Best Middle East ETFs: Invest in Saudi, UAE, Qatar Stocks

KSA, launched in September 2015, was the first ETF to give U.S.-listed access to Saudi Arabian equities — a market that had been closed to foreign ownership until just months before the fund’s inception. It remains the most prominent Middle East ETF, tracking over 120 companies on the Tadawul exchange.

Middle East ETFs cover a region that spans several distinct economies, from oil-exporting Gulf states like Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Qatar to the technology-heavy Israeli market. The main stock exchanges in the region include the Saudi Stock Exchange (Tadawul), Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange, Dubai Financial Market, and the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange.

Most U.S.-listed Middle East ETFs are issued by BlackRock under its iShares brand and focus on individual countries:

• iShares MSCI Saudi Arabia ETF (KSA) — tracks the MSCI Saudi Arabia IMI 25/50 Index across large-, mid-, and small-cap Saudi stocks. Financials dominate the portfolio.
• iShares MSCI UAE ETF (UAE) — covers 38 stocks listed on UAE exchanges, representing the Middle East’s second-largest economy.
• iShares MSCI Qatar ETF (QAT) — tracks the MSCI All Qatar Cap Index, a 33-stock benchmark heavily weighted toward financials and banking.
• iShares MSCI Kuwait ETF (KWT) — launched in September 2020, holding 36 Kuwaiti stocks selected by market cap and liquidity.
• BlueStar Israel Technology ETF (ISRA) — tracks Israeli companies listed both in Tel Aviv and on global exchanges.

Financials are the dominant sector across nearly all Gulf country ETFs, reflecting the structural weight of state-linked banks and financial institutions. Energy and materials also carry significant weight, especially in the Saudi-focused funds. These ETFs are classified as emerging or frontier market products and carry heightened geopolitical and commodity-related risks compared to developed-market funds.

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The table below lists Middle East ETFs with live data on performance, fees, and fund details.