider determines the composition of the index and relative weightings of the securities in the index, which is subject to change by the index provider. The index provider publishes information regarding the market value of the index.

BNY Mellon US Small Cap Core Equity ETF

The fund seeks to track the performance of the Morningstar® US Small Cap IndexSM. To pursue its goal, the fund normally invests substantially all of its assets in equity securities comprising the index. The fund may also invest in ETFs providing exposure to securities included in the index and futures with economic characteristics similar to such securities or the index. Under normal circumstances, the fund will invest at least 80% of its net assets, plus any borrowings for investment purposes, in equity securities of small-capitalization U.S. companies, ETFs providing exposure to such securities, and derivatives with economic characteristics similar to such securities. The fund’s policy with respect to the investment of 80% of its net assets may be changed by the fund’s board, upon 60 days’ prior notice to shareholders. The fund considers small-capitalization companies to be companies with market capitalizations within the range of market capitalization of companies included in the Morningstar® US Small Cap IndexSM. As of December 31, 2022, the full market capitalization range of companies included in the Morningstar® US Small Cap IndexSM was $856.43 million to $11,880 million.

The Morningstar® US Small Cap IndexSM is a float-adjusted market capitalization weighted index designed to measure the performance of U.S. small-capitalization stocks. The index's initial universe of eligible securities includes common stock, tracking stock and shares of real estate investment trusts (REITs) issued by U.S. companies and traded on the New York Stock Exchange, NASDAQ or NYSE Market LLC. At each reconstitution, the initial universe is screened to exclude securities based on the number of non-trading days in the preceding quarter and trading volume during the preceding six-month period. Securities with more than 10 non-trading days in the preceding quarter, or that have a bottom 25% liquidity score as ranked by the index provider based on the preceding six-month trading volume, are excluded. The remaining securities comprise the investable universe. The index is composed of the securities of companies whose cumulative total market capitalization represents approximately the bottom 3%-10% of the remaining securities comprising the investable universe. The index rebalances quarterly in March, June, September and December, and reconstitutes semi-annually in June and December. As of December 31, 2022, the index was comprised of 779 securities.

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Under normal circumstances, the fund generally invests in all of the stocks in the index in proportion to their weighting in the index. However, the fund may invest in a representative sample of the index if replicating the index could be detrimental or disadvantageous to shareholders, such as when there are practical difficulties or substantial costs involved in compiling a portfolio of equity securities to replicate the index, in instances in which a security in the index becomes temporarily illiquid, unavailable or less liquid, or as a result of legal restrictions or limitations (such as tax diversification requirements) that apply to the fund but not the index.

The fund attempts to have a correlation between its performance and that of the index of at least .95, before fees and expenses. A correlation of 1.00 would mean that the fund and the index were perfectly correlated.

In seeking to track the index, the fund’s assets may be concentrated in (i.e., more than 25% of the fund’s assets invested in) an industry or group of industries, but only to the extent that the index concentrates in a particular industry or group of industries.

The fund is classified as diversified under the 1940 Act; however, the fund may become non-diversified solely as a result of changes in the composition of the index (e.g., changes in weightings of one or more component securities). When the fund is non-diversified, it may invest a relatively high percentage of its assets in a limited number of issuers.

The fund may lend its portfolio securities to brokers, dealers and other financial institutions. Loans of portfolio securities may not exceed 33-1/3% of the value of the fund’s total assets.

More information about the fund's portfolio securities and investment techniques, and associated risks, is provided in the fund's Statement of Additional Information.

The fund is not sponsored, endorsed, sold or promoted by Morningstar, Inc. (index provider) and the index provider makes no representation regarding the advisability of investing in the fund. The index provider determines the composition of the index and relative weightings of the securities in the index, which is subject to change by the index provider. The index provider publishes information regarding the market value of the index.

BNY Mellon International Equity ETF

The fund seeks to track the performance of the Morningstar® Developed Markets ex-US Large Cap IndexSM. To pursue its goal, the fund normally invests substantially all of its assets in equity securities comprising the index, depositary receipts based on securities comprising the index, ETFs providing exposure to such securities, and derivatives with economic characteristics similar to such securities or the index. The fund’s derivatives investments may include futures, currency forwards, total return swaps and structured notes. Under normal circumstances, the fund will invest at least 80% of its net assets, plus any borrowings for investment purposes, in equity securities, ETFs providing exposure to such securities, and derivatives with economic characteristics similar to such securities. Depositary receipts are considered equity securities for purposes of the 80% investment policy. The fund’s policy with respect to the investment of 80% of its net assets may be changed by the fund’s board, upon 60 days’ prior notice to shareholders. As of December 31, 2022, the full market capitalization range of companies included in the Morningstar® Developed Markets ex-US Large Cap IndexSM was $4,980 million to $6,390 billion.

The Morningstar® Developed Markets ex-US Large Cap IndexSM is a float-adjusted market capitalization weighted index designed to measure the performance of developed market (excluding the United States) large-capitalization stocks. A country is considered developed if it meets the following criteria: (i) its annual per capita gross national income falls in the World Bank's high-income category for the most recent three years; (ii) it has not had any broad-based discriminatory controls against non-domiciled investors for the most recent three years; and (iii) its stock markets exhibit the following characteristics: transparency, market regulation, operational efficiency, and the absence of broad-based investment restrictions. The index’s initial universe of eligible securities includes equity securities (including common stock, preferred stock and shares of REITs), issued by developed market companies (excluding the United States) and traded on a major foreign exchange. At each reconstitution, the initial universe is screened to exclude securities based on the number of non-trading days, trading volume and turnover during the preceding six-month period, and market capitalization. Securities not previously part of the last reconstitution are excluded from a current reconstitution if the security has 20 or more non-trading days during the last six months or their trading volume and turnover ranks in the bottom 25% of the initial universe as determined by the index provider based on the preceding six months of trade data. Securities previously part of the last reconstitution are provided a one-time buffer and not excluded unless the security has 30 or more non-trading days (20 or more non-trading days after the one-time buffer) during the last six months or their trading volume and turnover ranks in the bottom 20% (bottom 25% after the one-time buffer) of the initial universe as determined by the index provider based on the preceding six months of trade data. Of the remaining securities, the index includes large capitalization securities from each eligible country, targeting the top 70% of stocks by market capitalization from each eligible country. The index rebalances quarterly in March, June, September and December, and reconstitutes semi-annually in June and December. As of December 31, 2022, the index was comprised of 580 securities.

52


 

Under normal circumstances, the fund generally invests in all of the stocks in the index in proportion to their weighting in the index. However, the fund may invest in a representative sample of the index if replicating the index could be detrimental or disadvantageous to shareholders, such as when there are practical difficulties or substantial costs involved in compiling a portfolio of equity securities to replicate the index, in instances in which a security in the index becomes temporarily illiquid, unavailable or less liquid, or as a result of legal restrictions or limitations (such as tax diversification requirements) that apply to the fund but not the index.

The fund attempts to have a correlation between its performance and that of the index of at least .95, before fees and expenses. A correlation of 1.00 would mean that the fund and the index were perfectly correlated.

In seeking to track the index, the fund’s assets may be concentrated in (i.e., more than 25% of the fund’s assets invested in) an industry or group of industries, but only to the extent that the index concentrates in a particular industry or group of industries. In addition, a significant portion of the fund’s assets will generally be focused in a country or region to the extent the index is focused in a particular country or region. As of December 31, 2022, 21.0% of the index consisted of securities of issuers in the financials sector, and the index had significant exposure to issuers located in Japan and the European region.

The fund is classified as diversified under the 1940 Act; however, the fund may become non-diversified solely as a result of changes in the composition of the index (e.g., changes in weightings of one or more component securities). When the fund is non-diversified, it may invest a relatively high percentage of its assets in a limited number of issuers.

The fund may lend its portfolio securities to brokers, dealers and other financial institutions. Loans of portfolio securities may not exceed 33-1/3% of the value of the fund’s total assets.

More information about the fund's portfolio securities and investment techniques, and associated risks, is provided in the fund's Statement of Additional Information.

The fund is not sponsored, endorsed, sold or promoted by Morningstar, Inc. (index provider) and the index provider makes no representation regarding the advisability of investing in the fund. The index provider determines the composition of the index and relative weightings of the securities in the index, which is subject to change by the index provider. The index provider publishes information regarding the market value of the index.

BNY Mellon Emerging Markets Equity ETF

The fund seeks to track the performance of the Morningstar® Emerging Markets Large Cap IndexSM. To pursue its goal, the fund normally invests substantially all of its assets in equity securities comprising the index, depositary receipts based on securities comprising the index, ETFs providing exposure to such securities, and derivatives with economic characteristics similar to such securities or the index. The fund's derivatives investments may include futures, currency forwards, total return swaps and structured notes. Under normal circumstances, the fund will invest at least 80% of its net assets, plus any borrowings for investment purposes, in equity securities of emerging markets companies, ETFs providing exposure to such securities, and derivatives with economic characteristics similar to such securities. Depositary receipts are considered equity securities for purposes of the 80% investment policy. The fund's policy with respect to the investment of 80% of its net assets may be changed by the fund’s board, upon 60 days’ prior notice to shareholders. The fund considers emerging market countries to be countries included in the Morningstar® Emerging Markets Large Cap IndexSM. As of December 31, 2022, the full market capitalization range of companies included in the Morningstar® Emerging Markets Large Cap IndexSM was $2.23 billion to $476.07 billion.

The Morningstar® Emerging Markets Large Cap IndexSM is a float-adjusted market capitalization weighted index designed to measure the performance of emerging market large-capitalization stocks. A country is considered emerging if: (i) its annual per capita gross national income does not fall in the World Bank's high-income category for the most recent three years; (ii) it has had broad-based discriminatory controls against non-domiciled investors during the most recent three years; and (iii) its stock markets do not exhibit any of the following characteristics: transparency, market regulation, operational efficiency, and the absence of broad-based investment restrictions. The index's initial universe of eligible securities includes equity securities (including common stock, preferred stock and shares of REITs), issued by emerging market companies and traded on a major foreign exchange. At each reconstitution, the initial universe is screened to exclude securities based on the number of non-trading days, trading volume and turnover during the preceding six-month period, and market capitalization. Securities not previously part of the last reconstitution are excluded from a current reconstitution if the security has 20 or more non-trading days during the last six months or their trading volume and turnover ranks in the bottom 25% of the initial universe as determined by the index provider based on the preceding six months of trade data. Securities previously part of the last reconstitution are provided a one-time buffer and not excluded unless the security has 30 or more non-trading days (20 or more non-trading days after the one-time buffer) during the last six months or their trading volume and turnover ranks in the bottom 20% (bottom 25% after the one-time buffer) of the initial universe as determined by the index provider based on the preceding six months of trade data. Of the remaining securities, the index includes large capitalization securities from each eligible country, targeting the top 70% of stocks by market capitalization from each eligible country. The index rebalances quarterly in

53


 

March, June, September and December, and reconstitutes semi-annually in June and December. As of December 31, 2022, the index was comprised of 783 securities.

Under normal circumstances, in seeking to track the index's performance, the fund generally purchases a representative sample of the securities comprising the index. By using a sampling process, the fund typically will not invest in all of the securities in the index. The fund may also fully replicate the index when determined to be in the best interest of the fund in pursuing its objective.

The fund attempts to have a correlation between its performance and that of the index of at least .95, before fees and expenses. A correlation of 1.00 would mean that the fund and the index were perfectly correlated.

In seeking to track the index, the fund's assets may be concentrated in (i.e., more than 25% of the fund's assets invested in) an industry or group of industries, but only to the extent that the index concentrates in a particular industry or group of industries. In addition, a significant portion of the fund’s assets will generally be focused in a country or region to the extent the index is focused in a particular country or region. As of December 31, 2022, 25.7% of the index consisted of securities of issuers in the financials sector.   Additionally, as of December 31, 2022, and the index had significant exposure to issuers located in China and the Asian region.

The fund is classified as diversified under the 1940 Act; however, the fund may become non-diversified solely as a result of changes in the composition of the index (e.g., changes in weightings of one or more component securities). When the fund is non-diversified, it may invest a relatively high percentage of its assets in a limited number of issuers.

The fund may lend its portfolio securities to brokers, dealers and other financial institutions. Loans of portfolio securities may not exceed 33-1/3% of the value of the fund’s total assets.

More information about the fund's portfolio securities and investment techniques, and associated risks, is provided in the fund's Statement of Additional Information.

The fund is not sponsored, endorsed, sold or promoted by Morningstar, Inc. (index provider) and the index provider makes no representation regarding the advisability of investing in the fund. The index provider determines the composition of the index and relative weightings of the securities in the index, which is subject to change by the index provider. The index provider publishes information regarding the market value of the index.

BNY Mellon Core Bond ETF

The fund seeks to track the performance of the Bloomberg US Aggregate Total Return Index. To pursue its goal, the fund normally invests substantially all of its assets in bonds comprising the index and TBA transactions (as defined below) representing bonds included in the index. The fund may also invest in ETFs providing exposure to securities included in the index and derivatives with economic characteristics similar to such securities or the index. Under normal circumstances, the fund will invest at least 80% of its net assets, plus any borrowings for investment purposes, in bonds, TBA transactions representing bonds and ETFs providing exposure to such securities. The fund's policy with respect to the investment of 80% of its net assets may be changed by the fund’s board, upon 60 days' prior notice to shareholders. The fund may also invest in derivatives with economic characteristics similar to bonds and TBA transactions representing bonds.

The Bloomberg US Aggregate Total Return Index is designed to measure the investment grade, U.S. dollar-denominated, fixed-rate taxable bond market. The index includes Treasuries, government-related and corporate securities, mortgage-backed pass-through securities (agency fixed-rate), commercial mortgage-backed securities (agency and non-agency) and other asset-backed securities having at least one year until final maturity. Treasury, government-related and corporate securities must have $300 million or more par amount outstanding. For mortgage-backed pass-through securities, pool aggregates must have $1 billion or more par amount outstanding. Asset-backed securities must have a minimum deal size of $500 million and a minimum tranche size of $25 million. Commercial mortgage-backed securities must have a minimum deal size of $500 million with at least $300 million outstanding and a minimum tranche size of $25 million. To be included in the index, securities must be rated investment grade (Baa3/BBB-/BBB- or higher) using the middle rating of Moody’s, S&P and Fitch. When a rating from only two agencies is available, the lower is used; when only one agency rates a bond, that rating is used. In cases where explicit bond level ratings may not be available, the index provider may use other sources to classify securities by credit quality. The index may include U.S. dollar-denominated bonds issued by foreign issuers. Securities in the index are updated on the last business day of each month. The fund seeks to maintain a dollar-weighted average maturity consistent with that of the index. As of December 31, 2022, the index was comprised of approximately 13,100 securities and had a dollar-weighted average maturity of 8.4 years.

Under normal circumstances, in seeking to track the index's performance, the fund generally purchases a representative sample of the securities comprising the index. By using a sampling process, the fund typically will not invest in all of the securities in the index. The fund may also fully replicate the index when determined to be in the best interest of the fund in pursuing its objective.

54


 

As of December 31, 2022, approximately 27.5% of the bonds represented in the index were U.S. agency mortgage-backed pass-through securities. U.S. agency mortgage-backed pass-through securities are securities issued by entities such as the Government National Mortgage Association (GNMA) and Federal National Mortgage Association (FNMA) that are backed by pools of mortgages. Certain transactions in mortgage-backed pass-through securities occur through standardized contracts for future delivery in which the exact mortgage-backed pools to be delivered are not specified until a few days prior to settlement, referred to as a "to-be-announced transaction" or "TBA transaction." In a TBA transaction, the buyer and seller agree upon general trade parameters such as agency, settlement date, par amount and price. The actual pools delivered generally are determined two days prior to the settlement date. It is anticipated that the fund will generally participate in rolling TBA transactions, but it may also receive pools of mortgages. The fund expects to enter into such contracts on a regular basis. The fund, pending settlement of such contracts, will invest its assets in high-quality, liquid short term instruments, including shares of affiliated money market funds.

The fund attempts to have a correlation between its performance and that of the index of at least .95, before fees and expenses. A correlation of 1.00 would mean that the fund and the index were perfectly correlated.

In seeking to track the index, the fund’s assets may be concentrated in (i.e., more than 25% of the fund’s assets invested in) an industry or group of industries, but only to the extent that the index concentrates in a particular industry or group of industries.

The fund is classified as diversified under the 1940 Act; however, the fund may become non-diversified solely as a result of changes in the composition of the index (e.g., changes in weightings of one or more component securities). When the fund is non-diversified, it may invest a relatively high percentage of its assets in a limited number of issuers.

The fund may lend its portfolio securities to brokers, dealers and other financial institutions. Loans of portfolio securities may not exceed 33-1/3% of the value of the fund’s total assets.

More information about the fund's portfolio securities and investment techniques, and associated risks, is provided in the fund's Statement of Additional Information.

The fund is not sponsored, endorsed, sold or promoted by Bloomberg Index Services Limited (index provider) and the index provider makes no representation regarding the advisability of investing in the fund. The index provider determines the composition of the index and relative weightings of the securities in the index, which is subject to change by the index provider. The index provider publishes information regarding the market value of the index.

BNY Mellon Short Duration Corporate Bond ETF

The fund seeks to track the performance of the Bloomberg US Corporate 1-5 Years Total Return Index. To pursue its goal, the fund normally invests substantially all of its assets in bonds comprising the index. For bonds, "duration" refers to an investment’s "interest rate risk," or how sensitive a bond may be to changes in interest rates. For example, the market price of a fixed-income security with a duration of three years would be expected to decline 3% if interest rates rose 1%. Conversely, the market price of the same security would be expected to increase 3% if interest rates fell 1%.

The fund may also invest in ETFs providing exposure to securities included in the index and derivatives with economic characteristics similar to such securities or the index. Under normal circumstances, the fund will invest at least 80% of its net assets, plus any borrowings for investment purposes, in corporate bonds and ETFs providing exposure to such securities. The fund's policy with respect to the investment of 80% of its net assets may be changed by the fund’s board, upon 60 days' prior notice to shareholders. The fund may also invest in derivatives with economic characteristics similar to corporate bonds.

The Bloomberg US Corporate 1-5 Years Total Return Index is designed to measure the market for investment grade, U.S. dollar-denominated, fixed-rate, taxable corporate bonds with one to five years left to maturity. To be included in the index, securities must have $300 million or more par amount outstanding and be rated investment grade (Baa3/BBB-/BBB- or higher) using the middle rating of Moody's, S&P and Fitch. When a rating from only two agencies is available, the lower is used; when only one agency rates a bond, that rating is used. In cases where explicit bond level ratings may not be available, the index provider may use other sources to classify securities by credit quality. The index may include U.S. dollar-denominated bonds issued by foreign issuers. Securities in the index are updated on the last business day of each month. The fund seeks to maintain a dollar-weighted average maturity consistent with that of the index. As of December 31, 2022, the index was comprised of approximately 2,500 securities and had a dollar-weighted average maturity of 2.9 years.

Under normal circumstances, in seeking to track the index's performance, the fund generally purchases a representative sample of the securities comprising the index. By using a sampling process, the fund typically will not invest in all of the securities in the index. The fund may also fully replicate the index when determined to be in the best interest of the fund in pursuing its objective.

The fund attempts to have a correlation between its performance and that of the index of at least .95, before fees and expenses. A correlation of 1.00 would mean that the fund and the index were perfectly correlated.

55


 

In seeking to track the index, the fund’s assets may be concentrated in (i.e., more than 25% of the fund's assets invested in) an industry or group of industries, but only to the extent that the index concentrates in a particular industry or group of industries. As of December 31, 2022, 37.9% of the index consisted of securities of issuers in the Banking industry.

The fund is classified as diversified under the 1940 Act; however, the fund may become non-diversified solely as a result of changes in the composition of the index (e.g., changes in weightings of one or more component securities). When the fund is non-diversified, it may invest a relatively high percentage of its assets in a limited number of issuers.

The fund may lend its portfolio securities to brokers, dealers and other financial institutions. Loans of portfolio securities may not exceed 33-1/3% of the value of the fund’s total assets.

More information about the fund's portfolio securities and investment techniques, and associated risks, is provided in the fund's Statement of Additional Information.

The fund is not sponsored, endorsed, sold or promoted by Bloomberg Index Services Limited (index provider) and the index provider makes no representation regarding the advisability of investing in the fund. The index provider determines the composition of the index and relative weightings of the securities in the index, which is subject to change by the index provider. The index provider publishes information regarding the market value of the index.

BNY Mellon High Yield Beta ETF

The fund uses a rules-based, systematic investment strategy that seeks to track an index designed to measure the performance of the high yield bond market. To pursue its goal, the fund seeks to track the performance of the Bloomberg US Corporate High Yield Total Return Index by normally investing substantially all of its assets in bonds comprising the index and derivatives with economic characteristics similar to such bonds or the index. The fund’s derivatives investments may include futures, total return swaps, structured notes and credit default swap indexes. The fund may also invest in ETFs providing exposure to securities included in the index. Under normal circumstances, the fund will invest at least 80% of its net assets, plus any borrowings for investment purposes, in high yield securities and ETFs providing exposure to such securities. The fund's policy with respect to the investment of 80% of its net assets may be changed by the fund’s board, upon 60 days' prior notice to shareholders. The fund may also invest in derivatives with economic characteristics similar to high yield securities. The fund considers high yield securities to be securities with ratings that qualify for inclusion in the Bloomberg US Corporate High Yield Total Return Index.

The Bloomberg US Corporate High Yield Total Return Index is designed to measure the U.S. dollar-denominated, high yield (junk), fixed-rate, taxable corporate bond market. Bonds included in the index must have $150 million or more par amount outstanding and at least one year until final maturity. Bonds are classified as high yield if the middle rating of Moody's, Fitch and S&P is Ba1/BB+/BB+ or below. When a rating from only two agencies is available, the lower is used; when only one agency rates a bond, that rating is used. In cases where explicit bond level ratings may not be available, the index provider may use other sources to classify securities by credit quality. The index may include U.S. dollar-denominated bonds issued by foreign issuers. Securities in the index are updated on the last business day of each month. The fund seeks to maintain a dollar-weighted average maturity consistent with that of the index. As of December 31, 2022, the index was comprised of approximately 2,000 securities and had a dollar-weighted average maturity of 5.5 years.

Under normal circumstances, in seeking to track the index’s performance, the fund generally purchases a representative sample of the securities comprising the index. By using a sampling process, the fund typically will not invest in all of the securities in the index. The fund may also fully replicate the index when determined to be in the best interest of the fund in pursuing its objective.

The fund attempts to track the performance of the index, with no more than 5% tracking error, before fees and expenses. A tracking error of 0% would mean that the fund would perfectly track the performance of the index.

In seeking to track the index, the fund's assets may be concentrated in (i.e., more than 25% of the fund’s assets invested in) an industry or group of industries, but only to the extent that the index concentrates in a particular industry or group of industries. As of December 31, 2022, 22.9% of the index consisted of securities of issuers in the Consumer Cyclical industry.

The fund is classified as diversified under the 1940 Act; however, the fund may become non-diversified solely as a result of changes in the composition of the index (e.g., changes in weightings of one or more component securities). When the fund is non-diversified, it may invest a relatively high percentage of its assets in a limited number of issuers.

The fund may lend its portfolio securities to brokers, dealers and other financial institutions. Loans of portfolio securities may not exceed 33-1/3% of the value of the fund’s total assets.

More information about the fund's portfolio securities and investment techniques, and associated risks, is provided in the fund's Statement of Additional Information.

56


 

The fund is not sponsored, endorsed, sold or promoted by Bloomberg Index Services Limited (index provider) and the index provider makes no representation regarding the advisability of investing in the fund. The index provider determines the composition of the index and relative weightings of the securities in the index, which is subject to change by the index provider. The index provider publishes information regarding the market value of the index.

57


 

Investment Risks

An investment in a fund is not a bank deposit. It is not insured or guaranteed by the FDIC or any other government agency. It is not a complete investment program. The value of your investment in the fund will fluctuate, sometimes dramatically, which means you could lose money. The table below identifies the principal risks of investing in each fund, as well as the additional risks that are not anticipated to be principal risks of investing in a fund. A "P" designation means that the risk is a "principal risk," and a "NP" designation means that the risk is a "non-principal risk."

                 

Fund Name

BNY Mellon US Large Cap Core Equity ETF

BNY Mellon US Mid Cap Core Equity ETF

BNY Mellon US Small Cap Core Equity ETF

BNY Mellon International Equity ETF

BNY Mellon Emerging Markets Equity ETF

BNY Mellon Core Bond ETF

BNY Mellon Short Duration Corporate Bond ETF

BNY Mellon High Yield Beta ETF

ADR risk

     

P

P

     

Asian risk

       

P

     

Asset-backed securities risk

         

P

   

Authorized participants, market makers and liquidity providers risk

P

P

P

P

P

P

P

P

Banking companies risk

           

P

 

Call risk

         

NP

NP

NP

Cash transaction risk

NP

NP

NP

NP

NP

NP

NP

NP

China risk

       

P

     

Concentration risk

P

NP

NP

NP

NP

NP

P

NP

Consumer cyclical industry risk

             

P

Costs of buying and selling shares risk

NP

NP

NP

NP

NP

NP

NP

NP

Credit risk

         

P

P

P

Credit default swap index risk

             

P

Currency forward risk

     

P

P

     

Derivatives risk

NP

NP

NP

P

P

NP

NP

P

Emerging market risk

       

P

     

ETF risk

NP

NP

NP

P

P

NP

NP

NP

European risk

     

P

       

Financials  sector risk

     

P

P

     

Fixed-income market risk

         

P

P

P

Fluctuation of net asset value, share premiums and discounts risk

P

P

P

P

P

P

P

P

Foreign currency risk

     

P

P

     

Foreign investment risk

     

P

P

P

P

P

58


 

                 

Fund Name

BNY Mellon US Large Cap Core Equity ETF

BNY Mellon US Mid Cap Core Equity ETF

BNY Mellon US Small Cap Core Equity ETF

BNY Mellon International Equity ETF

BNY Mellon Emerging Markets Equity ETF

BNY Mellon Core Bond ETF

BNY Mellon Short Duration Corporate Bond ETF

BNY Mellon High Yield Beta ETF

Futures risk

NP

NP

NP

P

P

NP

NP

P

Government securities risk

         

P

   

High yield securities risk

             

P

Index licensing risk

NP

NP

NP

NP

NP

NP

NP

NP

Index sampling risk

NP

NP

NP

NP

P

P

P

P

Indexing strategy risk

P

P

P

P

P

P

P

P

Interest rate risk

         

P

P

P

Issuer risk

P

P

P

P

P

P

P

P

Japan risk

     

P

       

Large-cap stock risk

P

   

P

P

     

Liquidity risk

NP

NP

NP

NP

P

P

P

P

Market risk

P

P

P

P

P

P

P

P

Midsize company risk

 

P

           

Mortgage-backed securities risk

         

P

   

Non-diversification risk

P

P

P

P

P

P

P

P

Preferred stock risk

     

P

P

     

Prepayment and extension risk

         

P

   

Privately-issued securities risk

             

P

REIT risk

P

P

P

P

P

     

Risks of stock investing

P

P

P

P

P

     

59


 

                 

Fund Name

BNY Mellon US Large Cap Core Equity ETF

BNY Mellon US Mid Cap Core Equity ETF

BNY Mellon US Small Cap Core Equity ETF

BNY Mellon International Equity ETF

BNY Mellon Emerging Markets Equity ETF

BNY Mellon Core Bond ETF

BNY Mellon Short Duration Corporate Bond ETF

BNY Mellon High Yield Beta ETF

Securities lending risk

NP

NP

NP

NP

NP

NP

NP

NP

Small company risk

   

P

         

Structured notes risk

     

P

P

   

P

Technology company risk

P

             

Total return swap risk

     

P

P

   

P

Tracking stock risk

P

P

P

         

Trading issues risk

P

P

P

P

P

P

P

P

 ADR risk. ADRs may be subject to certain of the risks associated with direct investments in the securities of foreign companies, such as currency risk, political and economic risk and market risk, because their values depend on the performance of the non-dollar denominated underlying foreign securities. Certain countries may limit the ability to convert ADRs into the underlying foreign securities and vice versa, which may cause the securities of the foreign company to trade at a discount or premium to the market price of the related ADR. The fund may invest in ADRs through an unsponsored facility where the depositary issues the depositary receipts without an agreement with the company that issues the underlying securities. Holders of unsponsored ADRs generally bear all the costs of such facilities, and the depositary of an unsponsored facility frequently is under no obligation to distribute shareholder communications received from the issuer of the deposited security or to pass through voting rights to the holders of the ADRs with respect to the deposited securities. As a result, available information concerning the issuer may not be as current as for sponsored ADRs, and the prices of unsponsored ADRs may be more volatile than if such instruments were sponsored by the issuer.

 Asian risk.  To the extent the fund invests significantly in stocks issued by companies located in Asian countries, the fund's performance will be influenced by political, social and economic factors affecting the Asian region.  Many Asian countries can be characterized as either emerging or newly industrialized economies and tend to experience more volatile economic cycles than developed countries.  Asian economies are also frequently subject to the risks of undeveloped financial service sectors, high inflation, frequent currency fluctuations, devaluations, or restrictions, political and social instability, corruption, and less efficient markets.  Economies of Asian countries may also be heavily dependent on international trade and can be adversely affected by trade barriers, exchange controls and other measures imposed or negotiated by the countries with which they trade.  Certain Asian countries have democracies with relatively short histories, which may increase the risk of political instability. These countries have faced political and military unrest, and further unrest could present a risk to their local economies and securities markets. Increased political and social unrest could adversely affect the performance of investments in this region. Some economies in this region are dependent on a range of commodities, including oil, natural gas and coal.  Accordingly, they are strongly affected by international commodity prices and particularly vulnerable to any weakening in global demand for these products.  The market for securities in this region may also be directly influenced by the flow of international capital, and by the economic and market conditions of neighboring countries. Adverse economic conditions or developments in neighboring countries may increase investors' perception of the risk of investing in the region as a

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whole, which may adversely impact the market value of the securities issued by companies in the region.  Companies in Asia may be subject to risks such as nationalization or other forms of government interference, and they can also be heavily reliant on only a few industries or commodities. Also, securities of some companies in Asia can be less liquid than U.S. or other foreign securities, potentially making it difficult for the fund to sell such securities at a desirable time and price.

 Asset-backed securities risk. Asset-backed securities are typically structured like mortgage-backed securities, but instead of mortgage loans or interests in mortgage loans, the underlying assets may include, for example, items such as motor vehicle installment sales or installment loan contracts, leases on various types of real and personal property, and receivables from credit card agreements. General downturns in the economy could cause the value of asset-backed securities to fall. In addition, asset-backed securities present certain risks that are not presented by mortgage-backed securities. Primarily, these securities may provide the fund with a less effective security interest in the related collateral than do mortgage-backed securities. Therefore, there is the possibility that recoveries on the underlying collateral may not, in some cases, be available to support payments on these securities.

 Authorized participants, market makers and liquidity providers risk. The fund has a limited number of financial institutions that may act as Authorized Participants, which are responsible for the creation and redemption activity for the fund. In addition, there may be a limited number of market makers and/or liquidity providers in the marketplace. To the extent either of the following events occur, fund shares may trade at a material discount to net asset value and possibly face delisting: (i) Authorized Participants exit the business or otherwise become unable to process creation and/or redemption orders and no other Authorized Participants step forward to perform these services, or (ii) market makers and/or liquidity providers exit the business or significantly reduce their business activities and no other entities step forward to perform their functions.

 Banking companies risk. The performance of bank stocks may be affected by extensive governmental regulation which may limit both the amounts and types of loans and other financial commitments they can make, and the interest rates and fees they can charge and the amount of capital they must maintain. Profitability is largely dependent on the availability and cost of capital funds, and can fluctuate significantly when interest rates change. Credit losses resulting from financial difficulties of borrowers can negatively impact banking companies. Banks may also be subject to severe price competition. Competition is high among banking companies and failure to maintain or increase market share may result in lost market value.

 Call risk.  Some securities give the issuer the option to prepay or call the securities before their maturity date, which may reduce the market value of the security and the anticipated yield-to-maturity. Issuers often exercise this right when interest rates fall. If an issuer "calls" its securities during a time of declining interest rates, the fund might have to reinvest the proceeds in an investment offering a lower yield, and therefore might not benefit from any increase in value as a result of declining interest rates. During periods of market illiquidity or rising interest rates, prices of "callable" issues are subject to increased price fluctuation.

 Cash transaction risk. To the extent the fund sells portfolio securities to meet some or all of a redemption request with cash, the fund may incur taxable gains or losses that it might not have incurred had it made redemptions entirely in kind. As a result, the fund may pay out higher annual capital gain distributions than if the in-kind redemption process was used. Additionally, the fund may incur additional brokerage costs related to buying and selling securities if it utilizes cash as part of a creation or redemption transaction than it would if the fund had transacted entirely in-kind. The fund imposes transaction fees to offset all or a part of the costs associated with utilizing cash as part of a creation or redemption transaction. To the extent that the transaction fees do not offset the costs associated with a cash transaction, the fund’s performance may be negatively impacted.

 China risk. To the extent the fund is significantly exposed to issuers located in China, the fund may be particularly exposed to the economy, industries, securities and currency markets of China. The Chinese economy and markets may be adversely affected by protectionist trade policies, slow economic activity in other Asian countries or worldwide, political and social instability, environmental events and natural disasters, regional and global conflicts, terrorism and war, including actions that are contrary to the interests of the United States. China remains a totalitarian country with continuing risk of nationalization, expropriation or confiscation of property. The legal system is still developing, making it more difficult to obtain and/or enforce judgments. Further, the government could at any time alter or discontinue economic reforms. China's economy may be dependent on the economies of other Asian countries, many of which are developing countries. In addition, the current political climate and the further escalation of a trade war between China and the United States may have an adverse effect on both the U.S. and Chinese economies, as each country has imposed tariffs on the other country's products, which could result in inflationary pressure. These actions may also 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, which could have a negative impact on the fund's performance. Events such as these and their consequences are difficult to predict and it is unclear whether further tariffs may be imposed or other

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escalating actions may be taken in the future. Additionally, in November 2020, a U.S. executive order was issued prohibiting U.S. persons, including the fund, from transacting in securities of any Chinese company identified as a "Communist Chinese military company" or in instruments that are derivative of, or are designed to provide investment exposure to, prohibited securities of such companies. In June 2021, the executive order was amended to also include companies determined to be involved with China's "surveillance technology sector." It is unclear how long the executive order will continue in effect, but to the extent that it does and further companies are designated, there may be a material adverse impact on the value of those securities and in turn the fund if holding such securities. Also, in December 2020, the Holding Foreign Companies Accountable Act ("HFCAA") was signed into law. The HFCAA could cause securities of foreign issuers (including China) to be de-listed from U.S. stock exchanges if these companies do not permit U.S. oversight of the auditing of their financial information for three consecutive years. The full scope and nature of the consequences of the HFCAA are unclear at this time, but to the extent that a fund currently transacts, or has exposure to, securities of an affected foreign company, there could be a material adverse impact on a fund's ability to achieve its investment objective and cause additional tracking error. All of the foregoing risks could increase the fund's volatility. Additionally, from time to time, and as recently as January 2020, China has experienced outbreaks of infectious illnesses, and the country may be subject to other public health threats, infectious illnesses, diseases or similar issues in the future. Any spread of an infectious illness, public health threat or similar issue could reduce consumer demand or economic output, result in market closures, travel restrictions or quarantines, and generally have a significant impact on the Chinese economy, which in turn could adversely affect the fund's investments.

 Concentration risk. The fund will concentrate its investments (i.e., invest more than 25% its total assets) in a particular industry or group of industries to approximately the same extent that the index is concentrated. To the extent the fund concentrates in a particular industry or group of industries, it will be more susceptible to economic conditions and risks affecting those industries.

 Consumer cyclical industry risk. The success of consumer cyclical companies is tied closely to the performance of domestic and international economies, exchange rates, interest rates, competition, consumer confidence, changes in demographics and preferences. Companies in the consumer cyclical industry sector depend heavily on disposable household income and consumer spending, and may be strongly affected by social trends and marketing campaigns. These companies may be subject to severe competition, which may have an adverse impact on their profitability.

 Costs of buying and selling shares risk. Investors buying or selling fund shares in the secondary market will pay brokerage commissions or other charges imposed by brokers, as determined by that broker. Brokerage commissions are often a fixed amount and may be a significant proportional cost for investors seeking to buy or sell relatively small amounts of fund shares. In addition, secondary market investors will also incur the cost of the difference between the price that an investor is willing to pay for fund shares (the "bid" price) and the price at which an investor is willing to sell fund shares (the "ask" price). This difference in bid and ask prices is often referred to as the "spread" or "bid/ask spread." The bid/ask spread varies over time for fund shares based on trading volume and market liquidity, and is generally lower if fund shares have more trading volume and market liquidity and higher if fund shares have little trading volume and market liquidity. Further, increased market volatility may cause increased bid/ask spreads. Due to the costs of buying or selling fund shares, including bid/ask spreads, frequent trading of fund shares may significantly reduce investment results and an investment in fund shares may not be advisable for investors who anticipate regularly making small investments.

 Credit risk. Failure of an issuer of a security to make timely interest or principal payments when due, or a decline or perception of a decline in the credit quality of the security, can cause the security's price to fall, lowering the value of the fund's investment in such security. The lower a security's credit rating, the greater the chance that the issuer of the security will default or fail to meet its payment obligations.

 Credit default swap index risk. Credit default swap indexes (CDXs) are derivative contracts that reflect the performance of an index of credit default swaps and transfer credit exposure between two parties (for example, between an exchange and the fund). The use of CDXs involves investment techniques and risks different from those associated with ordinary portfolio security transactions, such as potentially heightened counterparty, concentration and exposure risks. Further, the fund's return from investment in a CDX may not match the return of the referenced index of credit default swaps and could result in losses if the referenced index of credit default swaps does not perform as expected. Unexpected changes in the composition of the index of credit default swaps may also affect performance of the CDX. If a referenced index of credit default swaps has a dramatic intraday move that causes a material decline in the fund’s net assets, the terms of the fund's CDX may permit the counterparty to immediately close out the transaction. In that event, the fund may be unable to enter into another CDX or otherwise achieve desired exposure, even if the referenced index of credit default swaps reverses all or a portion of its intraday move.

 Currency forward risk. Currency forward contracts are derivative instruments pursuant to a contract with a counterparty to buy or sell a specific currency at a future date at a price set at the time of the contract. Not all forward contracts require a

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counterparty to post collateral, which may expose the fund to greater losses in the event of a default by a counterparty. Foreign currency forward transactions include risks associated with fluctuations in foreign currency.

 Derivatives risk. A small investment in derivatives could have a potentially large impact on the fund's performance. The use of derivatives involves risks different from, or possibly greater than, the risks associated with investing directly in the underlying assets, and the fund's use of derivatives may result in losses to the fund and increased portfolio volatility. Derivatives in which the fund may invest can be highly volatile, illiquid and difficult to value, and there is the risk that changes in the value of a derivative held by the fund will not correlate with the underlying assets or the fund's other investments in the manner intended. Derivative instruments, such as over-the-counter swap agreements, forward contracts and other over-the-counter transactions, also involve the risk that a loss may be sustained as a result of the failure of the counterparty to the derivative instruments to make required payments or otherwise comply with the derivative instruments' terms. Many of the regulatory protections afforded participants on organized exchanges for futures contracts and exchange-traded options, such as the performance guarantee of an exchange clearing house, are not available in connection with over-the-counter derivative transactions. Certain derivatives have the potential for unlimited loss, regardless of the size of the initial investment, and involve greater risks than the underlying assets because, in addition to general market risks, they are subject to liquidity risk (lack of a liquid secondary market), credit and counterparty risk (failure of the counterparty to the derivatives transaction to honor its obligation) and pricing risk (risk that the derivative cannot or will not be accurately valued). If a derivative transaction is particularly large or if the relevant market is illiquid (as is the case with many privately negotiated derivatives, including swap agreements), it may not be possible to initiate a transaction or liquidate a position at an advantageous time or price.

For the BNY Mellon Emerging Markets Equity ETF only, certain derivatives in which the fund may invest may reference the London Interbank Offered Rate (LIBOR). On July 27, 2017, the United Kingdom's Financial Conduct Authority, which regulates LIBOR, announced that it intended to phase out LIBOR by the end of 2021. On March 5, 2021, the administrator of LIBOR announced a delay in the phase out of the majority of the USD LIBOR publications until June 30, 2023 (the remainder of the USD LIBOR publications ceased on December 31, 2021). There remains uncertainty regarding the future of LIBOR and the nature of any replacement rate. Certain alternatives to LIBOR have been established or are in development in most major currencies, including the Secured Overnight Financing Rate (SOFR), which the U.S. Federal Reserve has selected as the preferred replacement rate in the United States. The replacement and/or discontinuation of LIBOR could lead to significant short-term and long-term uncertainty and market instability. The unavailability and/or discontinuation of LIBOR could have adverse impacts on financial instruments that reference LIBOR. In addition, the unavailability or replacement of LIBOR may affect the value, liquidity or return on certain fund investments and may result in costs incurred in connection with closing out positions and entering into new positions. Any pricing adjustments to a fund's investments resulting from a substitute reference rate may also adversely affect the fund's performance and/or net asset value.

 Emerging market risk. The securities of issuers located or doing substantial business in emerging market countries tend to be more volatile and less liquid than the securities of issuers located in countries with more mature economies, potentially making prompt liquidation at an attractive price difficult. The economies of countries with emerging markets may be based predominantly on only a few industries, may be highly vulnerable to changes in local or global trade conditions, and may suffer from extreme debt burdens or volatile inflation rates. There may be less information publicly available about an emerging market issuer than about a developed market issuer and/or the available information may be outdated or unreliable. In addition, emerging market issuers may not be subject to accounting, auditing, legal and financial reporting standards comparable to those in developed markets, potentially making it difficult to evaluate such issuers. Transaction settlement and dividend collection procedures also may be less reliable in emerging markets than in developed markets. Emerging markets generally have less diverse and less mature economic structures and less stable political systems than those of developed countries. Additionally, investments in these countries may have restrictions that make it difficult or impossible for the fund to exercise shareholder rights, pursue legal remedies, and obtain judgements in foreign courts. Investments in these countries may be subject to political, economic, legal, market and currency risks. The risks may include less protection of property rights and uncertain political and economic policies, greater vulnerability to market manipulation, the imposition of capital controls and/or foreign investment limitations by a country, nationalization of businesses and the imposition of sanctions by other countries, such as the United States. These risks may impact the correlation between fund and index performance.

 ETF risk. To the extent the fund invests in other ETFs, the fund will be affected by the investment policies, practices and performance of such entities in direct proportion to the amount of assets the fund has invested therein. The risks of investing in other ETFs, typically reflect the risks associated with the types of instruments in which the ETFs invest. When the fund invests in an ETF, shareholders of the fund will bear indirectly their proportionate share of the expenses of the ETF (including management fees) in addition to the expenses of the fund. The fund will incur brokerage costs when purchasing and selling shares of ETFs.

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 European risk. To the extent the fund invests significantly in securities issued by European companies, the fund's performance will be influenced by political, social and economic factors affecting the European region. Investments in a single region, even though representing a number of different countries within the region, may be affected by common economic forces and other factors. A significant number of countries in Europe are member states in the ("EU"), and the member states no longer control their own monetary policies by directing independent interest rates for their currencies. In these member states, the authority to direct monetary policies including money supply and official interest rates for the Euro is exercised by the European Central Bank. The European sovereign debt crisis and the related austerity measures in certain countries have had, and continue to have, a significant impact on the economies of certain European countries and their future economic outlooks. Further, political or economic disruptions in European countries, even in countries in which the fund is not invested, may adversely affect security values and thus the fund’s holdings. There is particular uncertainty regarding the state of the EU following the United Kingdom's ("U.K.") exit from the EU ("Brexit"). On January 31, 2020, the U.K. formally withdrew from the EU and, after a transition period, left the EU single market and customs union under the terms of a new trade agreement on December 31, 2020. The agreement governs the new relationship between the U.K. and EU with respect to trading goods and services, but critical aspects of the relationship remain unresolved and subject to further negotiation and agreement. The full scope and nature of the consequences of the exit are not at this time known and are unlikely to be known for a significant period of time. It is also unknown whether the U.K.'s exit will increase the likelihood of other countries also departing the EU. Any exits from the EU, or the possibility of such exits, may have a significant impact on the U.K., Europe, and global economies, which may result in increased volatility and illiquidity, new legal and regulatory uncertainties and potentially lower economic growth for such economies that could potentially have an adverse effect on the value of the fund's investments.

 Financials sector risk. Companies in the financials sector are subject to extensive governmental regulation which may limit both the amounts and types of loans and other financial commitments they can make, the interest rates and fees they can charge, the scope of their activities, the prices they can charge and the amount of capital they must maintain. Profitability is largely dependent on the availability and cost of capital funds and can fluctuate significantly when interest rates change or due to increased competition. In addition, deterioration of the credit markets generally may cause an adverse impact in a broad range of markets, including U.S. and international credit and interbank money markets generally, thereby affecting a wide range of financial institutions and markets. Certain events in the financial services sector may cause an unusually high degree of volatility in the financial markets, both domestic and foreign, and cause certain financial services companies to incur large losses. Securities of financial services companies may experience a dramatic 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 operation. Credit losses resulting from financial difficulties of borrowers and financial losses associated with investment activities can negatively impact the sector. Insurance companies may be subject to severe price competition. Adverse economic, business or political developments could adversely affect financial institutions engaged in mortgage finance or other lending or investing activities directly or indirectly connected to the value of real estate.

 Fixed-income market risk. The market value of a fixed-income security may decline due to general market conditions that are not specifically related to a particular company, such as real or perceived adverse economic conditions, changes in the outlook for corporate earnings, changes in interest or currency rates or adverse investor sentiment generally. The fixed-income securities market can be susceptible to increases in volatility and decreases in liquidity. Liquidity can decline unpredictably in response to overall economic conditions or credit tightening. Increases in volatility and decreases in liquidity may be caused by a rise in interest rates (or the expectation of a rise in interest rates). During periods of reduced market liquidity, the fund may not be able to readily sell fixed-income securities at prices at or near their perceived value. If the fund needed to sell large blocks of fixed-income securities to meet shareholder redemption requests or to raise cash, those sales could further reduce the prices of such securities. Although the fund is expected to engage in in-kind redemptions, an unexpected increase in fund redemption requests, including requests from Authorized Participants who may own a significant percentage of the fund's shares, which may be triggered by market turmoil or an increase in interest rates, could cause the fund to sell certain of its holdings at a loss or at undesirable prices and adversely affect the fund's share price and increase the fund's liquidity risk, fund expenses and/or taxable distributions. Economic and other market developments can adversely affect fixed-income securities markets. Regulations and business practices, for example, have led some financial intermediaries to curtail their capacity to engage in trading (i.e., "market making") activities for certain fixed-income securities, which could have the potential to decrease liquidity and increase volatility in the fixed-income securities markets. Policy and legislative changes worldwide are affecting many aspects of financial regulation. The impact of these changes on the markets, and the practical implications for market participants, may not be fully known for some time. Further, some securities give the issuer the option to prepay or call the securities before their maturity date, which may reduce the market value of the security and the anticipated yield-to-maturity.

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 Fluctuation of net asset value, share premiums and discounts risk. The net asset value of fund shares will generally fluctuate with changes in the market value of the fund's securities holdings. The market prices of fund shares will generally fluctuate in accordance with changes in the fund's net asset value and supply and demand of fund shares on the exchange. It cannot be predicted whether fund shares will trade below, at or above their net asset value. Price differences may be due, in large part, to the fact that supply and demand forces at work in the secondary trading market for fund shares will be closely related to, but not identical to, the same forces influencing the prices of the securities of the underlying index trading individually or in the aggregate at any point in time. The market prices of fund shares may deviate significantly from the net asset value of fund shares during periods of market volatility. However, given that fund shares can be created and redeemed in Creation Units (unlike shares of many closed-end funds, which frequently trade at appreciable discounts from, and sometimes at premiums to, their net asset value), the Adviser believes that large discounts or premiums to the net asset value of fund shares should not be sustained over long periods. While the creation/redemption feature is designed to make it likely that fund shares normally will trade close to the fund's net asset value, disruptions to creations and redemptions or market volatility may result in trading prices that differ significantly from the fund's net asset value. If an investor purchases fund shares at a time when the market price is at a premium to the net asset value of fund shares or sells at a time when the market price is at a discount to the net asset value of fund shares, then the investor may sustain losses.

 Foreign currency risk. Investments in foreign currencies are subject to the risk that those currencies will decline in value relative to the U.S. dollar or, in the case of hedged positions, that the U.S. dollar will decline relative to the currency being hedged. Currency exchange rates may fluctuate significantly over short periods of time. Foreign currencies are also subject to risks caused by inflation, interest rates, budget deficits and low savings rates, political factors and government intervention and controls.

 Foreign investment risk. To the extent the fund invests in foreign securities, the fund's performance will be influenced by political, social and economic factors affecting investments in foreign issuers. Special risks associated with investments in foreign issuers include exposure to currency fluctuations, less liquidity, less developed or less efficient trading markets, lack of comprehensive company information, political and economic instability and differing auditing and legal standards. The imposition of sanctions, confiscations, trade restrictions (including tariffs) and other government restrictions by the United States and other governments, or problems in share registration, settlement or custody, may result in losses and/or may impact the correlation between the fund and index performance. Investments denominated in foreign currencies are subject to the risk that such currencies will decline in value relative to the U.S. dollar and affect the value of these investments held by the fund. To the extent securities held by the fund trade in a market that is closed when the exchange on which the fund's shares trade is open, there may be deviations between the current price of a security and the last quoted price for the security in the closed foreign market. These deviations could result in the fund experiencing premiums or discounts greater than those of ETFs that invest in domestic securities.

 Futures risk. The value of a futures contract tends to increase and decrease in correlation with the value of the underlying instrument. Risks of futures contracts may arise from an imperfect correlation between movements in the price of the futures and the price of the underlying instrument. The fund’s use of futures contracts exposes the fund to leverage risk because of the small margin requirements relative to the value of the futures contract. A relatively small market movement will have a proportionately larger impact on the funds that the fund has deposited or will have to deposit with a broker to maintain its futures position. While futures contracts are generally liquid instruments, under certain market conditions they may become illiquid. Futures exchanges may impose daily or intraday price change limits and/or limit the volume of trading. Additionally, government regulation may further reduce liquidity through similar trading restrictions. As a result, the fund may be unable to close out its futures contracts at a time that is advantageous. The price of futures can be highly volatile; using them could lower total return, and the potential loss from futures could exceed the fund’s initial investment in such contracts.

 Government securities risk. Not all obligations of the U.S. government, its agencies and instrumentalities are backed by the full faith and credit of the U.S. Treasury. Some obligations are backed only by the credit of the issuing agency or instrumentality, and in some cases there may be some risk of default by the issuer. Any guarantee by the U.S. government or its agencies or instrumentalities of a security held by the fund does not apply to the market value of such security or to shares of the fund itself. A security backed by the U.S. Treasury or the full faith and credit of the United States is guaranteed only as to the timely payment of interest and principal when held to maturity. In addition, because many types of U.S. government securities trade actively outside the United States, their prices may rise and fall as changes in global economic conditions affect the demand for these securities.

 High yield securities risk. High yield ("junk") securities involve greater credit risk, including the risk of default, than investment grade securities, and are considered predominantly speculative with respect to the issuer's ability to make principal and interest payments. The prices of high yield securities can fall in response to bad news about the issuer or

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its industry, or the economy in general, to a greater extent than those of higher rated securities. Securities rated investment grade when purchased by the fund may subsequently be downgraded.

 Index licensing risk. It is possible that the index license, to which The Bank of New York Mellon Corporation (BNY Mellon) is the licensee and under which the Adviser or the fund is permitted to replicate or otherwise use an index, will be terminated or may be disputed, impaired or cease to remain in effect. In such a case, the Adviser may be required to replace the index with another index which it considers to be appropriate in light of the investment strategy of the fund. The use of any such substitute index may have an adverse impact on the fund’s performance. In the event that the Adviser is unable to identify a suitable replacement for the relevant index, it may determine to terminate the fund.

 Index sampling risk.  The use of sampling techniques by the sub-adviser, may result in the fund holding a smaller number of securities than are in the index. The sampling techniques used by the sub-adviser to select the securities in which the fund invests may not track the index the same as if the fund were replicating the index and may result in investment performance that differs from the index. For example, an adverse development respecting an issuer of securities held by the fund could result in a greater decline in the fund's net asset value than would be the case if the fund held all of the securities in the index. Conversely, a positive development relating to an issuer of securities in the index that is not held by the fund could cause the fund to underperform the index. To the extent the assets in the fund are smaller, these risks will be greater. To the extent that the fund invests in securities not included in the index to maintain liquidity, it may not achieve its goal of tracking the total return of the index.  

 Indexing strategy risk. The fund uses an indexing strategy. It does not attempt to manage market volatility, use defensive strategies or reduce the effects of any long-term periods of poor index performance. The correlation between fund and index performance may be affected by, among other things, among other things, the fund's expenses and/or use of sampling techniques, changes in securities markets, changes in the composition of the index, the manner in which the total return of the fund's index is calculated, the size of the fund's portfolio, the manner in which the total return of the fund's index is calculated, the size of the fund's portfolio and the timing of purchases and redemptions of fund shares. Outdated or unreliable market information could result in errors in index data, index computations or the construction of the index in accordance with its methodology 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.

 Interest rate risk. Prices of bonds and other fixed rate fixed-income securities tend to move inversely with changes in interest rates. Typically, a rise in rates will adversely affect fixed-income securities and, accordingly, will cause the value of the fund's investments in these securities to decline. During periods of very low interest rates, which occur from time to time due to market forces or actions of governments and/or their central banks, including the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System in the U.S., the fund may be subject to a greater risk of principal decline from rising interest rates. When interest rates fall, the values of already-issued fixed rate fixed-income securities generally rise. However, when interest rates fall, the fund's investments in new securities may be at lower yields and may reduce the fund's income. The magnitude of these fluctuations in the market price of fixed-income securities is generally greater for securities with longer effective maturities and durations because such instruments do not mature, reset interest rates or become callable for longer periods of time. Duration is an indication of an investment's "interest rate risk," or how sensitive a bond or the fund’s portfolio may be to changes in interest rates. The change in the value of a fixed-income security or portfolio can be approximated by multiplying its duration by a change in interest rates. For example, the market price of a fixed-income security with a duration of three years would be expected to decline 3% if interest rates rose 1%. Conversely, the market price of the same security would be expected to increase 3% if interest rates fell 1%. Interest rate changes may have different effects on the values of mortgage-backed securities because of prepayment and extension risks.

 Issuer risk. A security's market value may decline for a number of reasons which directly relate to the issuer, such as management performance, financial leverage and reduced demand for the issuer's products or services, or factors that affect the issuer's industry, such as labor shortages or increased production costs and competitive conditions within an industry.

 Japan risk. To the extent the fund has significant exposure to Japanese companies, the fund's performance will be influenced by political, social and economic factors affecting Japan. From the late 1990's, Japan's economic growth rate has remained relatively low compared to that of its Asian neighbors and other major developed economies. The economy is characterized by an aging demographic, a declining population, a large government debt and a highly regulated labor market. Economic growth is dependent on domestic consumption, deregulation and consistent government policy. The Japanese economy is more dependent on international trade than the United States, and can be adversely affected by trade tariffs, other protectionist measures, competition from emerging economies, and the economic conditions of its trading partners. Japan has a growing economic relationship with China and other Southeast Asian countries, and economic, political or social instability in those countries, whether resulting from

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country, regional or global events, could have an adverse affect on Japan's economy. The Japanese yen has fluctuated widely at times, and any material increase in its value may cause a decline in exports that could weaken the Japanese economy. Investments denominated in yen also are subject to the risk that the yen will decline in value relative to the U.S. dollar and affect the value of these investments held by the fund. Some of these factors, as well as other adverse political developments, increases in government debt, changes to fiscal, monetary or trade policies, and natural disasters, may affect Japanese markets and the fund's performance.

 Large-cap stock risk. The fund may underperform funds that invest primarily in the stocks of lower quality, smaller capitalization companies during periods when the stocks of such companies are in favor. Compared to small- and mid-capitalization companies, large-capitalization companies may be less responsive to changes and opportunities affecting their business. In addition, large-capitalization companies may be subject to greater regulation than small- and mid-capitalization companies. A company with a large market capitalization relative to the market in a particular country or region may not have a large capitalization relative to the market in another country or region or the global market generally.

 Liquidity risk. When there is little or no active trading market for specific types of securities, it can become more difficult to sell the securities in a timely manner at or near their perceived value. In such a market, the value of such securities and the fund's share price may fall dramatically. Investments that are illiquid or that trade in lower volumes may be more difficult to value. Investments in foreign securities tend to have greater exposure to liquidity risk than domestic securities. In addition, in stressed market conditions the market for the fund's shares may become less liquid in response to deteriorating liquidity with respect to the fund's portfolio securities, which could lead to differences between the market price of the fund's shares and the net asset value of the fund's shares. Additionally, for the BNY Mellon Core Bond ETF, BNY Mellon Short Duration Corporate Bond ETF and BNY Mellon High Yield Beta ETF, other market developments can adversely affect fixed-income securities markets. Regulations and business practices, for example, have led some financial intermediaries to curtail their capacity to engage in trading (i.e., "market making") activities for certain fixed-income securities, which could have the potential to decrease liquidity and increase volatility in the fixed-income securities markets. Increases in volatility and decreases in liquidity may be caused by a rise in interest rates (or the expectation of a rise in interest rates). Liquidity can also decline unpredictably in response to overall economic conditions or credit tightening.

 Market risk. The value of the securities in which the fund invests may be affected by political, regulatory, economic and social developments, and developments that impact specific economic sectors, industries or segments of the market. In addition, turbulence in financial markets and reduced liquidity in equity, credit and/or fixed income markets may negatively affect many issuers, which could adversely affect the fund. Global economies and financial markets are becoming increasingly interconnected, and conditions and events in one country, region or financial market may adversely impact issuers in a different country, region or financial market. These risks may be magnified if certain events or developments adversely interrupt the global supply chain; in these and other circumstances, such risks might affect companies world-wide. Recent examples include pandemic risks related to COVID-19 and aggressive measures taken world-wide in response by governments, including closing borders, restricting international and domestic travel, and the imposition of prolonged quarantines of large populations, and by businesses, including changes to operations and reducing staff.  The effects of COVID-19 have contributed to increased volatility in global markets and will likely affect certain countries, companies, industries and market sectors more dramatically than others. The COVID-19 pandemic has had, and any other outbreak of an infectious disease or other serious public health concern could have, a significant negative impact on economic and market conditions and could trigger a prolonged period of global economic slowdown. To the extent the fund may overweight its investments in certain countries, companies, industries or market sectors, such positions will increase the fund's exposure to risk of loss from adverse developments affecting those countries, companies, industries or sectors.

 Midsize company risk. Midsize companies carry additional risks because the operating histories of these companies tend to be more limited, their earnings and revenues less predictable (and some companies may be experiencing significant losses), and their share prices more volatile than those of larger, more established companies. The shares of midsize companies tend to trade less frequently than those of larger, more established companies, which can adversely affect the pricing of these securities and the fund’s ability to sell these securities. Some of the fund's investments will rise and fall based on investor perception rather than economic factors.

 Mortgage-backed securities risk.  Mortgage-backed securities represent a participation in, or are secured by, mortgage loans.  Certain of the mortgage-backed securities in which the fund may invest are not backed by the full faith and credit of the U.S. government and there can be no assurance that the U.S. government would provide financial support to its agencies or instrumentalities where it was not obligated to do so.  Mortgage-backed securities tend to increase in value less than other debt securities when interest rates decline, but are subject to similar or greater risk of decline in market value during periods of rising interest rates.  Because of prepayment and extension risk, mortgage-backed securities react differently to changes in interest rates than other bonds. Small movements in interest rates may

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quickly and significantly affect the value of certain mortgage-backed securities.  Transactions in mortgage-backed pass-through securities often occur through TBA transactions.  Default by or bankruptcy of a counterparty to a TBA transaction could expose the fund to possible losses because of an adverse market action, expenses, or delays in connection with the purchase or sale of the pools of mortgage-backed pass-through securities specified in the TBA transaction.

 Non-diversification risk. To the extent the fund becomes non-diversified, the fund may invest a relatively high percentage of its assets in a limited number of issuers. Therefore, when the fund is non-diversified, the fund's performance may be more vulnerable to changes in the market value of a single issuer or group of issuers and more susceptible to risks associated with a single economic, political or regulatory occurrence than when the fund's invested assets are diversified.

 Preferred stock risk. Preferred stock is a class of a capital stock that typically pays dividends at a specified rate. Preferred stock is generally senior to common stock, but subordinate to debt securities, with respect to the payment of dividends and on liquidation of the issuer. The market value of preferred stock generally decreases when interest rates rise and is also affected by the issuer's ability to make payments on the preferred stock.

 Prepayment and extension risk. When interest rates fall, the principal on mortgage-backed and certain asset- backed securities may be prepaid. The loss of higher yielding underlying mortgages and the reinvestment of proceeds at lower interest rates can reduce the fund’s potential price gain in response to falling interest rates, reduce the fund’s yield, or cause the fund’s share price to fall. When interest rates rise, the effective duration of the fund’s mortgage- backed and other asset-backed securities may lengthen due to a drop in prepayments of the underlying mortgages or other assets. This is known as extension risk and would increase the fund’s sensitivity to rising interest rates and its potential for price declines.

 Privately-issued securities risk. The fund will invest in privately-issued securities, including those that are normally purchased pursuant to Rule 144A or Regulation S under the 1933 Act. Privately-issued securities typically may be resold only to qualified institutional buyers, or in a privately negotiated transaction, or to a limited number of purchasers, or in limited quantities after they have been held for a specified period of time and other conditions are met for an exemption from registration. Because there may be relatively few potential purchasers for such securities, especially under adverse market or economic conditions or in the event of adverse changes in the financial condition of the issuer, the fund may find it more difficult to sell such securities when it may be advisable to do so or it may be able to sell such securities only at prices lower than if such securities were more widely held and traded. At times, it also may be more difficult to determine the fair value of such securities for purposes of computing the fund's net asset value due to the absence of an active trading market. There can be no assurance that a privately-issued security that is deemed to be liquid when purchased will continue to be liquid for as long as it is held by the fund, and its value may decline as a result.

 REIT risk. Investments in REITs expose the fund to risks similar to investing directly in real estate. REITs are characterized as equity REITs, mortgage REITs and hybrid REITs, which combine the characteristics of both equity and mortgage REITs. Equity REITs, which may include operating or finance companies, own real estate directly and the value of, and income earned by, the REITs depends upon the income of the underlying properties and the rental income they earn. Equity REITs also can realize capital gains (or losses) by selling properties that have appreciated (or depreciated) in value. Mortgage REITs can make construction, development or long-term mortgage loans and are sensitive to the credit quality of the borrower. Mortgage REITs derive their income from interest payments on such loans. Hybrid REITs generally hold both ownership interests and mortgage interests in real estate. The value of securities issued by REITs is affected by tax and regulatory requirements and by perceptions of management skill. They also may be affected by general economic conditions and are subject to heavy cash flow dependency, defaults by borrowers or tenants, self-liquidation at an economically disadvantageous time, and the possibility of failing to qualify for favorable tax treatment under applicable U.S. or foreign law and/or to maintain exempt status under the 1940 Act. To the extent a REIT owns properties of, or makes loans to, companies concentrated in a particular industry or geographic region, the REIT will also be subject to risks affecting such industries and regions. When the fund invests in a REIT, shareholders of the fund will bear indirectly their proportionate share of the expenses of the REIT in addition to expenses of the fund.

 Risks of stock investing. Stocks generally fluctuate more in value than bonds and may decline significantly over short time periods. There is the chance that stock prices overall will decline because stock markets tend to move in cycles, with periods of rising prices and falling prices. The market value of a stock may decline due to general market conditions that are not related to the particular company, such as real or perceived adverse economic conditions, changes in the general outlook for corporate earnings, changes in interest or currency rates or adverse investor sentiment generally. A security's market value also may decline because of factors that affect the particular company, such as management performance, financial leverage and reduced demand for the company's products or services, or factors that affect the company's industry, such as labor shortages or increased production costs and competitive conditions within an industry.

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 Securities lending risk. The fund may lend its portfolio securities to brokers, dealers and other financial institutions. In connection with such loans, the fund will receive collateral from the borrower equal to at least 100% of the value of the loaned securities. If the borrower of the securities fails financially, there could be delays in recovering the loaned securities or exercising rights to the collateral.

 Small company risk. Small companies carry additional risks because the operating histories of these companies tend to be more limited, their earnings and revenues less predictable (and some companies may be experiencing significant losses), and their share prices more volatile than those of larger, more established companies. These companies may have limited product lines, markets or financial resources, or may depend on a limited management group. The shares of smaller companies tend to trade less frequently than those of larger, more established companies, which can adversely affect the pricing of these securities and the fund's ability to sell these securities. Some of the fund’s investments will rise and fall based on investor perception rather than economic factors.

 Structured notes risk. Structured notes, a type of derivative instrument, can be volatile, and the possibility of default by the financial institution or counterparty may be greater for these instruments than for other types of derivative instruments. Structured notes typically are purchased in privately negotiated transactions from financial institutions and, thus, an active trading market for such instruments may not exist.

 Technology company risk. The technology sector has been among the most volatile sectors of the stock market. Technology companies, especially small-cap technology companies, involve greater risk because their revenue and/or earnings tend to be less predictable (and some companies may be experiencing significant losses) and their share prices tend to be more volatile. Certain technology companies may have limited product lines, markets or financial resources, or may depend on a limited management group. In addition, these companies are strongly affected by worldwide technological developments, and their products and services may not be economically successful or may quickly become outdated. Investor perception may play a greater role in determining the day-to-day value of tech stocks than it does in other sectors. Fund investments made in anticipation of future products and services may decline dramatically in value if the anticipated products or services are delayed or cancelled. The risks associated with technology companies are magnified in the case of small cap technology companies. The shares of smaller technology companies tend to trade less frequently than those of larger, more established companies, which can have an adverse effect on the pricing of these securities and on the fund's ability to sell these securities.

 Total return swap risk. A total return swap is a contract in which one party agrees to make periodic payments to another party based on the change in market value of the assets underlying the contract, which may include a specified security, basket of securities, or securities indices during the specified period, in return for periodic payments based on a fixed or variable interest rate or the total return from other underlying assets. Total return swap agreements may be used to obtain exposure to a security or market without owning or taking physical custody of such security or investing directly in such market. Total return swap agreements may effectively add leverage to the fund’s portfolio because, in addition to its total net assets, the fund would be subject to investment exposure on the notional amount of the swap. The primary risks associated with total returns swaps are credit risks (if the counterparty fails to meet its obligations) and market risk (if there is no liquid market for the agreement or unfavorable changes occur to the underlying asset).

 Tracking stock risk. Many of the risks of investing in common stock are applicable to tracking stock. Tracking stock is a separate class of common stock whose value is linked to a specific business unit or operating division within a larger company and which is designed to "track" the performance of such business unit or division. Therefore, tracking stock may decline in value even if the common stock of the larger company increases in value. In addition, holders of tracking stock may not have the same rights as holders of the company's common stock.

 Trading issues risk. Although fund shares are listed for trading on an exchange and may be listed or traded on other U.S. and non-U.S. stock exchanges as well, there can be no assurance that an active trading market for such fund shares will develop or be maintained. Trading in fund shares may be halted due to market conditions or for reasons that, in the view of the listing exchange, make trading in fund shares inadvisable. In addition, trading in fund shares on an exchange is subject to trading halts caused by extraordinary market volatility pursuant to exchange "circuit breaker" rules. Similar to the shares of operating companies listed on a stock exchange, fund shares may be sold short and are therefore subject to the risk of increased volatility in the trading price of the fund's shares. While the fund expects that the ability of Authorized Participants to create and redeem fund shares at net asset value should be effective in reducing any such volatility, there is no guarantee that it will eliminate the volatility associated with such short sales. There can be no assurance that the requirements of the listing exchange necessary to maintain the listing of the fund will continue to be met or will remain unchanged or that fund shares will trade with any volume, or at all, on any stock exchange.

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Management
 
 

Investment Adviser

The investment adviser for the fund is BNY Mellon ETF Investment Adviser, LLC (Adviser), located at 201 Washington Street, Boston, Massachusetts 02108. As of December 31, 2022, the Adviser serves as investment adviser to fifteen funds and oversees approximately $1.387 billion in assets. For the past fiscal year, each of the funds paid the Adviser a management fee at an effective annual rate of such fund's average daily net assets as shown in the table below:

   

Fund

Management Fee

BNY Mellon US Large Cap Core Equity ETF

0.00%

BNY Mellon US Mid Cap Core Equity ETF

0.04%

BNY Mellon US Small Cap Core Equity ETF

0.04%

BNY Mellon International Equity ETF

0.04%

BNY Mellon Emerging Markets Equity ETF

0.11%

BNY Mellon Core Bond ETF

0.00%

BNY Mellon Short Duration Corporate Bond ETF

0.06%

BNY Mellon High Yield Beta ETF

0.22%

Except for the BNY Mellon US Large Cap Core Equity ETF and the BNY Mellon Core Bond ETF, each fund's management agreement provides that the Adviser will pay substantially all expenses of such fund, except for the management fees, payments under the fund's 12b-1 plan (if any), interest expenses, taxes, acquired fund fees and expenses, brokerage commissions, costs of holding shareholder meetings, fees and expenses associated with the fund's securities lending program, and litigation and potential litigation and other extraordinary expenses not incurred in the ordinary course of the fund's business.

For the BNY Mellon US Large Cap Core Equity ETF and the BNY Mellon Core Bond ETF, each fund's management agreement provides that the Adviser will pay substantially all expenses of such fund, except for interest expenses, taxes, brokerage commissions, costs of holding shareholder meetings, fees and expenses associated with the fund's securities lending program, and litigation and potential litigation and other extraordinary expenses not incurred in the ordinary course of the fund's business. For the BNY Mellon US Large Cap Core Equity ETF and the BNY Mellon Core Bond ETF, each fund's management agreement provides that the Adviser will pay all acquired fund fees and expenses.

The Adviser may from time to time voluntarily waive and/or reimburse fees or expenses in order to limit total annual fund operating expenses. Any such voluntary waiver or reimbursement may be eliminated by the Adviser at any time.

The Adviser is an investment adviser registered with the SEC as such pursuant to the Investment Advisers Act of 1940. The Adviser is the primary ETF business, and a wholly-owned subsidiary, of BNY Mellon, a global investments company dedicated to helping its clients manage and service their financial assets throughout the investment lifecycle. Whether providing financial services for institutions, corporations or individual investors, BNY Mellon delivers informed investment management and investment services in 35 countries. BNY Mellon is a leading investment management and investment services company, uniquely focused to help clients manage and move their financial assets in the rapidly changing global marketplace.   As of December 31, 2022, BNY Mellon had $42.2 trillion in assets under custody and administration and $1.8 trillion in assets under management. "BNY Mellon" is the corporate brand of The Bank of New York Mellon Corporation. BNY Mellon Investment Management is one of the world's leading investment management organizations, and one of the top U.S. wealth managers, encompassing BNY Mellon's affiliated investment management firms, wealth management services and global distribution companies.  Additional information is available at www.im.bnymellon.com.

The asset management philosophy of the Adviser is based on the belief that discipline and consistency are important to investment success. For each fund, the Adviser seeks to establish clear guidelines for portfolio management and to be systematic in making decisions. This approach is designed to provide each fund with a distinct, stable identity.

Sub-Advisers

The Adviser has engaged its affiliate, Mellon Investments Corporation (Mellon), to serve as each funds' sub-adviser, except for BNY Mellon High Yield Beta ETF. Mellon, a registered investment adviser, is an indirect subsidiary of BNY Mellon with its principal office located at BNY Mellon Center, One Boston Place, Boston, MA 02108. Mellon is a specialist multi-asset investment manager formed by the combination of certain BNY Mellon affiliated investment

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management firms. Mellon, subject to the Adviser's supervision and approval, provides investment advisory assistance and research and the day-to-day management of each fund's investments. As of December 31, 2022, Mellon had assets under management of approximately $768.4 billion.

The Adviser has engaged its affiliate, Insight North America LLC (INA), a wholly-owned subsidiary of BNY Mellon, to serve as the BNY Mellon High Yield Beta ETF’s sub-adviser. INA replaced Mellon as sub-adviser to the BNY Mellon High Yield Beta ETF on September 1, 2021. INA is part of a global group of affiliated investment managers providing investment advisory services under the corporate brand "Insight Investment" or "Insight". INA, located at 200 Park Avenue, New York, New York 10166, is registered with the SEC as an investment adviser. INA, subject to BNYM Investment Adviser's supervision and approval, provides day-to-day management of the fund's assets. As of December 31, 2022, Insight managed approximately $118.3 billion of assets

A discussion regarding the basis for the board's approval of the funds' management agreements with the Adviser, the sub-investment advisory agreement between the Adviser and Mellon, as sub-adviser for each fund other than the BNY Mellon High Yield Beta ETF, and the sub-investment advisory agreement between the Adviser and INA, as sub-adviser to the BNY Mellon High Yield Beta ETF, is available in the funds' semi-annual report for the period ended April 30, 2022.

The Adviser has obtained from the SEC an exemptive order, upon which the funds may rely, to use a manager of managers approach that permits the Adviser, subject to certain conditions and approval by the fund's board, to enter into and materially amend sub-investment advisory agreements with one or more sub-advisers who are either unaffiliated or affiliated with the Adviser without obtaining shareholder approval.  The exemptive order also relieves the funds from disclosing the sub-investment advisory fee paid by the Adviser to a sub-adviser in documents filed with the SEC and provided to shareholders.  A fund is required to disclose (as a dollar amount and a percentage of the fund's assets) (1) the aggregate fees paid to the Adviser and any wholly-owned sub-adviser and (2) the aggregate fees paid to affiliated (i.e., less than wholly-owned) and unaffiliated sub-advisers. The Adviser has ultimate responsibility (subject to oversight by the fund's board) to supervise any sub-adviser and recommend the hiring, termination, and replacement of any sub-adviser to the fund's board.  The funds' board, including a majority of the "non-interested" board members, must approve each new sub-adviser.  In addition, the funds are required to provide shareholders with information about each new sub-adviser within 90 days of the hiring of any new sub-adviser.

Portfolio Managers

David France, CFA, Todd Frysinger, CFA, Vlasta Sheremeta, CFA, Michael Stoll and Marlene Walker Smith are primary portfolio managers of the BNY Mellon US Large Cap Core Equity ETF, BNY Mellon US Mid Cap Core Equity ETF, BNY Mellon US Small Cap Core Equity ETF, BNY Mellon International Equity ETF and BNY Mellon Emerging Markets Equity ETF. Gregory A. Lee, CFA and Nancy Rogers, CFA, are the primary portfolio managers of the BNY Mellon Core Bond ETF and BNY Mellon Short Duration Corporate Bond ETF. Paul Benson, CFA, CAIA, Manuel Hayes, and Stephanie Shu, CFA, are the primary portfolio managers of the BNY Mellon High Yield Beta ETF. Messrs. Lee, Benson and Hayes and Mses. Rogers and Shu have been portfolio managers of the respective funds since inception in April 2020. Messrs. France, Frysinger and Stoll and Mses. Walker Smith and Sheremeta have been primary portfolio managers of the respective funds since October 2020. Each portfolio manager is jointly and primarily responsible for the day-to-day management of such funds' portfolios.

Mr. France is a Vice President and Senior Portfolio Manager at Mellon. He has been employed by Mellon or a predecessor company since 2009.

Mr. Frysinger is a Vice President and Senior Portfolio Manager at Mellon. He has been employed by Mellon or a predecessor company since 2007.

Ms. Sheremeta is a Vice President and Senior Portfolio Manager at Mellon. She has been employed by Mellon or a predecessor company since 2011.

Mr. Stoll is a Vice President and Senior Portfolio Manager at Mellon. He has been employed by Mellon or a predecessor company since 2005.

Ms. Walker Smith is a Director and Head of Equity Index Portfolio Management at Mellon. She has been employed by Mellon or a predecessor company since 1995. Mr. Lee is a Director, Senior Portfolio Manager at Mellon. He has been employed by Mellon or a predecessor company of Mellon since 1989.

Ms. Rogers is a Managing Director, Head of Fixed Income Index Portfolio Management at Mellon. She has been employed by Mellon or a predecessor company of Mellon since 1987. 

Mr. Benson is a Managing Director, Head of Fixed Income Efficient Beta at INA. He has been employed by INA or a predecessor company of INA since 2005.

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Mr. Hayes is Director, Senior Portfolio Manager at INA. He has been employed by INA or a predecessor company of INA since 2009.

Ms. Shu is a Managing Director, Senior Portfolio Manager at INA. She has been employed by INA or a predecessor company of INA since 2000. 

Each fund's Statement of Additional Information (SAI) provides additional portfolio manager information, including compensation, other accounts managed and ownership of fund shares.

Code of Ethics

Each fund, the Adviser, each sub-adviser and BNY Mellon Securities Corporation (BNYMSC) have each adopted a code of ethics that permits its personnel, subject to such code, to invest in securities, including securities that may be purchased or held by a fund. Each code of ethics restricts the personal securities transactions of employees, and requires portfolio managers and other investment personnel to comply with the code's preclearance and disclosure procedures. The primary purpose of the respective codes is to ensure that personal trading by employees is done in a manner that does not disadvantage a fund or other client accounts.

Distributor and Distribution and Service Plan

BNYMSC, a wholly-owned subsidiary of the BNY Mellon, serves as distributor of the funds. BNYMSC does not distribute fund shares in less than creation units, nor does it maintain a secondary market in fund shares. BNYMSC may enter into selected agreements with other broker-dealers or other qualified financial institutions for the sale of creation units of fund shares. BNYMSC also serves as distributor for other affiliated mutual funds.

The board of trustees of the trust has adopted a distribution and service plan (Plan) pursuant to Rule 12b-1 under the 1940 Act for each fund other than the BNY Mellon US Large Cap Core Equity ETF and the BNY Mellon Core Bond ETF. No distribution and service plan pursuant to Rule 12b-1 under the 1940 Act has been adopted for the BNY Mellon US Large Cap Core Equity ETF or the BNY Mellon Core Bond ETF.

Under the Plan, the funds are authorized to pay fees in connection with the sale and distribution of each fund’s respective shares in an amount up to 0.25% of each fund’s average daily net assets each year. No payments pursuant to the Plan will be made through at least the next twelve (12) months of operation. Additionally, the implementation of any such payments would have to be approved by the board prior to implementation. Because these fees would be paid out of a fund's assets on an ongoing basis, if payments are made in the future, these fees will increase the cost of your investment and will cost you more over time.

Index/Trademark Licenses/Disclaimers

The index providers are not affiliated with the trust, the Adviser, Mellon, INA, BNY Mellon or any of their respective affiliates. With respect to the Bloomberg Indices (defined below), the trust has entered into a license agreement with Bloomberg Index Services Limited pursuant to which the relevant funds use the Bloomberg Indices. With respect to the Morningstar Equity Indexes (defined below), BNY Mellon has entered into a license agreement with Morningstar Inc. The trust has entered into a sub-license agreement with BNY Mellon pursuant to which the relevant funds may use the Morningstar Equity Indexes. The Adviser pays any applicable licensing fee; no licensing fees are paid by the funds.

BNY Mellon US Large Cap Core Equity ETF, BNY Mellon US Mid Cap Core Equity ETF, BNY Mellon US Small Cap Core Equity ETF, BNY Mellon International Equity ETF and BNY Mellon Emerging Markets Equity ETF (collectively, and solely for the purposes of this section, the "BNY Mellon Equity ETFs") are not sponsored, endorsed, sold or promoted by Morningstar, Inc., or any of its affiliated companies (collectively, "Morningstar"). Morningstar makes no representation or warranty, express or implied, to the owners of the BNY Mellon Equity ETFs or any member of the public regarding the advisability of investing in securities generally or in the BNY Mellon Equity ETFs in particular or the ability of Morningstar US Large Cap IndexSM, Morningstar® US Mid Cap IndexSM, Morningstar® US Small Cap IndexSM, Morningstar® Developed Markets ex-US Large Cap IndexSM and Morningstar® Emerging Markets Large Cap IndexSM (collectively, and solely for the purposes of this section, the "Morningstar Equity Indexes") to track general stock market performance. Morningstar's only relationship to the Adviser is the licensing through an agreement with The Bank of New York Mellon Corporation of: (i) certain service marks and service names of Morningstar; and (ii) the Morningstar Equity Indexes which are determined, composed and calculated by Morningstar without regard to the Adviser or the BNY Mellon Equity ETFs. Morningstar has no obligation to take the needs of the Adviser or the owners of BNY Mellon Equity ETFs into consideration in determining, composing or calculating the Morningstar Equity Indexes. Morningstar is not responsible for and has not participated in the determination of the prices and amount of the BNY Mellon Equity ETFs or the timing of the issuance or sale of the BNY Mellon Equity ETFs or in the determination or calculation of the equation by which the BNY Mellon Equity ETFs are

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converted into cash. Morningstar has no obligation or liability in connection with the administration, marketing or trading of the BNY Mellon Equity ETFs.

MORNINGSTAR DOES NOT GUARANTEE THE ACCURACY AND/OR THE COMPLETENESS OF THE MORNINGSTAR EQUITY INDEXES OR ANY DATA INCLUDED THEREIN AND MORNINGSTAR SHALL HAVE NO LIABILITY FOR ANY ERRORS, OMISSIONS, OR INTERRUPTIONS THEREIN. MORNINGSTAR MAKES NO WARRANTY, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, AS TO RESULTS TO BE OBTAINED BY THE ADVISER, OWNERS OR USERS OF THE BNY MELLON EQUITY ETFS, OR ANY OTHER PERSON OR ENTITY FROM THE USE OF THE MORNINGSTAR EQUITY INDEXES OR ANY DATA INCLUDED THEREIN. MORNINGSTAR MAKES NO EXPRESS OR IMPLIED WARRANTIES, AND EXPRESSLY DISCLAIMS ALL WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE OR USE WITH RESPECT TO THE MORNINGSTAR EQUITY INDEXES OR ANY DATA INCLUDED THEREIN. WITHOUT LIMITING ANY OF THE FOREGOING, IN NO EVENT SHALL MORNINGSTAR HAVE ANY LIABILITY FOR ANY SPECIAL, PUNITIVE, INDIRECT, OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES (INCLUDING LOST PROFITS), EVEN IF NOTIFIED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES.

"Bloomberg®" and Bloomberg US Aggregate Total Return Index, Bloomberg US Corporate 1-5 Years Total Return Index, and Bloomberg US Corporate High Yield Total Return Index are service marks of Bloomberg Finance L.P. and its affiliates, including Bloomberg Index Services Limited ("BISL"), the administrator of the index (collectively, "Bloomberg"), and have been licensed for use for certain purposes by The Bank of New York Mellon Corporation.

The BNY Mellon Core Bond ETF, BNY Mellon Short Duration Corporate Bond ETF, and BNY Mellon High Yield Beta ETF (collectively, and solely for the purposes of this section, the "BNY Mellon Fixed Income ETFs") are not sponsored, endorsed, sold or promoted by Bloomberg. Bloomberg does not make any representation or warranty, express or implied, to the owners of or counterparties to the BNY Mellon Fixed Income ETFs or any member of the public regarding the advisability of investing in securities generally or in the BNY Mellon Fixed Income ETFs particularly. The only relationship of Bloomberg to The Bank of New York Mellon Corporation is the licensing of certain trademarks, trade names and service marks and of the Bloomberg US Aggregate Total Return Index, Bloomberg US Corporate 1-5 Years Total Return Index, and Bloomberg US Corporate High Yield Total Return Index, which is determined, composed and calculated by BISL without regard to The Bank of New York Mellon Corporation or BNY Mellon Fixed Income ETFs. Bloomberg has no obligation to take the needs of The Bank of New York Mellon Corporation or the owners of the BNY Mellon Fixed Income ETFs into consideration in determining, composing or calculating the Bloomberg US Aggregate Total Return Index, Bloomberg US Corporate 1-5 Years Total Return Index, and Bloomberg US Corporate High Yield Total Return Index. Bloomberg is not responsible for and has not participated in the determination of the timing of, prices at, or quantities of the BNY Mellon Fixed Income ETFs to be issued. Bloomberg shall not have any obligation or liability, including, without limitation, to BNY Mellon Fixed Income ETFs' customers, in connection with the administration, marketing or trading of the BNY Mellon Fixed Income ETFs.

BLOOMBERG DOES NOT GUARANTEE THE ACCURACY AND/OR THE COMPLETENESS OF THE BLOOMBERG US AGGREGATE TOTAL RETURN INDEX, BLOOMBERG US CORPORATE 1-5 YEARS TOTAL RETURN INDEX, AND BLOOMBERG US CORPORATE HIGH YIELD TOTAL RETURN INDEX OR ANY DATA RELATED THERETO AND SHALL HAVE NO LIABILITY FOR ANY ERRORS, OMISSIONS OR INTERRUPTIONS THEREIN. BLOOMBERG DOES NOT MAKE ANY WARRANTY, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, AS TO RESULTS TO BE OBTAINED BY [INSERT NAME OF LICENSEE], OWNERS OF THE BNY MELLON FIXED INCOME ETFS OR ANY OTHER PERSON OR ENTITY FROM THE USE OF THE BLOOMBERG US AGGREGATE TOTAL RETURN INDEX, BLOOMBERG US CORPORATE 1-5 YEARS TOTAL RETURN INDEX, AND BLOOMBERG US CORPORATE HIGH YIELD TOTAL RETURN INDEX OR ANY DATA RELATED THERETO.  BLOOMBERG DOES NOT MAKE ANY EXPRESS OR IMPLIED WARRANTIES AND EXPRESSLY DISCLAIMS ALL WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE OR USE WITH RESPECT TO THE BLOOMBERG US AGGREGATE TOTAL RETURN INDEX, BLOOMBERG US CORPORATE 1-5 YEARS TOTAL RETURN INDEX, AND BLOOMBERG US CORPORATE HIGH YIELD TOTAL RETURN INDEX OR ANY DATA RELATED THERETO. WITHOUT LIMITING ANY OF THE FOREGOING, TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT ALLOWED BY LAW, BLOOMBERG, ITS LICENSORS, AND ITS AND THEIR RESPECTIVE EMPLOYEES, CONTRACTORS, AGENTS, SUPPLIERS, AND VENDORS SHALL HAVE NO LIABILITY OR RESPONSIBILITY WHATSOEVER FOR ANY INJURY OR DAMAGES—WHETHER DIRECT, INDIRECT, CONSEQUENTIAL, INCIDENTAL, PUNITIVE OR OTHERWISE—ARISING IN CONNECTION WITH THE BNY MELLON FIXED INCOME ETFS OR BLOOMBERG US AGGREGATE TOTAL RETURN INDEX, BLOOMBERG US CORPORATE 1-5 YEARS TOTAL RETURN INDEX, AND BLOOMBERG US CORPORATE HIGH YIELD TOTAL RETURN INDEX OR ANY DATA OR VALUES RELATING THERETO—WHETHER ARISING FROM THEIR NEGLIGENCE OR OTHERWISE, EVEN IF NOTIFIED OF THE POSSIBILITY THEREOF.

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Additional Information

Additional Purchase and Sale Information

Fund shares are listed for secondary trading on the NYSE Arca, Inc. and individual fund shares may only be purchased and sold in the secondary market through a broker-dealer. The secondary markets are closed on weekends and also are generally closed on the following holidays: New Year's Day, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, Presidents' Day, Good Friday, Memorial Day (observed), Juneteenth National Independence Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day. An exchange may close early on the business day before certain holidays and on the day after Thanksgiving Day. Exchange holiday schedules are subject to change without notice. If you buy or sell fund shares in the secondary market, you will pay the secondary market price for fund shares. In addition, you may incur customary brokerage commissions and charges and may pay some or all of the spread between the bid and the offered price in the secondary market on each leg of a round trip (purchase and sale) transaction.

The trading prices of fund shares will fluctuate continuously throughout trading hours based on market supply and demand rather than the relevant fund's net asset value, which is calculated at the end of each business day (normally 4:00 p.m. Eastern time). Fund shares will trade on an exchange at market prices that may be above (i.e., at a premium) or below (i.e., at a discount), to varying degrees, the daily net asset value of fund shares. The trading prices of fund shares may deviate significantly from the relevant fund's net asset value during periods of market volatility. Given, however, that fund shares can be issued and redeemed daily in Creation Units, the Adviser believes that large discounts and premiums to net asset value should not be sustained over long periods. Each business day, the following information is available at www.im.bnymellon.com with respect to each fund: (i) information for each portfolio holding that will form the basis of the next calculation of the fund's net asset value per fund share; (ii) the fund's net asset value per fund share, market price, and premium or discount, each as of the end of the prior business day; (iii) a table showing the number of days the fund's shares traded at a premium or discount during the most recently completed calendar year and the most recently completed calendar quarter since that year; (iv) a line graph showing fund share premiums or discounts for the most recently completed calendar year and the most recently completed quarter since that year; (v) the fund's median bid-ask spread over the last thirty calendar days; and (vi) if during the past year the fund's premium or discount was greater than 2% for more than seven consecutive trading days, a statement that the fund's premium or discount, as applicable, was greater than 2% and a discussion of the factors that are reasonably believed to have materially contributed to the premium or discount.

NYSE Arca, Inc. will disseminate, every fifteen seconds during the regular trading day, an indicative optimized portfolio value (IOPV) relating to each fund. The IOPV calculations are estimates of the value of each fund's net asset value per fund share. Premiums and discounts between the IOPV and the market price may occur. This should not be viewed as a "real-time" update of the net asset value per fund share. The IOPV is based on the current market value of the published basket of portfolio securities and/or cash required to be deposited in exchange for a Creation Unit and does not necessarily reflect the precise composition of a fund's actual portfolio at a particular point in time. Moreover, the IOPV is generally determined by using current market quotations and/or price quotations obtained from broker-dealers and other market intermediaries and valuations based on current market rates. The IOPV may not be calculated in the same manner as the net asset value, which (i) is computed only once a day, (ii) unlike the calculation of the IOPV, takes into account fund expenses, and (iii) may be subject, in accordance with the requirements of the 1940 Act, to fair valuation at different prices than those used in the calculations of the IOPV. The IOPV price is based on quotes and closing prices from the securities' local market converted into U.S. dollars at the current currency rates and may not reflect events that occur subsequent to the local market's close. Therefore, the IOPV may not reflect the best possible valuation of a fund's current portfolio. Neither the funds nor the Adviser or any of their affiliates are involved in, or responsible for, the calculation or dissemination of such IOPVs and make no warranty as to their accuracy. The funds do not impose any restrictions on the frequency of purchases and redemptions; however, the funds reserve the right to reject or limit purchases at any time as described in the SAI. When considering that no restriction or policy was necessary, the board evaluated the risks posed by market timing activities, such as whether frequent purchases and redemptions would interfere with the efficient implementation of a fund's investment strategy, or whether they would cause a fund to experience increased transaction costs. The board considered that, unlike traditional mutual funds, fund shares are issued and redeemed only in large quantities of shares known as Creation Units, available only from a fund directly, and that most trading in a fund occurs on exchanges at prevailing market prices and does not involve the fund directly. Given this structure, the board determined that it is unlikely that (a) market timing would be attempted by a fund's shareholders or (b) any attempts to market time a fund by shareholders would result in negative impact to the fund or its shareholders.

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Portfolio Holdings Disclosure

The funds' portfolio holdings disclosure policy is described in the SAI. In addition, the identities and quantities of the securities held by each fund are disclosed on the funds' website, www.im.bnymellon.com.

Distributions

Each fund shareholder is entitled to the shareholder's pro rata share of the applicable fund's income and net realized gains on the fund's investments. Each fund pays out substantially all of its net earnings to its shareholders as "distributions."

Each fund may earn income dividends from stocks, interest from debt securities and, if participating, securities lending income. These amounts, net of expenses and taxes (if applicable), are passed along to fund shareholders as "income dividend distributions." Each fund will generally realize short-term capital gains or losses whenever it sells or exchanges assets held for one year or less. Net short-term capital gains will generally be treated as ordinary income when distributed to shareholders. Each fund will generally realize long-term capital gains or losses whenever it sells or exchanges assets held for more than one year. Net capital gains (the excess of a fund's net long-term capital gains over its net short-term capital losses) are distributed to shareholders as "capital gain distributions."

For the BNY Mellon US Large Cap Core Equity ETF, BNY Mellon US Mid Cap Core Equity ETF, BNY Mellon US Small Cap Core Equity ETF, BNY Mellon International Equity ETF and BNY Mellon Emerging Markets Equity ETF, income dividend distributions, if any, for the funds are generally distributed to shareholders quarterly, but may vary significantly from period to period. For BNY Mellon Core Bond ETF, BNY Mellon Short Duration Corporate Bond ETF and BNY Mellon High Yield Beta ETF, income dividend distributions, if any, for the funds are generally distributed to shareholders monthly, but may vary significantly from period to period. Net capital gains for each fund are distributed at least annually. Dividends may be declared and paid more frequently or at any other time to improve index tracking or to comply with the distribution requirements of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (Code).

If you buy shares of a fund when the fund has realized but not yet distributed income or capital gains, you will be "buying a dividend" by paying the full price for the shares and then receiving a portion back in the form of a taxable distribution.

Distributions in cash may be reinvested automatically in additional whole fund shares only if the broker through whom you purchased fund shares makes such option available. Distributions which are reinvested will nevertheless be taxable to the same extent as if such distributions had not been reinvested (unless you are investing through an IRA, retirement plan or other U.S. tax-advantaged investment plan).

Additional Tax Information

The following discussion is a summary of some important U.S. federal income tax considerations generally applicable to an investment in a fund. The summary is based on current tax laws, which may be changed by legislative, judicial or administrative action. You should not consider this summary to be a comprehensive explanation of the tax treatment of the funds, or the tax consequences of an investment in a fund. An investment in a fund may have other tax implications. Please consult a tax advisor about the applicable federal, state, local, foreign or other tax laws. Investors, including non-U.S. investors, may wish to consult the SAI tax section for additional disclosure.

Tax Status of the Funds. Each fund has elected and intends to qualify for the special tax treatment a afforded a regulated investment company (RIC) under the Code. If a fund meets certain minimum distribution requirements, as a RIC it is not subject to tax at the fund level on income and gains from investments that are timely distributed to shareholders. However, if a fund fails to qualify as a RIC or to meet minimum distribution requirements, it would result in fund-level taxation if certain relief provisions were not available, and consequently a reduction in income available for distribution to shareholders. Unless you are a tax-exempt entity or your investment in a fund's shares is made through a tax-deferred retirement account, such as an IRA, you need to be aware of the possible tax consequences when the fund makes distributions, you sell fund shares and you purchase or redeem Creation Units (Authorized Participants).

Taxes on Distributions. In general, distributions are subject to federal income tax when they are paid, whether the distributions are taken in cash or reinvested in a fund. The income dividends and short-term capital gains distributions received from a fund will be taxed as either ordinary income or qualified dividend income. Distributions from a fund's short-term capital gains are generally taxable as ordinary income. Subject to certain limitations, dividends that are reported by a fund as qualified dividend income are taxable to non-corporate shareholders at rates of up to 20%. Any distributions of a fund's net capital gains are taxable as long-term capital gain regardless of how long fund shares have been owned by an investor. Long-term capital gains are generally taxed to non-corporate shareholders at rates of up to 20%. Distributions in excess of a fund's current and accumulated earnings and profits are treated as a tax-free return of capital to the extent of the investor' basis in the applicable fund's shares, and, in general, as capital gain thereafter.

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In general, dividends may be reported by a fund as qualified dividend income if they are attributable to qualified dividend income received by the fund, which, in general, includes dividend income from taxable U.S. corporations and certain foreign corporations (i.e., certain foreign corporations incorporated in a possession of the United States or in certain countries with a comprehensive tax treaty with the United States, and certain other foreign corporations if the stock with respect to which the dividend is paid is readily tradable on an established securities market in the United States), provided that the fund satisfies certain holding period requirements in respect of the stock of such corporations and has not hedged its position in the stock in certain ways. A dividend generally will not be treated as qualified dividend income if the dividend is received with respect to any share of stock held by a fund for fewer than 61 days during the 121-day period beginning at the date which is 60 days before the date on which such share becomes ex-dividend with respect to such dividend or, in the case of certain preferred stock, for fewer than 91 days during the 181-day period beginning 90 days before such date. These holding period requirements will also apply to investor ownership of fund shares. Holding periods may be suspended for these purposes for stock that is hedged. Certain funds' investment strategies may significantly limit their ability to distribute dividends eligible to be treated as qualified dividend income. It is expected that dividends received by the fund from a REIT and distributed from the fund to a shareholder generally will not be treated as qualified dividend income. Additionally, income derived in connection with a fund's securities lending activities will not be treated as qualified dividend income.

U.S. individuals with income exceeding specified thresholds are subject to a 3.8% tax on all or a portion of their "net investment income," which includes taxable interest, dividends and certain capital gains (generally including capital gain distributions and capital gains realized upon the sale of fund shares). This 3.8% tax also applies to all or a portion of the undistributed net investment income of certain shareholders that are estates and trusts.

Corporate shareholders may be entitled to a dividends received deduction for the portion of dividends they receive from a fund that are attributable to dividends received by the fund from U.S. corporations, subject to certain limitations. Certain funds' investment strategies may significantly limit their ability to distribute dividends eligible for the dividends-received deduction for corporations. A RIC that receives business interest income may pass through its net business interest income for purposes of the tax rules applicable to the interest expense limitations under Section 163(j) of the Code. A RIC’s total “Section 163(j) Interest Dividend” for a tax year is limited to the excess of the RIC’s business interest income over the sum of its business interest expense and its other deductions properly allocable to its business interest income. A RIC may, in its discretion, designate all or a portion of ordinary dividends as Section 163(j) Interest Dividends, which would allow the recipient shareholder to treat the designated portion of such dividends as interest income for purposes of determining such shareholder’s interest expense deduction limitation under Section 163(j). This can potentially increase the amount of a shareholder’s interest expense deductible under Section 163(j). In general, to be eligible to treat a Section 163(j) Interest Dividend as interest income, you must have held your shares in a fund for more than 180 days during the 361-day period beginning on the date that is 180 days before the date on which the share becomes ex-dividend with respect to such dividend. Section 163(j) Interest Dividends, if so designated by a fund, will be reported to your financial intermediary or otherwise in accordance with the requirements specified by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS).

If an investor lends fund shares pursuant to securities lending arrangements, the investor may lose the ability to treat fund dividends (paid while the fund shares are held by the borrower) as qualified dividend income. Please consult a financial intermediary or tax advisor to discuss the particular circumstances.

In general, distributions are subject to federal income tax for the year in which they are paid. However, distributions paid in January, but declared by a fund in October, November or December of the previous year, payable to shareholders of record in such a month, may be taxable to an investor in the calendar year in which they were declared. The funds will inform shareholders of the amount of any ordinary income dividends, qualified dividend income and capital gain distributions shortly after the close of each calendar year.

A distribution will reduce a fund's net asset value per fund share and may be taxable to a shareholder as ordinary income or capital gain even though, from an investment standpoint, the distribution may constitute a return of capital. You should note that if you purchase shares of a fund just before a distribution, the purchase price would reflect the amount of the upcoming distribution. In this case, you would be taxed on the entire amount of the distribution received, even though, as an economic matter, the distribution simply constitutes a return of your investment. This is known as "buying a dividend" and generally should be avoided by taxable investors.

Each fund (or your broker) will inform you of the amount of your ordinary income dividends, qualified dividend income, and net capital gain distributions shortly after the close of each calendar year.

Derivatives and Other Complex Securities. A fund may invest in complex securities. These investments may be subject to numerous special and complex rules. These rules could affect a fund's ability to qualify as a RIC, affect whether gains and losses recognized by a fund are treated as ordinary income or capital gain, accelerate the recognition of income to a fund and/or defer a fund's ability to recognize losses. In turn, these rules may affect the amount, timing or character of

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the income distributed to a shareholder by a fund. Additional information pertaining to the potential tax consequences to the funds, and to the shareholders, from the funds' potential investment in complex securities can be found in the SAI. Please consult a personal tax advisor regarding the application of these rules.

Foreign Currency Transactions. A fund's transactions in foreign currencies, foreign currency denominated debt obligations and certain foreign currency options, futures contracts and forward contracts (and similar instruments) may give rise to ordinary income or loss to the extent such income or loss results from fluctuations in the value of the foreign currency concerned.

Foreign Income Taxes. Investment income received by a fund from sources within foreign countries may be subject to foreign income taxes withheld at the source. The United States has entered into tax treaties with many foreign countries which may entitle a fund to a reduced rate of such taxes or exemption from taxes on such income. It is impossible to determine the effective rate of foreign tax for a fund in advance since the amount of the assets to be invested within various countries is not known. If more than 50% of the total assets of a fund at the close of its taxable year consist of certain foreign stocks or securities, the fund may elect to "pass through" to shareholders certain foreign income taxes (including withholding taxes) paid by the fund. If a fund in which a shareholder holds fund shares makes such an election, the shareholder will be considered to have received as an additional dividend the shareholder's share of such foreign taxes, but the shareholder may be entitled to either a corresponding tax deduction in calculating the shareholder's taxable income, or, subject to certain limitations, a credit in calculating the shareholder's federal income tax. No deduction for such taxes will be permitted to individuals in computing their alternative minimum tax liability. If a fund does not so elect, the fund will be entitled to claim a deduction for certain foreign taxes incurred by the fund. Under certain circumstances, if a fund receives a refund of foreign taxes paid in respect of a prior year, the value of fund shares could be reduced or any foreign tax credits or deductions passed through to shareholders in respect of the fund's foreign taxes for the current year could be reduced.

Real Estate Investment Trusts. A fund may invest in U.S. REITs. REITs in which a fund invests often do not provide complete and final tax information to the fund until after the time that the fund issues a tax reporting statement. As a result, a fund may at times find it necessary to reclassify the amount and character of its distributions to you after it issues your tax reporting statement. When such reclassification is necessary, a fund (or its administrative agent) will send you a corrected, final Form 1099-DIV to reflect the reclassified information. If you receive a corrected Form 1099-DIV, use the information on this corrected form, and not the information on the previously issued tax reporting statement, in completing your tax returns.

"Qualified REIT dividends" (i.e., ordinary REIT dividends other than capital gain dividends and portions of REIT dividends designated as qualified dividend income eligible for capital gain tax rates) are eligible for a 20% deduction by non-corporate taxpayers. This deduction, if allowed in full, equates to a maximum effective tax rate of 29.6% (37% top rate applied to income after 20% deduction). Distributions by a fund to its shareholders that are attributable to qualified REIT dividends received by the fund and which the fund properly reports as "section 199A dividends," are treated as "qualified REIT dividends" in the hands of non-corporate shareholders. A section 199A dividend is treated as a qualified REIT dividend only if the shareholder receiving such dividend holds the dividend-paying RIC shares for at least 46 days of the 91-day period beginning 45 days before the shares become ex-dividend, and is not under an obligation to make related payments with respect to a position in substantially similar or related property. A fund is permitted to report such part of its dividends as section 199A dividends as are eligible, but is not required to do so.

Taxes on Exchange-Listed Share Sales. Each sale of shares of the fund will generally be taxable event. Assuming a shareholder holds fund shares as capital assets, any gain or loss realized upon a sale of fund shares is generally treated as long-term capital gain or loss if fund shares have been held for more than one year and as short-term capital gain or loss if fund shares have been held for one year or less, except that any capital loss on the sale of fund shares held for six months or less is treated as long-term capital loss to the extent that capital gain dividends were paid with respect to such fund shares. Any loss realized on a sale will be disallowed to the extent shares of the fund are acquired, including through reinvestment of dividends, within a 61-day period beginning 30 days before and ending 30 days after the sale of such shares. The ability to deduct capital losses may be limited.

Taxes on Creations and Redemptions of Creation Units. Authorized Participants who exchanges securities for Creation Units generally will recognize a gain or loss. The gain or loss will be equal to the difference between the market value of the Creation Units at the time and the exchanger's aggregate basis in the securities surrendered plus any cash paid for the Creation Units. Authorized Participants who exchanges Creation Units for securities will generally recognize a gain or loss equal to the difference between the exchanger's basis in the Creation Units and the aggregate market value of the securities and the amount of cash received. The Internal Revenue Service (IRS), however, may assert that a loss realized upon an exchange of securities for Creation Units cannot be deducted currently under the rules governing "wash sales" (for an Authorized Participant who does not mark-to-market its holdings), or on the basis that there has been no significant change in economic position. Authorized Participants exchanging securities should consult their own tax advisor with respect to whether wash sale rules apply and when a loss might be deductible.

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Under current federal tax laws, any capital gain or loss realized upon a redemption (or creation) of Creation Units is generally treated as long-term capital gain or loss if the applicable fund shares (or securities surrendered) have been held for more than one year and as a short-term capital gain or loss if the applicable fund shares (or securities surrendered) have been held for one year or less.

When creating or redeeming Creation Units, a confirmation statement showing the number of fund shares purchased or sold and at what price will be sent.

The trust, on behalf of each fund, has the right to reject an order for Creation Units if the purchaser (or a group of purchasers) would, upon obtaining the fund shares so ordered, own 80% or more of the outstanding shares of the applicable fund and if, pursuant to Section 351 of the Code, the applicable fund would have a basis in the securities different from the market value of the securities on the date of deposit. The trust also has the right to require information necessary to determine beneficial share ownership for purposes of the 80% determination. If the trust does issue Creation Units to a purchaser (or a group of purchasers) that would, upon obtaining the fund shares so ordered, own 80% or more of the outstanding shares of the applicable fund, the purchaser (or group of purchasers) will not recognize gain or loss upon the exchange of securities for Creation Units.

If a fund redeems Creation Units in cash in addition to, or in place of, the delivery of a basket of securities, it may bear additional costs and recognize more capital gains than it would if it redeems Creation Units in-kind.

Certain Tax-Exempt Investors. A fund, if investing in certain limited real estate investments and other publicly traded partnerships, , may be required to pass through certain "excess inclusion income" and other income as "unrelated business taxable income" (UBTI). Prior to investing in a fund, tax-exempt investors sensitive to UBTI should consult their tax advisors regarding this issue and IRS pronouncements addressing the treatment of such income in the hands of such investors.

Certain tax-exempt educational institutions will be subject to a 1.4% tax on net investment income. For these purposes, certain dividends and capital gain distributions, and certain gains from the disposition of fund shares (among other categories of income), are generally taken into account in computing a shareholder's net investment income.

Investments in Certain Foreign Corporations. A fund may invest in foreign entities classified as passive foreign investment companies or "PFICs" or controlled foreign corporations or "CFCs" under the Code. PFIC and CFC investments are subject to complex rules that may under certain circumstances adversely affect a fund. Accordingly, investors should consult their own tax advisors and carefully consider the tax consequences of PFIC and CFC investments by a fund before making an investment in such fund. Fund dividends attributable to dividends received from PFICs generally will not be treated as qualified dividend income. Additional information pertaining to the potential tax consequences to the funds, and to the shareholders, from the funds' potential investment in PFICs and CFCs can be found in the SAI.

Non-U.S. Investors. Ordinary income dividends paid by a fund to shareholders who are non-resident aliens or foreign entities will generally be subject to a 30% U.S. withholding tax (other than distributions reported by the fund as interest-related dividends and short-term capital gain dividends), unless a lower treaty rate applies or unless such income is effectively connected with a U.S. trade or business. In general, a fund may report interest-related dividends to the extent of its net income derived from U.S.-source interest, and a fund may report short-term capital gain dividends to the extent its net short-term capital gain for the taxable year exceeds its net long-term capital loss. Gains on the sale of fund shares and dividends that are, in each case, effectively connected with the conduct of a trade or business within the U.S. will generally be subject to U.S. federal net income taxation at regular income tax rates.

Unless certain non-U.S. entities that hold fund shares comply with IRS requirements that will generally require them to report information regarding U.S. persons investing in, or holding accounts with, such entities, a 30% withholding tax may apply to distributions payable to such entities. A non-U.S. shareholder may be exempt from the withholding described in this paragraph under an applicable intergovernmental agreement between the U.S. and a foreign government, provided that the shareholder and the applicable foreign government comply with the terms of such agreement.

Backup Withholding. A fund will be required in certain cases to withhold (as "backup withholding") on amounts payable to any shareholder who (1) has provided the fund either an incorrect tax identification number or no number at all, (2) is subject to backup withholding by the IRS for failure to properly report payments of interest or dividends, (3) has failed to certify to the fund that such shareholder is not subject to backup withholding, or (4) has not certified that such shareholder is a U.S. person (including a U.S. resident alien). The backup withholding rate is currently 24%. Backup withholding will not be applied to payments that have been subject to the 30% withholding tax on shareholders who are neither citizens nor permanent residents of the United States.

Certain Potential Tax Reporting Requirements. Under U.S. Treasury regulations, if a shareholder recognizes a loss of $2 million or more for an individual shareholder or $10 million or more for a corporate shareholder (or certain greater amounts over a combination of years), the shareholder must file with the IRS a disclosure statement on Form 8886.

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Direct shareholders of portfolio securities are in many cases excepted from this reporting requirement, but under current guidance shareholders of a RIC are not excepted. Significant penalties may be imposed for the failure to comply with the reporting requirements. The fact that a loss is reportable under these regulations does not affect the legal determination of whether the taxpayer's treatment of the loss is proper. Shareholders should consult their tax advisors to determine the applicability of these regulations in light of their individual circumstances.

Other Tax Issues. A fund may be subject to tax in certain states where the fund does business (or is treated as doing business as a result of its investments). Furthermore, in those states which have income tax laws, the tax treatment of the funds and of fund shareholders with respect to distributions by the funds may differ from federal tax treatment.

The foregoing discussion summarizes some of the consequences under current federal income tax law of an investment in the funds. It is not a substitute for personal tax advice. Consult a personal tax advisor about the potential tax consequences of an investment in the funds under all applicable tax laws.

General Information
 
 

Section 12(d)(1) of the 1940 Act restricts investments by investment companies in the securities of other investment companies, including shares of each fund. However, Rule 12d1-4 permits registered investment companies to invest in the funds beyond the limits in Section 12(d)(1), subject to certain terms and conditions, including that such investment companies enter into an agreement with the trust.

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Financial Highlights

The financial highlights tables are intended to help you understand each fund's financial performance for the fiscal periods indicated.  Certain information reflects financial results for a single fund share. The total returns in the table represent the rate that an investor would have earned on an investment in the fund, assuming reinvestment of all dividends and distributions. This information has been audited by Ernst & Young LLP, an independent registered public accounting firm, whose report, along with the fund's financial statements, are included in the annual report, which is available upon request.

       
 

Year Ended October 31,

For the Period
April 9, 2020a to

BNY Mellon US Large Cap Core Equity ETF

2022

2021

October 31, 2020

Per Share Data ($):

   

  

Net asset value, beginning of period

87.00

61.95

50.00

Investment Operations:

     

Net investment incomeb

1.15

1.06

0.56

Net realized and unrealized gain (loss) on investments

(15.81)

24.90

11.81

Total from Investment Operations

(14.66)

25.96

12.37

Distributions:

     

Dividends from net investment income

(1.10)

(0.91)

(0.42)

Net asset value, end of period

71.24

87.00

61.95

Market Price, end of periodc

71.29

87.03

61.82

Net Asset Value Total Return (%)d

(16.91)

42.08

24.76

Market Price Total Return (%)d

(16.90)

42.42

24.50

Ratios/Supplemental Data (%):

     

Ratio of total expenses to average net assets

-e

-e

-f

Ratio of net investment income to average net assets

1.47e

1.35e

1.63e

Portfolio Turnover Rateg

5.74

10.53

10.62

Net Assets, end of period ($ x 1,000)

438,156

391,486

93,045

a Commencement of operations.
b Based on average shares outstanding.
c The mean between the last bid and ask prices.
d Net asset value total return is calculated assuming an initial investment made at the net asset value at the beginning of the period, reinvestment of all dividends and distributions at net asset value during the period, and redemption at net asset value on the last day of the period. Net asset value total return includes adjustments in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America and as such, the net asset value for financial reporting purposes and the returns based upon those net asset values may differ from the net asset value and returns for shareholder transactions. Market price total return is calculated assuming an initial investment made at the market price at the beginning of the period, reinvestment of all dividends and distributions at market price during the period, and sale at the market price on the last day of the period. Total investment returns calculated for a period of less than one year are not annualized.
e Amounts do not include the expenses of the underlying fund.
f Annualized.
gf Portfolio turnover rate is not annualized for periods less than one year, if applicable, and does not include securities received and delivered from processing creations or redemptions.

80


 

Financial Highlights (cont'd)
       
 

Year Ended October 31,

For the Period
April 9, 2020a to

BNY Mellon US Mid Cap Core Equity ETF

2022

2021

October 31, 2020

Per Share Data ($):

     

Net asset value, beginning of period

94.03

65.66

50.00

Investment Operations:

     

Net investment incomeb

1.32

1.07

0.50

Net realized and unrealized gain (loss) on investments

(16.18)

28.28

15.63

Total from Investment Operations

(14.86)

29.35

16.13

Distributions:

     

Dividends from net investment income

(1.31)

(0.98)

(0.47)

Net asset value, end of period

77.86

94.03

65.66

Market Price, end of periodc

77.86

94.11

65.55

Net Asset Value Total Return (%)d

(15.88)

44.87

32.27

Market Price Total Return (%)d

(15.94)

45.23

32.06

Ratios/Supplemental Data (%):

     

Ratio of total expenses to average net assets

0.04e

0.04e

0.04f

Ratio of net investment income to average net assets

1.55e

1.24e

1.43f

Portfolio Turnover Rateg

25.97

32.65

21.26

Net Assets, end of period ($ x 1,000)

86,427

112,841

39,396

a Commencement of operations.
b Based on average shares outstanding.
c The mean between the last bid and ask prices.
d Net asset value total return is calculated assuming an initial investment made at the net asset value at the beginning of the period, reinvestment of all dividends and distributions at net asset value during the period, and redemption at net asset value on the last day of the period. Net asset value total return includes adjustments in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America and as such, the net asset value for financial reporting purposes and the returns based upon those net asset values may differ from the net asset value and returns for shareholder transactions. Market price total return is calculated assuming an initial investment made at the market price at the beginning of the period, reinvestment of all dividends and distributions at market price during the period, and sale at the market price on the last day of the period. Total investment returns calculated for a period of less than one year are not annualized.
e Amounts do not include the expenses of the underlying fund.
f Annualized.
g Portfolio turnover rate is not annualized for periods less than one year, if applicable, and does not include securities received and delivered from processing creations or redemptions.

81


 

 
 
Financial Highlights (cont'd)
 
 
       
 

Year Ended October 31,

For the Period
April 9, 2020a to

BNY Mellon US Small Cap Core Equity ETF

2022

2021

October 31, 2020

Per Share Data ($):

   

  

Net asset value, beginning of period

97.73

67.17

50.00

Investment Operations:

     

Net investment incomeb

1.22

1.25

0.49

Net realized and unrealized gain (loss) on investments

(18.22)

30.31

17.14

Total from Investment Operations

(17.00)

31.56

17.63

Distributions:

     

Dividends from net investment income

(1.28)

(1.00)

(0.46)

Net asset value, end of period

79.45

97.73

67.17

Market Price, end of periodc

79.50

97.86

67.03

Net Asset Value Total Return (%)d

(17.45)

47.08

35.30

Market Price Total Return (%)d

(17.50)

47.59

35.03

Ratios/Supplemental Data (%):

     

Ratio of total expenses to average net assets

0.04e

0.04e

0.04f

Ratio of net investment income to average net assets

1.36e

1.34e

1.37f

Portfolio Turnover Rateg

37.93

50.09

32.54

Net Assets, end of period ($ x 1,000)

35,754

180,810

40,302

a Commencement of operations.
b Based on average shares outstanding.
c The mean between the last bid and ask prices.
d Net asset value total return is calculated assuming an initial investment made at the net asset value at the beginning of the period, reinvestment of all dividends and distributions at net asset value during the period, and redemption at net asset value on the last day of the period. Net asset value total return includes adjustments in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America and as such, the net asset value for financial reporting purposes and the returns based upon those net asset values may differ from the net asset value and returns for shareholder transactions. Market price total return is calculated assuming an initial investment made at the market price at the beginning of the period, reinvestment of all dividends and distributions at market price during the period, and sale at the market price on the last day of the period. Total investment returns calculated for a period of less than one year are not annualized.
e Amounts do not include the expenses of the underlying fund.
f Annualized.
g Portfolio turnover rate is not annualized for periods less than one year, if applicable, and does not include securities received and delivered from processing creations or redemptions.

82


 

Financial Highlights (cont'd)
       
 

Year Ended October 31,

For the Period
April 24, 2020a to

BNY Mellon International Equity ETF

2022

2021

October 31, 2020

Per Share Data ($):

   

  

Net asset value, beginning of period

74.38

56.06

50.00

Investment Operations:

     

Net investment incomeb

2.03

1.82

0.76

Net realized and unrealized gain (loss) on investments

(17.83)

18.31

6.00

Total from Investment Operations

(15.80)

20.13

6.76

Distributions:

     

Dividends from net investment income

(2.13)

(1.81)

(0.70)

Net asset value, end of period

56.45

74.38

56.06

Market Price, end of periodc

56.52

74.86

56.66

Net Asset Value Total Return (%)d

(21.49)

36.10

13.49

Market Price Total Return (%)d

(21.92)

35.52

14.69

Ratios/Supplemental Data (%):

     

Ratio of total expenses to average net assets

0.04e

0.04e

0.04f

Ratio of net investment income to average net assets

3.15e

2.57e

2.55f

Portfolio Turnover Rateg

19.30

13.49

12.82

Net Assets, end of period ($ x 1,000)

127,021

100,409

30,834

a Commencement of operations.
b Based on average shares outstanding.
c The mean between the last bid and ask prices.
d Net asset value total return is calculated assuming an initial investment made at the net asset value at the beginning of the period, reinvestment of all dividends and distributions at net asset value during the period, and redemption at net asset value on the last day of the period. Net asset value total return includes adjustments in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America and as such, the net asset value for financial reporting purposes and the returns based upon those net asset values may differ from the net asset value and returns for shareholder transactions. Market price total return is calculated assuming an initial investment made at the market price at the beginning of the period, reinvestment of all dividends and distributions at market price during the period, and sale at the market price on the last day of the period. Total investment returns calculated for a period of less than one year are not annualized.
e Amounts do not include the expenses of the underlying fund.
f Annualized.
g Portfolio turnover rate is not annualized for periods less than one year, if applicable, and does not include securities received and delivered from processing creations or redemptions.

83


 

Financial Highlights (cont'd)
       
 

Year Ended October 31,

For the Period
April 24, 2020a to

BNY Mellon Emerging Markets Equity ETF

2022

2021

October 31, 2020

Per Share Data ($):

   

  

Net asset value, beginning of period

69.84

62.45

50.00

Investment Operations:

     

Net investment incomeb

1.76

1.47

0.81

Net realized and unrealized gain (loss) on investments

(22.41)

7.69

12.40

Total from Investment Operations

(20.65)

9.16

13.21

Distributions:

     

Dividends from net investment income

(1.83)

(1.77)

(0.76)

Net asset value, end of period

47.36

69.84

62.45

Market Price, end of periodc

47.53

69.90

62.92

Net Asset Value Total Return (%)d

(29.91)

14.61

26.52

Market Price Total Return (%)d

(29.76)

13.83

27.44

Ratios/Supplemental Data (%):

     

Ratio of total expenses to average net assets

0.11e

0.11e

0.11f

Ratio of net expenses to average net assets

0.11e

0.11e

0.11f

Ratio of net investment income to average net assets

2.90e

2.00e

2.63f

Portfolio Turnover Rateg

15.00

17.42

12.84

Net Assets, end of period ($ x 1,000)

26,046

38,411

34,351

a Commencement of operations.
b Based on average shares outstanding.
c The mean between the last bid and ask prices.
d Net asset value total return is calculated assuming an initial investment made at the net asset value at the beginning of the period, reinvestment of all dividends and distributions at net asset value during the period, and redemption at net asset value on the last day of the period. Net asset value total return includes adjustments in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America and as such, the net asset value for financial reporting purposes and the returns based upon those net asset values may differ from the net asset value and returns for shareholder transactions. Market price total return is calculated assuming an initial investment made at the market price at the beginning of the period, reinvestment of all dividends and distributions at market price during the period, and sale at the market price on the last day of the period. Total investment returns calculated for a period of less than one year are not annualized.
e Amounts do not include the expenses of the underlying fund.
f Annualized.
g Portfolio turnover rate is not annualized for periods less than one year, if applicable, and does not include securities received and delivered from processing creations or redemptions.

84


 

Financial Highlights (cont'd)
       
 

Year Ended October 31,

For the Period
April 24, 2020a to

BNY Mellon Core Bond ETF

2022

2021

October 31, 2020

Per Share Data ($):

   

  

Net asset value, beginning of period

49.30

50.27

50.00

Investment Operations:

     

Net investment incomeb

0.96

0.55

0.32

Net realized and unrealized gain (loss) on investments

(8.68)

(0.75)

0.33

Total from Investment Operations

(7.72)

(0.20)

0.65

Distributions:

     

Dividends from net investment income

(0.92)

(0.77)

(0.38)

Transaction feesb

0.02

--

--

Net asset value, end of period

40.68

49.30

50.27

Market Price, end of periodc

40.66

49.33

50.29

Net Asset Value Total Return (%)d

(15.82)

(0.41)

1.30

Market Price Total Return (%)d

(15.89)

(0.38)

1.33

Ratios/Supplemental Data (%):

     

Ratio of total expenses to average net assets

-e

-e

-f

Ratio of net investment income to average net assets

2.15e

1.12e

1.20f

Portfolio Turnover Rateg

84.75

105.97

27.32

Net Assets, end of period ($ x 1,000)

372,187

194,745

45,248

a Commencement of operations.
b Based on average shares outstanding.
c The mean between the last bid and ask prices.
d Net asset value total return is calculated assuming an initial investment made at the net asset value at the beginning of the period, reinvestment of all dividends and distributions at net asset value during the period, and redemption at net asset value on the last day of the period. Net asset value total return includes adjustments in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America and as such, the net asset value for financial reporting purposes and the returns based upon those net asset values may differ from the net asset value and returns for shareholder transactions. Market price total return is calculated assuming an initial investment made at the market price at the beginning of the period, reinvestment of all dividends and distributions at market price during the period, and sale at the market price on the last day of the period. Total investment returns calculated for a period of less than one year are not annualized.
e Amounts do not include the expenses of the underlying fund.
f Annualized.
g Portfolio turnover rate is not annualized for periods less than one year, if applicable, and does not include securities received and delivered from processing creations or redemptions.

85


 

Financial Highlights (cont'd)
       
 

Year Ended October 31,

For the Period
April 24, 2020a to

BNY Mellon Short Duration Corporate Bond ETF

2022

2021

October 31, 2020

Per Share Data ($):

   

  

Net asset value, beginning of period

50.94

51.60

50.00

Investment Operations:

     

Net investment incomeb

0.81

0.70

0.44

Net realized and unrealized gain (loss) on investments

(4.83)

(0.44)

1.53

Total from Investment Operations

(4.02)

0.26

1.97

Distributions:

     

Dividends from net investment income

(0.75)

(0.72)

(0.37)

Dividends from net realized gain on investments

(0.21)

(0.20)

-

Total Distributions

(0.96)

(0.92)

(0.37)

Net asset value, end of period

45.96

50.94

51.60

Market Price, end of periodc

45.95

50.96

51.65

Net Asset Value Total Return (%)d

(7.99)

0.49

3.94

Market Price Total Return (%)d

(8.05)

0.44

4.05

Ratios/Supplemental Data (%):

     

Ratio of total expenses to average net assets

0.06e

0.06e

0.06f

Ratio of net investment income to average net assets

1.67e

1.37e

1.65f

Portfolio Turnover Rateg

40.54

41.25

24.94

Net Assets, end of period ($ x 1,000)

52,855

43,297

28,380

a Commencement of operations.
b Based on average shares outstanding.
c The mean between the last bid and ask prices.
d Net asset value total return is calculated assuming an initial investment made at the net asset value at the beginning of the period, reinvestment of all dividends and distributions at net asset value during the period, and redemption at net asset value on the last day of the period. Net asset value total return includes adjustments in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America and as such, the net asset value for financial reporting purposes and the returns based upon those net asset values may differ from the net asset value and returns for shareholder transactions. Market price total return is calculated assuming an initial investment made at the market price at the beginning of the period, reinvestment of all dividends and distributions at market price during the period, and sale at the market price on the last day of the period. Total investment returns calculated for a period of less than one year are not annualized.
e Amounts do not include the expenses of the underlying fund.
f Annualized.
g Portfolio turnover rate is not annualized for periods less than one year, if applicable, and does not include securities received and delivered from processing creations or redemptions.

86


 

Financial Highlights (cont'd)
       
 

Year Ended October 31,

For the Period
April 24, 2020a to

BNY Mellon High Yield Beta ETF

2022

2021

October 31, 2020

Per Share Data ($):

   

  

Net asset value, beginning of period

56.23

54.06

50.00

Investment Operations:

     

Net investment incomeb

2.76

2.80

1.70

Net realized and unrealized gain (loss) on investments

(9.25)

2.66

3.74

Total from Investment Operations

(6.49)

5.46

5.44

Distributions:

     

Dividends from net investment income

(2.93)

(2.87)

(1.38)

Dividends from net realized gain on investments

(0.98)

(0.42)

-

Total Distributions

(3.91)

(3.29)

(1.38)

Net asset value, end of period

45.83

56.23

54.06

Market Price, end of periodc

45.76

56.24

54.08

Net Asset Value Total Return (%)d

(12.09)

10.27

10.94

Market Price Total Return (%)d

(12.26)

10.25

10.98

Ratios/Supplemental Data (%):

     

Ratio of total expenses to average net assets

0.22e

0.22e

0.22f

Ratio of net investment income to average net assets

5.51e

4.98e

6.06f

Portfolio Turnover Rateg

35.81

61.03

39.43

Net Assets, end of period ($ x 1,000)

50,416

47,793

54,062

a Commencement of operations.
b Based on average shares outstanding.
c The mean between the last bid and ask prices.
d Net asset value total return is calculated assuming an initial investment made at the net asset value at the beginning of the period, reinvestment of all dividends and distributions at net asset value during the period, and redemption at net asset value on the last day of the period. Net asset value total return includes adjustments in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America and as such, the net asset value for financial reporting purposes and the returns based upon those net asset values may differ from the net asset value and returns for shareholder transactions. Market price total return is calculated assuming an initial investment made at the market price at the beginning of the period, reinvestment of all dividends and distributions at market price during the period, and sale at the market price on the last day of the period. Total investment returns calculated for a period of less than one year are not annualized.
e Amounts do not include the expenses of the underlying fund.
f Annualized.
g Portfolio turnover rate is not annualized for periods less than one year, if applicable, and does not include securities received and delivered from processing creations or redemptions.

87


 

For More Information

BNY Mellon US Large Cap Core Equity ETF
BNY Mellon US Mid Cap Core Equity ETF
BNY Mellon US Small Cap Core Equity ETF
BNY Mellon International Equity ETF
BNY Mellon Emerging Markets Equity ETF
BNY Mellon Core Bond ETF
BNY Mellon Short Duration Corporate Bond ETF
BNY Mellon High Yield Beta ETF

More information on each fund is available free upon request, including the following:

Annual/Semi-Annual Report

Each fund's annual and semi-annual reports describe the fund’s performance, list portfolio holdings and contain a letter from the fund's manager discussing recent market conditions, economic trends and fund strategies that significantly affected the fund's performance during the period covered by the report. The fund’s most recent annual and semi-annual reports are available at www.im.bnymellon.com.

Statement of Additional Information (SAI)

The SAI provides more details about each fund and its respective policies. A current SAI is available at www.im.bnymellon.com and

is on file with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The SAI is incorporated by reference (and is legally considered part of this prospectus).

Portfolio Holdings

BNY Mellon ETF Trust discloses, at www.im.bnymellon.com, the identities and quantities of the securities held by each fund. A complete description of each fund’s policies and procedures with respect to the disclosure of the fund’s portfolio securities is available in the fund’s SAI.

How to Request the SAI, the Fund's Annual and Semi-Annual Reports, and Other Information about the Fund, and to Make Shareholder Inquiries.

By telephone (toll-free). Call 1-833-ETF-BNYM (383-2696) (inside the U.S. only)

By mail.

BNY Mellon ETF Trust

240 Greenwich Street

New York, New York 10286

On the Internet. Certain fund documents can be viewed online or downloaded from:

SEC: The EDGAR Database at http://www.sec.gov. Copies of this information may be obtained, after paying a duplicating fee, by electronic request at the following E-mail address: [email protected].

BNY Mellon ETF Trust: www.im.bnymellon.com

This prospectus does not constitute an offer or solicitation in any state or jurisdiction in which, or to any person to whom, such offering or solicitation may not lawfully be made.

No person has been authorized to give any information or to make any representations other than those contained in this prospectus in connection with the offer of shares of any fund, and, if given or made, the information or representations must not be relied upon as having been authorized by the trust or the funds. Neither the delivery of this prospectus nor any sale of shares of any fund shall under any circumstance imply that the information contained herein is correct as of any date after the date of this prospectus.

Dealers effecting transactions in shares of any fund, whether or not participating in this distribution, are generally required to deliver a prospectus. This is in addition to any obligation of dealers to deliver a prospectus when acting as underwriters.

Investment Company Act file number: 811-23477

   

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ETF-P0323