London Stock Exchange ETF segment · UCITS ETF
Invest in WCOS ETF from India
Indian and foreign residents can buy State Street SPDR MSCI World Consumer Staples UCITS ETF (WCOS) units directly through Paasa.
By Paasa · Updated
WCOS at a glance
- Price
- $53.41+$0.22 (0.41%)
- Expense ratio
- 0.3%
- Day range
- $53.27 – $53.84
- Assets
- $153.7M
- Domicile
- Ireland
- Holdings
- 87
- Launched
- 2009
- Dividends
- —
- 1 month
- -2.29%
- 6 months
- +1.14%
- YTD
- +4.42%
- 1 year
- +7.03%
- 5 years
- +25.11%
Price change, excluding dividends.
Top 10 holdings
- 1Walmart Inc.WMT10.7%
- 2Costco Wholesale CorporationCOST9.3%
- 3Procter & Gamble CompanyPG7.7%
- 4Coca-Cola CompanyKO7.7%
- 5Philip Morris International Inc.PM6.7%
- 6Nestle S.A.NESN.SW5.4%
- 7PepsiCo Inc.PEP4.0%
- 8Unilever PLCULVR.L3.0%
- 9Altria Group Inc.MO2.6%
- 10British American Tobacco p.l.c.BATS.L2.5%
WCOS holds 87 securities in total. These 10 are 59.7% of the fund.
Where the money is invested
Sectors
- Consumer Defensive97.8%
- Consumer Cyclical2.2%
Countries
- United States65.7%
- United Kingdom10.0%
- Switzerland6.3%
- Japan4.3%
- France3.9%
- Canada2.2%
How to invest in WCOS 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 WCOS and buy
Find the fund by its ticker, WCOS, on the London Stock Exchange ETF segment, and place your order.
Why invest in WCOS from India
What WCOS holds
The primary goal of this Fund is to replicate the investment returns achieved by companies operating within the consumer staples industry. It focuses on businesses located in established economies worldwide.
Outside US estate tax
WCOS is domiciled in Ireland, not the US, so it is not a US-situs asset and US estate tax does not apply to it.
Hold a dollar asset
WCOS 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.
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.
Why WCOS' UCITS structure matters for Indian investors
WCOS is domiciled in Ireland, not the US, so it is not a US-situs asset and US estate tax does not apply to it.
On the US shares the fund holds, the 15% US dividend withholding is paid inside the fund, and you cannot claim it as a Foreign Tax Credit in India.
Capital gains are taxed in India the same way as on a US-listed ETF.
Frequently asked questions
Can I buy WCOS from India?
Yes. Indian residents can buy State Street SPDR MSCI World Consumer Staples UCITS ETF (WCOS) through Paasa. It is listed on the London Stock Exchange ETF segment 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 WCOS invest in?
State Street SPDR MSCI World Consumer Staples UCITS ETF holds 87 securities. Its largest holdings are Walmart Inc. (10.7%), Costco Wholesale Corporation (9.3%) and Procter & Gamble Company (7.7%). Consumer Defensive is its largest sector at 97.8%. The fund is domiciled in Ireland.
What is the expense ratio of WCOS?
State Street SPDR MSCI World Consumer Staples UCITS ETF has an expense ratio of 0.3% a year, taken from the fund's assets rather than billed to you. The fund manages about $153.7M.
Is WCOS a UCITS ETF, and why does that matter for Indian investors?
Yes. State Street SPDR MSCI World Consumer Staples UCITS ETF is a UCITS fund domiciled in Ireland. Because it is domiciled outside the US, it is not a US-situs asset, so US estate tax does not apply to it. On the US shares the fund holds, the 15% US dividend withholding is paid inside the fund, and you cannot claim it as a Foreign Tax Credit in India.
What tax do I pay in India when I sell WCOS?
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.