Choosing UCITS ETFs over US-listed ETFs is the first decision. The second one trips up more people: picking the right fund.
Every major index has several UCITS ETFs tracking it, often with near-identical names. Each fund trades under different tickers on different exchanges and in different currencies. Many also come in both accumulating and distributing share classes, which are taxed differently in India. It is easy to end up with a fund, or a share class, you did not mean to buy.
This guide shows how to choose between funds that track the same index, then shortlists the largest options for each major index with the details you need to buy the right one: the full fund name, ISIN, tickers and TER. Every fund on the shortlist (gold aside, which works differently) is:
- Domiciled in Ireland, so it sits outside US estate tax and pays the lower 15% US withholding tax on dividends at the fund level.
- Accumulating, so dividends are reinvested inside the fund instead of being paid out to you. See UCITS ETFs: Accumulating vs Distributing for how this affects your tax in India.
Note: The shortlist covers the largest funds that meet these criteria. It is not a recommendation for your situation. Fund sizes, TERs and tickers are as of October 2026, checked against each issuer's own fund page.
Table of contents
- How to choose a UCITS ETF
- S&P 500
- All-world
- Developed markets
- Emerging markets
- Nasdaq-100
- Bonds
- Gold
- Check before you buy
How to choose a UCITS ETF
Pick the index first, then the fund. Funds tracking the same index aim to deliver the same return, so the choice between them comes down to four things:
- TER. The annual fee. Lower is better, but a gap of a few basis points rarely decides it. See What Is TER in an ETF?
- Fund size. Larger funds usually trade with tighter spreads and are less likely to be closed. See What Happens If a UCITS ETF Closes?
- Tracking difference. How closely the fund has matched its index after all costs. This tells you more than TER alone. See Tracking Difference vs TER.
- Replication. Physical funds hold the actual stocks. Synthetic funds use a swap. See Physical vs Synthetic ETFs.
If two funds are close on all four, either is a reasonable choice.
S&P 500
The 500 largest US companies. All three funds below hold the stocks directly.
| Fund | ISIN | Tickers (exchange, currency) | TER | Fund size |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| iShares Core S&P 500 UCITS ETF (Acc) | IE00B5BMR087 | CSPX (LSE, USD), CSP1 (LSE, GBP) | 0.07% | $156.0 bn |
| Vanguard S&P 500 UCITS ETF (USD) Accumulating | IE00BFMXXD54 | VUAA (LSE, USD), VUAG (LSE, GBP), VUAA (Xetra, EUR) | 0.07% | $89.0 bn |
| State Street SPDR S&P 500 UCITS ETF (Acc) | IE000XZSV718 | SPYL (LSE, USD), SPXL (LSE, GBP), SPYL (Xetra, EUR) | 0.03% | $44.4 bn |
SPYL is the cheapest, CSPX is the largest and oldest. For a side-by-side, see CSPX vs VUAA and CSPX vs SPYL.
All-world
Developed and emerging markets in one fund. These three track slightly different indexes: FTSE All-World and MSCI ACWI cover large and mid-sized companies, while MSCI ACWI IMI adds small companies too.
| Fund | ISIN | Tickers (exchange, currency) | TER | Fund size |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vanguard FTSE All-World UCITS ETF (USD) Accumulating | IE00BK5BQT80 | VWRA (LSE, USD), VWRP (LSE, GBP), VWCE (Xetra, EUR) | 0.14% | $87.3 bn |
| iShares MSCI ACWI UCITS ETF (Acc) | IE00B6R52259 | ISAC (LSE, USD), SSAC (LSE, GBP), SSAC (Euronext Amsterdam, EUR) | 0.20% | $35.6 bn |
| State Street SPDR MSCI All Country World Investable Market UCITS ETF (Acc) | IE00B3YLTY66 | IMID (LSE, USD), SPYI (Xetra, EUR) | 0.17% | $9.3 bn |
Note: The same fund can carry different tickers on different exchanges. The iShares fund trades as SSAC in London in pounds, but as ISAC in dollars. Likewise, the Vanguard fund is VWRA in London and VWCE in Germany. Search by ISIN to be sure you have the right one. For a comparison, see SPYI vs VWCE.
Developed markets
Large and mid-sized companies across the US, Europe, Japan and other developed countries. No emerging markets.
| Fund | ISIN | Tickers (exchange, currency) | TER | Fund size |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| iShares Core MSCI World UCITS ETF (Acc) | IE00B4L5Y983 | IWDA (LSE, USD), SWDA (LSE, GBP), EUNL (Xetra, EUR) | 0.20% | $152.1 bn |
| State Street SPDR MSCI World UCITS ETF (Acc) | IE00BFY0GT14 | SWRD (LSE, USD), SWLD (LSE, GBP), SPPW (Xetra, EUR) | 0.12% | $22.5 bn |
| Vanguard FTSE Developed World UCITS ETF (USD) Accumulating | IE00BK5BQV03 | VHVE (LSE, USD), VHVG (LSE, GBP), VGVF (Xetra, EUR) | 0.12% | $11.6 bn |
IWDA is by far the largest. SWRD and the Vanguard fund are cheaper. See SWRD vs IWDA.
Emerging markets
Companies in China, Taiwan, India, Korea and other emerging economies. India is one of the largest country weights in these funds, so check how much India exposure you already have before adding one.
| Fund | ISIN | Tickers (exchange, currency) | TER | Fund size |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| iShares Core MSCI EM IMI UCITS ETF (Acc) | IE00BKM4GZ66 | EIMI (LSE, USD), EMIM (LSE, GBP), IS3N (Xetra, EUR) | 0.18% | $47.0 bn |
| Vanguard FTSE Emerging Markets UCITS ETF (USD) Accumulating | IE00BK5BR733 | VFEA (LSE, USD), VFEG (LSE, GBP), VFEA (Xetra, EUR) | 0.17% | $6.0 bn |
| State Street SPDR MSCI Emerging Markets UCITS ETF (Acc) | IE00B469F816 | EMRD (LSE, USD), SPYM (Xetra, EUR) | 0.18% | $2.3 bn |
EIMI also includes small companies. Vanguard's distributing version of its fund (VFEM) is a different share class from VFEA, so check the ticker. See EIMI vs VFEM.
Nasdaq-100
The 100 largest non-financial companies on the Nasdaq, so the index leans heavily towards technology. Both funds below charge more than the broad-market funds above.
| Fund | ISIN | Tickers (exchange, currency) | TER | Fund size |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| iShares NASDAQ 100 UCITS ETF (Acc) | IE00B53SZB19 | CNDX (LSE, USD), CNX1 (LSE, GBP), SXRV (Xetra, EUR) | 0.30% | $31.7 bn |
| Invesco EQQQ NASDAQ-100 UCITS ETF Acc | IE00BFZXGZ54 | EQAC (SIX, USD) | 0.30% | $20.6 bn |
Note: The ticker EQQQ belongs to the distributing share class of the Invesco fund, not the accumulating one listed here. If you want the accumulating version, search by the ISIN above. See QQQ vs CSPX if you are weighing the Nasdaq-100 against the S&P 500.
Bonds
Bond funds differ more from each other than equity funds do, because each one covers a different slice of the market. Pick the type of bond first: very short-term US Treasuries behave like cash, while a global aggregate fund spreads across government and corporate bonds worldwide.
| Fund | What it holds | ISIN | Tickers (exchange, currency) | TER | Fund size |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| iShares $ Treasury Bond 0-1yr UCITS ETF USD (Acc) | US Treasuries maturing within a year | IE00BGSF1X88 | IB01 (LSE, USD) | 0.07% | $28.0 bn |
| iShares Core Global Aggregate Bond UCITS ETF USD Hedged (Acc) | Government and corporate bonds worldwide, hedged to USD | IE00BZ043R46 | AGGU (LSE, USD) | 0.10% | $14.3 bn |
| iShares $ Treasury Bond 7-10yr UCITS ETF USD (Acc) | US Treasuries maturing in 7 to 10 years | IE00B3VWN518 | CBU0 (LSE, USD), SXRM (Xetra, USD) | 0.07% | $4.8 bn |
Note: The global aggregate fund comes in several currency-hedged share classes with different ISINs. AGGU is the USD-hedged one.
Gold
Gold is usually bought through an ETC (exchange-traded commodity), not a UCITS ETF. An ETC is a security backed by physical gold held in a vault. It pays no income, so there is no accumulating or distributing class to choose between.
| Product | ISIN | Tickers (exchange, currency) | TER | Size |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| iShares Physical Gold ETC | IE00B4ND3602 | IGLN (LSE, USD), SGLN (LSE, GBP), EGLN (LSE, EUR) | 0.12% | $38.7 bn |
The issuer, iShares Physical Metals plc, is based in Ireland. For other gold products and how gold is taxed in India, see How to Invest in Gold ETFs from India.
Check before you buy
A few checks before you place the order make sure you are buying the fund you meant to:
- ISIN starts with IE. That confirms the fund is domiciled in Ireland. An ISIN starting with US means a US-domiciled fund, which brings back the estate tax issue.
- Share class says Acc or Accumulating. Many of these funds also have a distributing class with a different ISIN and ticker.
- The ISIN matches, whatever the ticker. The same fund trades under different tickers on different exchanges. The ISIN is the one identifier that stays the same.
- Trading currency is your choice. Buying the USD, GBP or EUR line of the same fund gets you the same holdings. The currency only decides what you pay in. See USD vs GBP: Which Currency to Buy Your UCITS ETF In?
- Read the KID. Every UCITS fund publishes a Key Information Document on its issuer's website. It confirms the fund name, ISIN, share class and costs in one place.
About Paasa
Paasa is a global investing platform for Indian residents and NRIs.
- Every fund on this list: Buy any of these UCITS ETFs on the London Stock Exchange, Xetra and other European exchanges, in USD, GBP or EUR.
- An account in your own name: Your holdings sit in an account in your name, with Interactive Brokers as custodian.
- Tax reporting support: Get the details you need for your capital gains schedule and Schedule FA when you file your ITR.
