ETF Securities has listed the ETFS ROBO Global Robotics and Automation ETF (ROBO) on the Australian Stock Exchange, providing exposure to one of the fastest growing themes within the global technology segment.

The ROBO Global index has returned 18% in 2017 so far.

ROBO tracks the ROBO Global Robotics and Automation Index, which is comprised of global companies that operate in the fields of robotics, automation and artificial intelligence. In order to be eligible for inclusion in the index, companies must be traded on a recognised stock exchange and must pass minimum size and liquidity screens.

For the selection process, the index classifies companies as either “bellwether” stocks – those that have a majority of their revenue generated from activity in the robotics and automation space – or “non-bellwether” stocks – those that generate a distinct portion, but not a majority, of their revenue from robotics and automation. The index allocates 40% to “bellwether” and 60% to “non-bellwether”.

The largest current holdings in the index are Aerovironment (2.6%), Daifuku (2.4%) and Hiwin Technologies (2.2%). The index has had a strong start to the year, rising 18% as of 31 August 2017.

ROBO has a management fee of 0.69%.

ETF Securities offers a UCITS-compliant version of ROBO in Europe where the fund is listed on London Stock Exchange, Borsa Italiana, Deutsche Börse, NYSE Euronext and SIX Swiss Exchange. This fund was initially launched in October 2014 and has $654 million in assets under management and a total expense ratio of 0.80%.