VanEck Converts Gaming ETF into GENZ ETF Targeting Digital Native Economy
As GenZ and millennials reshape the economy through digital-first behaviors, VanEck is relaunching its Gaming ETF (BJK) as the VanEck Digital Native Economy ETF (GENZ), targeting the structural changes across payments, work and online engagement.
VanEck today announced the relaunch of the VanEck Digital Native Economy ETF (Ticker: GENZ), effective April 9, 2026, formerly known as the VanEck Gaming ETF (BJK). The fund now seeks to track the MarketVector Digital Native Economy Index (MVGENZTR), providing investors with targeted exposure to companies at the center of how the next generation earns, spends and plays.
The Digital Native Economy refers to the ecosystem of companies whose primary customers are individuals who have grown up entirely online and have never banked at a branch, hailed a physical cab, or placed a bet in person. The gig economy is growing 3x faster than the traditional workforce, with Gen Z and millennials now representing the dominant U.S. spending cohort, comprising approximately 145 million consumers (Source: Fortune/Ogilvy Consulting, as of 2025; U.S. Census Bureau, 2024).
The MarketVector Digital Native Economy Index organizes this opportunity into three distinct segments:
- Millennial Finance: Neobanks, digital payment platforms, and fintech companies enabling self-directed, mobile-first financial services (e.g., cash app platforms, buy-now-pay-later providers, and digital brokerage firms).
- Gig Economy and Online Forums: Platforms powering on-demand work, creator monetization, and peer community commerce, reflecting the shift from full-time employment to flexible, platform-driven income.
- Digital Sports Betting and Gambling: Online betting operators and iGaming platforms benefiting from rapid U.S. legalization, with U.S. sports betting revenue growing from $248 million in 2017 to $13.7 billion in 2024 (Source: American Gaming Association, 2025; Nevada Gaming Control Board, 2017).
The fund lists on Nasdaq and carries a unitary fee structure of 0.50%.
"The gaming lens that defined BJK no longer captures the full scope of the behavioral and economic transformation underway," said Michael Cohick, Director of Product Management at VanEck. "GENZ is designed around a simple observation: one of the largest and fastest-growing consumer cohorts has built their entire financial life on platforms that didn't exist 15 years ago. The companies serving them across payments, gig platforms, and online betting represent a structurally distinct and growing opportunity."
The repositioning reflects VanEck's ongoing commitment to identifying structural shifts early and translating them into investment solutions. VanEck's thematic ETF suite spans semiconductors (SMH), video gaming and esports (ESPO), digital assets (DAPP), and now the broader digital native consumer economy (GENZ), offering advisors and allocators a range of exposures to the technology-driven transformation of daily life.
"Gen Z and younger millennials aren't adapting to digital, they're native to it," added Nick Frasse, Product Manager at VanEck. "GENZ gives investors a way to own the infrastructure of their economic lives, including the apps, platforms and services they use every day."
For more information, including the updated prospectus, fund holdings and the GENZ investor Q&A, visit vaneck.com/GENZ.
About VanEck
VanEck has a history of looking beyond the financial markets to identify trends that are likely to create impactful investment opportunities. We were one of the first U.S. asset managers to offer investors access to international markets. This set the tone for the firm's drive to identify asset classes and trends – including gold investing in 1968, emerging markets in 1993, and exchange traded funds in 2006 – that subsequently shaped the investment management industry.
Today, VanEck offers active and passive strategies with compelling exposures supported by well-designed investment processes. As of February 28, 2026, VanEck managed approximately $224.5 billion in assets, including mutual funds, ETFs and institutional accounts. The firm's capabilities range from core investment opportunities to more specialized exposures to enhance portfolio diversification. Our actively managed strategies are fueled by in-depth, bottom-up research and security selection from portfolio managers with direct experience in the sectors and regions in which they invest. Investability, liquidity, diversity, and transparency are key to the experienced decision-making around market and index selection underlying VanEck's passive strategies.
Since our founding in 1955, putting our clients' interests first, in all market environments, has been at the heart of the firm's mission.
General Disclosures
This is not an offer to buy or sell, or a recommendation to buy or sell any of the securities, financial instruments or digital assets mentioned herein. The information presented does not involve the rendering of personalized investment, financial, legal, tax advice, or any call to action. Certain statements contained herein may constitute projections, forecasts and other forward-looking statements, which do not reflect actual results, are for illustrative purposes only, are valid as of the date of this communication, and are subject to change without notice. Actual future performance of any assets or industries mentioned are unknown. Information provided by third party sources are believed to be reliable and have not been independently verified for accuracy or completeness and cannot be guaranteed. VanEck does not guarantee the accuracy of third party data. The information herein represents the opinion of the author(s), but not necessarily those of VanEck or its other employees.
An investment in the VanEck Digital Native Economy ETF (GENZ) may be subject to risks which include, among others, risks related to investing in the digital native economy, financial sector, communication services sector, consumer discretionary sector, industrials sector, and information technology sector, equity securities, depositary receipts, large-capitalization companies, cash transactions, market, operational, index, authorized participant concentration, no guarantee of active trading market, trading issues, passive management, fund shares trading, premium/discount risk and liquidity of fund shares, non-diversified, and index-related concentration, all of which may adversely affect the Fund. Large-capitalization companies may be subject to elevated risks.
Van Eck Associates Corporation (the "Adviser") will pay all expenses of the VanEck Digital Native Economy ETF (GENZ), except for the fee payment under the investment management agreement, acquired fund fees and expenses, interest expense, offering costs, trading expenses, taxes and extraordinary expenses. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Adviser has agreed to pay the offering costs until at least February 1, 2028.
An investment in the VanEck Semiconductor ETF (SMH) may be subject to risks which include, among others, risks related to investing in the semiconductor industry, equity securities, information technology sector, foreign securities, emerging market issuers, foreign currency, depositary receipts, medium-capitalization companies, issuer-specific changes, market, operational, index tracking, authorized participant concentration, no guarantee of active trading market, trading issues, passive management, fund shares trading, premium/discount, liquidity of fund shares, non-diversified, and index-related concentration risks, all of which may adversely affect the Fund. Emerging market issuers and foreign securities may be subject to securities markets, political and economic, investment and repatriation restrictions, different rules and regulations, less publicly available financial information, foreign currency and exchange rates, operational and settlement, and corporate and securities laws risks. Medium-capitalization companies may be subject to elevated risks.
An investment in the VanEck Video Gaming and eSports ETF (ESPO) may be subject to risks which include, among others, risks related to investing in video gaming and eSports companies, software industry, internet software & services industry, semiconductor industry, equity securities, communication services sector, consumer discretionary sector, depositary receipts, small- and medium-capitalization companies, issuer-specific changes, special risk considerations of investing in Asian, Chinese and Japanese issuers, emerging markets issuers, foreign securities, foreign currency, market, operational, cash transactions, index tracking, authorized participant concentration, no guarantee of active trading market, trading issues, passive management, fund shares trading, premium/discount, liquidity of fund shares, non-diversified, and index-related concentration risks, all of which may adversely affect the Fund. Emerging market issuers and foreign securities may be subject to securities markets, political and economic, investment and repatriation restrictions, different rules and regulations, less publicly available financial information, foreign currency and exchange rates, operational and settlement, and corporate and securities laws risks. Small- and medium-capitalization companies may be subject to elevated risks.
An investment in the VanEck Digital Transformation ETF (DAPP) may be subject to risks which include, among others, risks related to investing in digital transformation companies, equity securities, small- and medium-capitalization companies, information technology sector, financials sector, foreign securities, emerging market issuers, market, operational, index tracking, authorized participant concentration, no guarantee of active trading market, trading issues, passive management, fund shares trading, premium/discount, liquidity of fund shares, non-diversified and index-related concentration risks, all of which may adversely affect the Fund. Emerging market issuers and foreign securities may be subject to securities markets, political and economic, investment and repatriation restrictions, different rules and regulations, less publicly available financial information, foreign currency and exchange rates, operational and settlement, and corporate and securities laws risks. Small- and medium-capitalization companies may be subject to elevated risks.
Investing involves substantial risk and high volatility, including possible loss of principal. An investor should consider the investment objective, risks, charges and expenses of a Fund carefully before investing. To obtain a prospectus and summary prospectus, which contain this and other information, call 800.826.2333 or visit vaneck.com. Please read the prospectus and summary prospectus carefully before investing.
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