Betashares is Australia's second-largest ETF issuer, with the biggest range on the ASX: 109 funds covering Australian and global shares, bonds, gold, crypto, technology and more. With that much choice, which ones actually deserve a place in your portfolio?
In this guide I go through the 10 biggest Betashares ETFs, the best performers of the past year, the funds that can form the core of a portfolio, and how to make sense of the rest of the range. Tap any button to jump to that part of the video.
What is Betashares?
Betashares launched its first ETFs in 2010. By August 2026 it managed $75.6 billion across 109 exchange-traded products, second only to Vanguard in Australia. It's Australian founded and run. One thing worth knowing: buying a Betashares ETF gives you units in that fund, not a stake in the company.
The 10 biggest Betashares ETFs
Together these 10 funds hold nearly $45 billion, around 59% of Betashares' ASX assets. Two things stand out:
- Four of the 10 are cash or credit funds (AAA, CRED, QPON and HBRD). A big fund isn't necessarily a big bet on shares.
- NDQ is almost as big as A200, even though it's a focused US growth fund, not a broad market one.
The best performers over 12 months
Almost none of the biggest funds made the top of the leaderboard. These weren't index funds quietly beating the market. They were concentrated bets on industries, commodities, one country, oil futures, and in GGUS's case, borrowed money. In the same year, Betashares' Australian technology ETF (ATEC) fell 26.5%.
Even the two gold funds do different jobs. QAU holds gold bullion, while MNRS owns gold mining companies, which also carry business and share market risk. Don't buy an ETF just because it was last year's winner. Picking the winning theme before it runs is the hard part.
Betashares ETFs that can form your core
Australian shares: A200
A200 holds 200 of Australia's largest companies, including the banks, miners and retailers, for just 0.04% a year, cheaper than similar funds:
Global shares: BGBL and HGBL
BGBL covers more than 1,000 companies in developed markets outside Australia (US, Europe, Japan) for 0.08%. Vanguard's VGS covers a similar part of the world for 0.18%. Over three years to August 2026, BGBL returned 16.53% a year against 16.24% for VGS.
HGBL is broadly the same exposure but hedged to the Australian dollar, for 0.11%. BGBL leaves currency movements in your returns; HGBL aims to remove them. Which suits you depends on whether you want currency exposure.
Emerging markets: BEMG
BGBL doesn't include emerging markets. BEMG covers more than 1,000 stocks across 24 emerging market countries for 0.35% a year. Note that it gets its exposure through an underlying fund that uses swaps, so read the PDS.
One fund for everything: DHHF and DVHG
DHHF covers around 8,000 companies across Australia, developed and emerging markets in one fund. It's 100% shares, costs 0.19% and returned 8.99% over the year to August 2026. Vanguard's comparable all-shares fund costs 0.27% and returned 10.61%, but it only launched in March 2025, so there's no longer track record to compare.
Want some defensive assets too? DVHG targets about 90% growth and 10% defensive for 0.19%, compared with Vanguard's VDHG at 0.27%. DVHG only launched in August, so it has no one-year record yet. DVGR and DVBA offer larger defensive allocations.
The Nasdaq 100: NDQ
NDQ tracks the US Nasdaq 100, home to many of the world's biggest tech companies. It returned 13.41% over the year to August, but at 0.48% it costs far more than the broad funds above. Choose it only if you specifically want more Nasdaq 100 exposure. If you already hold BGBL or DHHF, you already own many of its biggest companies.
Cash, bonds and credit
For money you don't want entirely in shares: AAA holds Australian bank deposits, CRED holds investment-grade corporate bonds, QPON holds floating-rate bank bonds, and HBRD actively invests across several types of credit. Corporate bonds and hybrids can pay more than cash, but they also carry more risk.
Making sense of the rest of the range
Instead of memorising 100+ tickers, group the range by what each fund does:
Want to see every Betashares fund in one list? Use the Betashares ETF list on ReviewETF.
Which Betashares ETFs belong in your portfolio?
My approach after 20 years as a financial adviser: start with a strong core that can do most of the work on its own. That could be one all-in-one fund like DHHF, or a pair like A200 and BGBL if you want to choose your own Australian and global split. Vanguard's VDHG or all-shares fund do a similar job.
From there, you can add a handful of smaller satellites for specific opportunities, like HACK for cybersecurity or ARMR for defence. Check what your core already owns, give each satellite a clear purpose and a sensible size, and don't feel you need to fill every slot.
Watch the full video on YouTube →
ETFs named are examples, not recommendations. Fund sizes, fees and returns are as at August 2026 and will change. Check the PDS and issuer’s website, and consider your own circumstances before investing.