NYSE Arca · ETF
Invest in QDF ETF from India
Indian and foreign residents can buy Northern Trust Quality Dividend ETF (QDF) units directly through Paasa.
By Paasa · Updated
QDF at a glance
- Price
- $90.99+$0.50 (0.55%)
- Expense ratio
- 0.4%
- Day range
- $90.80 – $91.18
- Assets
- $2.2B
- Domicile
- the US
- Holdings
- 144
- Launched
- 2012
- Dividends
- Distributing
- 1 month
- -1.36%
- 6 months
- +17.53%
- YTD
- +11.69%
- 1 year
- +15.31%
- 5 years
- +63.50%
Price change, excluding dividends.
Top 10 holdings
- 1APPLE INC COMMON STOCK USD 0.000019.3%
- 2NVIDIA CORP COMMON STOCK USD 0.0017.8%
- 3MICROSOFT CORP COMMON STOCK USD 0.000006254.5%
- 4JOHNSON & JOHNSON COMMON STOCK USD 13.0%
- 5LAM RESEARCH CORP COMMON STOCK USD 0.0012.8%
- 6BROADCOM INC COMMON STOCK USD2.7%
- 7JPMORGAN CHASE & CO COMMON STOCK USD 12.5%
- 8ALPHABET INC-CL A - COMMON STOCK USD 0.0012.3%
- 9GENERAL ELECTRIC CO2.3%
- 10PHILIP MORRIS INTERNATIONAL INC COMMON STOCK USD 01.9%
QDF holds 144 securities in total. These 10 are 39.1% of the fund.
Where the money is invested
Sectors
- Technology38.1%
- Financial Services15.2%
- Industrials9.7%
- Healthcare9.6%
- Consumer Cyclical7.6%
- Communication Services5.9%
Countries
- United States96.6%
- Ireland1.4%
- Other1.3%
- Sweden0.5%
- Bermuda0.2%
How to invest in QDF from India
Step 1
Open your Paasa account
KYC takes a few minutes: PAN, Aadhaar and address proof. Your brokerage account is opened in your own name with Interactive Brokers.
Step 2
Add funds from your Indian bank account
Remit up to $250,000 a year under the RBI's Liberalised Remittance Scheme. Your bank converts the rupees to US dollars at its rate on the day you remit.
Step 3
Search QDF and buy
Find the fund by its ticker, QDF, on NYSE Arca, and place your order. Fractional units are available and there is no minimum trade size, so you can buy by amount.
Why invest in QDF from India
What QDF holds
Aimed at investors focused on U.S. quality equities, this Fund strives to achieve investment outcomes that broadly align with the price movements and dividend income produced by the Northern Trust Quality Dividend Index. This objective is considered prior to the deduction of any associated fees and expenses.
Hold a dollar asset
QDF is priced in US dollars, so a weaker rupee adds to what it's worth in rupees. The rupee depreciated over 85% against the dollar between 2010 and 2025.
Buy a fraction of a unit
Buy by amount, not by unit, and get the matching fraction of one QDF unit. There is no minimum trade size.
Paasa handles the paperwork
Investing abroad brings paperwork with it: remittance filings, capital gains reporting, foreign asset disclosure. Paasa prepares all of it for you. Your India-ready tax reports arrive at year end, ready to file.
Planning to hold more than $60,000 in US ETFs? Here's what US estate tax means for you.
US-domiciled ETFs held in your own name fall under US estate tax rules. If your US holdings cross $60,000, the amount above that can be taxed at up to 40% when the account passes to your family.
A UCITS ETF tracking a similar market sits outside US estate tax.
Frequently asked questions
Can I buy QDF from India?
Yes. Indian residents can buy Northern Trust Quality Dividend ETF (QDF) through Paasa. It is listed on NYSE Arca and trades in US dollars. Your money leaves India under the RBI's Liberalised Remittance Scheme, and the units are held in your own name at Interactive Brokers.
What does QDF invest in?
Northern Trust Quality Dividend ETF holds 144 securities. Its largest holdings are APPLE INC COMMON STOCK USD 0.00001 (9.3%), NVIDIA CORP COMMON STOCK USD 0.001 (7.8%) and MICROSOFT CORP COMMON STOCK USD 0.00000625 (4.5%). Technology is its largest sector at 38.1%. It is a distributing fund domiciled in the US.
What is the expense ratio of QDF?
Northern Trust Quality Dividend ETF has an expense ratio of 0.4% a year, taken from the fund's assets rather than billed to you. The fund manages about $2.2B.
How are QDF dividends taxed in India?
Northern Trust Quality Dividend ETF is a distributing fund. It pays the dividends from its holdings out to you in cash. The US withholds 25% tax on dividends before they reach you; Paasa files Form W-8BEN for you, and the tax withheld can generally be claimed as a credit when you file in India. Dividends are taxed at your slab rate in India. Paasa's dividend report lists the gross dividend and any tax withheld for each payment.
What tax do I pay in India when I sell QDF?
The US does not levy capital gains tax on shares for Indian residents. In India, gains on foreign ETF units held for more than 24 months are long-term and taxed at 12.5% without indexation, and gains on units held for 24 months or less are short-term and taxed at your income-tax slab rate. Both are worked out in rupees at the USD/INR rate on the day you bought and the day you sold, so the currency move is part of the gain. Paasa's capital-gains statement gives you the figures for your return.
Can I buy a fraction of one QDF unit?
Yes. You can buy by amount rather than by unit and add to your position over time. One unit is $90.99, and there is no minimum trade size.
What happens to my QDF units if I pass away?
US-domiciled ETFs held in your own name fall under US estate tax rules. If your US holdings cross $60,000, the amount above that can be taxed at up to 40% when the account passes to your family. A UCITS ETF tracking a similar market sits outside US estate tax. Paasa's US estate tax calculator shows the exposure for a given portfolio value.