The National Bank of Abu Dhabi’s NBAD OneShare MSCI UAE ETF (1UAE) has won the Best Exchange Traded Fund of the Year Award at MENA Fund Manager Awards.

NBAD’s 1UAE is the region’s first Exchange Traded Fund (ETF). The Fund, which trades under the ticker symbol 1UAE, began trading on Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange (ADX) in March 2010. As of the end of October 2012, 1UAE had a return of 28.54%, and for the month of January 2013 alone the Fund had a return of 15.93%. The Fund’s net asset value (NAV) rose above 6, a stunning performance.

“Introducing an exchange traded fund to the region was an imperative move by NBAD and the 1UAE has proved to be a resilient investment tool,” said Saleem Khokhar, the Head of Equities at NBAD’s Asset Management Group. “Our strategy in 1UAE has succeeded and its success is recognized by the industry.”

An ETF is in essence a mutual fund except that it is traded on a stock exchange much like stocks. It holds assets in stocks, commodities or bonds and it typically tracks an index.

NBAD’s 1UAE seeks to provide long term capital appreciation through the replication of the performance of the MSCI UAE IMI 10/40 Index. The Index is comprised of leading stocks that trade in the UAE. Only stocks that meet minimum liquidity standards are eligible for consideration.

“1UAE Share has allowed UAE investors to invest in a number of carefully selected stocks and also provides them scalability,” Mr. Khokhar said. “Moreover, 1UAE has provided one of the most convenient means for foreign investors to tap into opportunities in the UAE securities markets.”

1UAE switched to MSCI UAE IMI 10/40 Index in August 2012 from Dow Jones UAE 25 Total Return Index (Local); and also moved to physical replication from swap based replication to enhance the Fund. This transition was a result of consultation with regional and international investors, brokers, and authorized participants.

This latest award adds to the many accolades that NBAD’s Asset Management Group, which develops and manages this ETF and a number of other acclaimed funds, continues to win. Just prior to winning this Award, NBAD’s Asset Management Group was named Fixed Income Fund Manager of the Year by Global Investor magazine. Other awards include the Best Asset Management House in Middle East for Islamic products at the International Takaful Awards, the UAE Asset Manager of the Year in MENA Fund Manager Performance Awards from Mena Fund Manager Magazine, Best Regional Investment Fund in 2012 from Banker Middle East, and last year’s Best Asset Manager in the UAE, also from Global Investor.

NBAD’s award-winning Asset Management Group manages assets in excess of AED5 billion, making it one of the largest of its kind in the UAE.

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