Global X FTSE Southeast Asia ETF (ASEA) is an exchange-traded fund that seeks to correspond to the price and yield performance, before fees and expenses, of the FTSE/ASEAN 40 Index, prior to the FTSE Southeast Asia Index. The fund employs a full replication technique to invest in a portfolio of equity securities primarily comprising the 40 largest and most liquid companies listed on stock exchanges in the five Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) countries of Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore and Thailand; top holdings include leading financial institutions such as DBS Group Holdings Ltd (approximately 17%), Oversea-Chinese Banking Corporation (approximately 9%), United Overseas Bank Ltd (approximately 6%), alongside major firms in communications, industrials, utilities and consumer sectors. Sector allocations emphasize financials (around 59%), followed by communication services (9-10%), industrials (8-9%) and others including information technology, energy and consumer staples.
Launched on February 16, 2011 and domiciled in the United States, ASEA is issued and managed by Global X Management Company LLC, a provider of exchange-traded funds focused on thematic and regional investment strategies; the fund trades on the NYSE Arca exchange with net assets under management of approximately $68 million as of late 2025.
The ETF targets investors seeking broad exposure to Southeast Asian equities, characterized by weighted average market capitalization of around $45-46 billion, price-to-earnings ratios of 13-14 and return on equity near 14%; it maintains a low beta relative to major indices such as the S&P 500 (0.5-0.6) and MSCI Emerging Markets (0.55-0.59), with a standard deviation of approximately 13%.
ASEA continues to operate without major structural changes, funding rounds, acquisitions, new product launches or strategic reorganizations reported in the last 1-2 years, maintaining its consistent tracking of the FTSE/ASEAN 40 Index amid regional economic growth driven by consumer spending and foreign investment; recent performance reflects 1-year NAV returns of about 1.6%, 5-year returns near 12% and inception-to-date annualized returns around 3.9%.