Yaqeen S&P ESG MENA ETF

With the 19^th February 2025 listing of the Yaqeen S&P ESG MENA ETF on the Tadawul, Yaqeen Capital became among the pioneers embracing Saudi Arabia’s transition of its economy away from over-reliance on crude oil – which has seen greater prominence given to ESG factors.

Though the stock exchange regulator adopted the UN Sustainable Stock Exchanges Initiative in 2018 and despite the Green Saudi Initiative component of its Vision 2030 national policy, the Tadawul now only has the GIB MENA ESG Saudi Equity Fund to complement Yaqeen Capital’s offering.

Ahmed AlShabanah, CEO of Yaqeen Capital, has publicly noted that Saudi companies are still barely reporting on and meeting acceptable ESG compliance standards. As such, the firm’s exchange-traded fund (ETF) aims to attract more corporate focus with its equity investments in Bahrain, Egypt, Jordan, Kuwait, Morocco, Amman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Tunisia and the UAE.

Among the fund’s main invested stocks are Acwa Power, Aldar Properties, Al Rajhi Bank, Boubyan Bank, Emaar Properties, Emirates Telecom, Kuwait Finance House, Saudi Aramco and Saudi Telecom. Country exposure is capped at 40% and individual counters holdings at 8% for diversification.

Guided by the S&P Pan Arab Composite ESG Shariah Capped Index (USD), this open-ended fund’s passive investment strategy has seen its total AuM rise to SAR10.48 million (US$2.79 million) on the 12^th August 2025 while the issued units aggregate remains at 10 million after almost six months.

As the fund does not distribute dividends, profits received are reinvested and reflected in the unit pricing. Each unit was initially priced at SAR10 (US$2.67) each, with minimum IPO entry being subscription blocks of 25,000 units (SAR250,000; US$66,667).

*Disclaimer:  The opinions and viewpoints expressed in the Fund Profile do not constitute as a recommendation for any funds highlighted. The information presented is not investment advice and should not be treated as such.

Source: Yaqeen Capital