VAS Hits $20 Billion: Australia’s largest ETF continues to lead the way
18 June 2025: Vanguard’s Australian Shares Index ETF (ASX:VAS) has become the first Australian exchange-traded fund to surpass $20 billion in funds under management, solidifying its position as the country’s largest ETF.
The milestone, reached at the end of May, marks a period of exceptional growth for VAS. Since January 2020, when the fund held $4.9 billion in assets, it has more than quadrupled in size.
“The growth of VAS reflects the increasing confidence Australian investors have in index investing and the Vanguard approach,” said Daniel Shrimski, Managing Director, Vanguard Australia.
“Vanguard’s mission is to give investors the best chance for investment success. We’re incredibly proud to see Australians embrace that mission through our market-leading ETFs and managed funds as well as our low-fee superannuation offer.”
Vanguard is Australia’s number one provider of ETFs, with $74.6 billion in total ETF assets under management, across 31 ETFs, as of 31 May.
Launched in 2009, VAS has long held the title of Australia’s largest ETF. It provides investors with exposure to the top 300 companies listed on the Australian Stock Exchange (ASX) for a fee of just 0.07% — that works out to just 70 cents each year for every $1,000 invested. The fee has been reduced over time and is now less than half the rate it was at the start of 2017 (0.15%).
Mr Shrimski said VAS’s remarkable growth reflects both strong market performance and rising interest in ETFs across all age groups.
“The benefits of indexing — transparency, diversification, and low costs — are better understood now, but we’ve still got work to do,” he said.
ETFs have transformed the investment landscape in Australia, offering cost-effective, liquid, and transparent access to diversified portfolios with a single trade.
“ETFs like VAS have democratised investing,” Mr Shrimski added. “They’ve made it possible for everyday Australians to build wealth in a simple, low-cost and effective way.”
“VAS is part of a global movement that began with Vanguard’s founder, Jack Bogle, the pioneer of index investing. His vision was to give investors a fair go — and that legacy lives on in VAS,” Mr Shrimski said.
To learn more about the benefits of Vanguard’s range of simple, low cost and diversified ETFs, visit the Vanguard website.