Xtrackers ETC

What Xtrackers ETC does

Xtrackers ETC plc is an Irish-domiciled public limited company that structures and issues asset-backed exchange-traded certificates (ETCs) backed by physical precious metals, including gold, silver, and platinum. Each security is backed by allocated metal held in custody by JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A., allowing investors to gain precious metals exposure without taking physical delivery. The entity operates as part of the broader Xtrackers by DWS ETF platform owned by DWS Group GmbH & Co. KGaA, alongside sister entities Xtrackers (IE) plc and Xtrackers II (Luxembourg). The core ETC programs include Series 2 Physical Gold (over 103 million securities outstanding), Series 3 Physical Silver (over 3 million securities), platinum ETCs, and EUR-hedged variants, with securities admitted to trading on Frankfurt Stock Exchange, Borsa Italiana, London Stock Exchange, XETRA, and SIX Swiss Exchange.

Revenue is generated through management fees on ETC securities (ranging from 0.11% for standard gold to 0.38% plus FX hedging for platinum/EUR-hedged silver) and through ongoing issuance, custody, and administration fees as new tranches are brought to market. The platform distributes through exchange listings, real-time iNAV services via Tradeweb Markets, and institutional partnerships including PostFinance in Switzerland. Recent product activity includes new tranche issuance across the precious metals series, the launch of thematic ETFs such as the Europe Defense Technologies ETF (XDEF), and the rationalization of underperforming U.S. ETFs (HYRM, California Municipal Bond).

Name

Xtrackers ETC

Legal name

Xtrackers by DWS

Website

https://etf.dws.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2018

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Xtrackers ETC plc issues asset-backed exchange-traded certificates backed by physical gold, silver, and platinum held in custody by JPMorgan Chase Bank, serving European investors through listings on multiple European exchanges as part of the Xtrackers by DWS ETF platform.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Exchange-Traded Funds and Commodities

NAICS

Securities and Commodity Contracts Intermediation and Brokerage (5231), Commodity Contracts Intermediation (52316)

SIC

Security & Commodity Brokers, Dealers, Exchanges & Services (6200)

akta.pro primary industry

Structured Certificates & Warrants (Turbo/Knock-Out/Bonus/Discount) (FSACAMAL)

akta.pro secondary industry

Commodity & Precious Metals ETFs (Physical, Futures) (FSAAAFAG)

Keywords

• Exchange traded funds
• Precious metals ETC
• Physical gold certificates
• Commodity backed securities
• Passive index products

Headquarters

HQ city

Dublin

HQ country

Ireland

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Personnel, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. ETF Management Fees: Xtrackers earns revenue through management fees calculated as a percentage of assets under management (expense ratios), ranging from 0.10% to 0.50% across various ETF products.
2. ETC Securities Program: Xtrackers ETC plc issues exchange-traded certificates backed by physical precious metals (gold, silver, platinum), generating revenue through issuance fees and ongoing custody/administration fees.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Xtrackers ETC structures and issues asset-backed exchange-traded certificates (ETCs) backed by physical precious metals including gold, silver, and platinum, with each security representing a specific quantity of fine troy ounces held in custody by JPMorgan Chase Bank. The program offers both USD-denominated and EUR-hedged variants, providing investors commodity exposure without physical delivery through securities listed on major European stock exchanges.

Product overview

Xtrackers by DWS operates a comprehensive ETF and Exchange Traded Certificate platform offering over 40 distinct products spanning multiple asset classes and geographies. The core portfolio includes equity ETFs (international real estate, communication services, AI and big data, defense technologies, cybersecurity, India, natural resources), fixed income products (municipal bonds, high yield bonds), and precious metals ETCs (physical gold, silver, platinum with both USD and EUR-hedged variants). The platform also includes bond-focused sub-funds under Xtrackers II. Products serve diverse investment needs from thematic growth (AI, cybersecurity, defense) to commodity exposure and income generation, with recent expansion into multi-asset solutions through partnerships like PostFinance Global Portfolio ETF.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Xtrackers Cybersecurity ETFs: Cybersecurity-focused ETFs offered by Xtrackers/DWS as part of the best cybersecurity ETFs for 2026.
• Xtrackers RREEF Global Natural Resources ETF
• Xtrackers MSCI India ETF
• Xtrackers Artificial Intelligence and Big Data ETF
• Xtrackers Europe Defense Technologies ETF

Products and services

• Xtrackers International Real Estate ETF (HAUZ) ETF providing purely international real estate exposure across 411-422 holdings with 0.10% expense ratio and 3.60% dividend yield, designed for investors supplementing U.S. real estate exposure.
• Xtrackers MSCI USA Communication Services UCITS ETF 1D UCITS ETF with EUR 857 million in AUM focused on U.S. communication services equities, using physical replication strategy with 0.12% total expense ratio.
• Xtrackers Artificial Intelligence and Big Data ETF (XAIX) AI-focused ETF tracking the Nasdaq Global AI and Big Data index, with 0.35% expense ratio and approximately $112 million in assets under management.
• Xtrackers RREEF Global Natural Resources ETF (NRES) Actively managed natural resources ETF with $38.31 million market cap capturing multi-year structural opportunities in natural resources driven by AI infrastructure buildout, energy transition, and global trade fragmentation.
• Xtrackers IE Physical Gold ETC Securities (Series 2) Gold-backed securities program providing exposure to physical gold without physical delivery, with over 103 million securities outstanding, listed on multiple European stock exchanges and held in custody by JPMorgan Chase Bank.
• Xtrackers IE Physical Gold EUR Hedged ETC Securities (Series 5) EUR-denominated gold-backed ETC securities with currency hedging providing exposure to physical gold held in custody by JPMorgan Chase Bank, with combined annual fee of 0.24%.
• Xtrackers IE Physical Silver ETC Securities (Series 3) Physical silver-backed securities providing exposure to silver without physical delivery, with over 3 million securities outstanding, traded on multiple European exchanges with JPMorgan Chase Bank as custodian.
• Xtrackers IE Physical Silver EUR Hedged ETC Securities (Series 4) EUR-hedged physical silver ETC securities with base fee of 0.38% per annum plus 0.35% FX hedging fee, providing currency-hedged exposure to physical silver.
• Xtrackers IE Physical Platinum ETC Securities Platinum-backed ETC securities providing exposure to platinum without physical delivery, with approximately 0.024 troy ounces of platinum per security and annual management fee of 0.38%.
• Xtrackers Europe Defense Technologies ETF (XDEF) ETF providing passive exposure to European defense, space, and cybersecurity companies tracked by the STOXX Europe Total Market Defence Space and Cybersecurity Innovation 50-25 Index, with 0.35% expense ratio.
• Xtrackers Cybersecurity ETF Cybersecurity-focused ETF holding major security firms such as CrowdStrike, Palo Alto Networks, Cloudflare, Cisco, and Broadcom, profiled as one of seven best cybersecurity ETFs for 2026.
• Xtrackers MSCI India ETF (IND) India-focused ETF tracking the MSCI India index, one of three major U.S.-listed India ETFs.
• PostFinance Global Portfolio ETF Multi-asset ETF in partnership with Xtrackers by DWS, combining global equities, gold, and Swiss real estate with 0.49% annual expense ratio, positioned as the first retail bank-owned multi-asset ETF in Switzerland.

Named customers2 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• PostFinancecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 23 June 2026PostFinance launched its first proprietary multi-asset ETF, the PostFinance Global Portfolio ETF, in partnership with Xtrackers by DWS. The fund combines global equities, gold, and Swiss real estate in a single vehicle with 0.49% annual expense ratio, marking the first retail bank-owned multi-asset ETF in Switzerland. The product extends beyond PostFinance's own customer base.
• DWS GroupcoreOthers · 22 June 2026DWS provides the ETF infrastructure through its Xtrackers platform for the PostFinance Global Portfolio ETF launch. DWS and PostFinance position the launch as a strategic growth area, anticipating competitors to follow their model. Xtrackers is the ETF brand of DWS.
• Tradeweb MarketscoreTechnology or Integration · 21 April 2026Tradeweb Markets announced that Xtrackers by DWS has adopted its indicative net asset values (iNAVs) for Europe-listed ETFs. This brings the service's coverage to more than 50% of total European ETF assets under management. iNAVs provide real-time, intraday valuations updated every few seconds to support ETF trading transparency and portfolio trading workflows.

Scale indicators12 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Lyxor ETF (Amundi): Lyxor ETF (now part of Amundi) was a direct UCITS-focused competitor to Xtrackers across European listings before being absorbed. Highly comparable European ETF/ETC product and distribution footprint.
• WisdomTree: WisdomTree pioneered European-physical precious-metals ETCs and is a leading commodity-backed securities issuer with listings across European exchanges. Closest pure-play comparable on ETC product mechanics and physical-metal custody.
• SPDR (State Street Global Advisors): State Street's SPDR is a global ETF heavyweight with extensive European UCITS coverage including sector, thematic, and commodity products. Comparable scale and institutional distribution profile to Xtrackers.
• abrdn (formerly Aberdeen Standard Investments): abrdn operates a well-known suite of physical precious-metals ETC products (gold, silver, platinum, palladium) traded on European exchanges. Directly comparable to Xtrackers' commodity ETC franchise with similar physical-allocation structure.
• iShares (BlackRock): BlackRock's iShares is the world's largest ETF/ETC provider with hundreds of products spanning equities, fixed income, and commodities including physical gold ETCs. Directly comparable to Xtrackers in product breadth, listing footprint, and institutional distribution.
• HSBC ETFs: HSBC's asset management arm operates UCITS ETFs listed across European venues with comparable multi-asset coverage. Direct competitor in European-bank-affiliated ETF distribution.
• Invesco ETFs: Invesco operates one of the largest physical precious-metals ETC programs (acquired from Source/ETF Securities), directly competing with Xtrackers' Physical Gold, Silver, and Platinum ETC securities. Comparable European distribution through major exchanges.
• UBS Asset Management (ETF): UBS offers a broad UCITS ETF range across equities, fixed income, and commodities through UBS Fund Management (Ireland). Comparable European bank-affiliated ETF/ETC platform competing for similar European institutional and wealth mandates.
• Amundi ETF: Amundi is the largest European-headquartered ETF provider by AUM and competes head-to-head across UCITS equity, fixed income, and commodity exposures. Closest European peer to Xtrackers' product set and distribution model.

Broad incumbents

• Vanguard: Vanguard is a global ETF leader with a strong European footprint focused on broad-market, low-cost equity ETFs. While less focused on commodity ETCs, its scale and fee discipline shape competitive pricing pressure across the European ETF market where Xtrackers competes.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Xtrackers ETC