AFK VanEck Africa Index ETF

PRINCIPAL RISKS OF INVESTING IN THE FUND

Investors in the Fund should be willing to accept a high degree of volatility in the price of the Fund’s Shares and the possibility of significant losses. An investment in the Fund involves a substantial degree of risk. An investment in the Fund is not a deposit with a bank and is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency. Therefore, you should consider carefully the following risks before investing in the Fund.

Special Risk Considerations of Investing in Russian Issuers. Investment in securities of Russian issuers involves risks not typically associated with investments in securities of issuers in more developed countries that may negatively affect the value of your investment in the Fund. Such heightened risks include, among others, expropriation and/or nationalization of assets, restrictions on and government intervention in international trade, confiscatory taxation, political instability, including authoritarian and/or military involvement in governmental decision making, armed conflict, the impact on the economy as a result of civil war, and social instability as a result of religious, ethnic and/or socioeconomic unrest.

The securities markets of Russia are underdeveloped and are often considered to be less correlated to global economic cycles than those markets located in more developed countries. As a result, securities markets in Russia are subject to greater risks associated with market volatility, lower market capitalization, lower trading volume, illiquidity, inflation, greater price fluctuations, uncertainty regarding the existence of trading markets, governmental control and heavy regulation of labor and industry. Moreover, trading on securities markets may be suspended altogether.

The government in Russia may restrict or control to varying degrees the ability of foreign investors to invest in securities of issuers located or operating in Russia. These restrictions and/or controls may at times limit or prevent foreign investment in securities of issuers located or operating in Russia. Moreover, governmental approval or special licenses may be required prior to investments by foreign investors and may limit the amount of investments by foreign investors in a particular industry and/or issuer and may limit such foreign investment to a certain class of securities of an issuer that may have less advantageous rights than the classes available for purchase by domiciliaries of Russia and/or impose additional taxes on foreign investors. These factors, among others, make investing in issuers located or operating in Russia significantly riskier than investing in issuers located or operating in more developed countries, and any one of them could cause a decline in the value of the Fund’s Shares.

Additionally, because Russia produces and exports large volumes of oil and gas, the Russian economy is particularly sensitive to the price of oil and gas on the world market, and a decline in the price of oil and gas could have a significant negative impact on the Russian economy.

The value of the Russian Ruble may be subject to a high degree of fluctuation. The Fund’s assets will be invested primarily in equity securities of Russian issuers and the income received by the Fund will be principally in Russian Rubles. The Fund’s exposure to the Russian Ruble and changes in value of the Russian Ruble versus the U.S. dollar may result in reduced returns to the Fund. Moreover, the Fund may incur costs in connection with conversions between U.S. dollars and the Russian Ruble. In addition, the current economic turmoil in Russia and the effects on the current global economic crisis on the Russian economy may have significant adverse effects on the Russian Ruble and on the values of the Fund’s investments.

Risk of Investing in Foreign Securities. Investments in the securities of foreign issuers involve risks beyond those associated with investments in U.S. securities. These additional risks include greater market volatility, the availability of less reliable financial information, higher transactional and custody costs, taxation by foreign governments, decreased market liquidity and political instability. Because many foreign securities markets may be limited in size, the prices of securities that trade in such markets may be influenced by large traders. Certain foreign markets that have historically been considered relatively stable may become volatile in response to changed conditions or new developments. Increased interconnectivity of world economies and financial markets increases the possibility that adverse developments and conditions in one country or region will affect the stability of economies and financial markets in other countries or regions. Foreign issuers are often subject to less stringent requirements regarding accounting, auditing, financial reporting and record keeping than are U.S. issuers, and therefore, not all material information may be available or reliable. Securities exchanges or foreign governments may adopt rules or regulations that may negatively impact the Fund’s ability to invest in foreign securities or may prevent the Fund from repatriating its investments. In addition, the Fund may not receive shareholder communications or be permitted to vote the securities that it holds, as the issuers may be under no legal obligation to distribute shareholder communications.

Risk of Investing in Emerging Market Issuers. Investments in securities of emerging market issuers are exposed to a number of risks that may make these investments volatile in price or difficult to trade. Political risks may include unstable governments, nationalization, restrictions on foreign ownership, laws that prevent investors from getting their money out of a country and legal systems that do not protect property rights as well as the laws of the United States. Market risks may include economies that concentrate in only a few industries, securities issues that are held by only a few investors, limited trading capacity in local exchanges and the possibility that markets or issues may be manipulated by foreign nationals who have inside information.

Risk of Investing in Depositary Receipts. Depositary receipts in which the Fund may invest are receipts listed on U.S. exchanges issued by banks or trust companies that entitle the holder to all dividends and capital gains that are paid out on the underlying foreign shares. Investments in depositary receipts may be less liquid than the underlying shares in their primary trading market and, if not included in the Russia Index, may negatively affect the Fund’s ability to replicate the performance of the Russia Index.

Risk of Investing in the Energy Sector. The energy sector includes companies engaged in the exploration, production and distribution of energy sources and companies that manufacture or provide related equipment or services. Because as currently constituted the Russia Index is concentrated in the energy sector, the Fund will be sensitive to changes in, and its performance will depend to a greater extent on, the overall condition of the energy sector. Companies operating in the energy sector are subject to risks including, but not limited to, economic growth, worldwide demand, political instability in the regions that the companies operate, government regulation stipulating rates charged by utilities, interest rate sensitivity, oil price volatility and the cost of providing the specific utility services. In addition, these companies are at risk of civil liability from accidents resulting in injury, loss of life or property, pollution or other environmental damage claims and risk of loss from terrorism and natural disasters.

Risk of Investing in the Basic Materials Sector. The basic materials sector includes companies that manufacture chemicals, construction materials, glass and paper products, as well as metals, minerals and mining companies. Because as currently constituted the basic materials sector represents a significant portion of the Russia Index, the Fund will be sensitive to changes in, and its performance may depend to a greater extent on, the overall condition of the basic materials sector. Companies engaged in the production and distribution of basic materials may be adversely affected by changes in world events, political and economic conditions, energy conservation, environmental policies, commodity price volatility, changes in exchange rates, imposition of import controls, increased competition, depletion of resources and labor relations.

Risk of Investing in the Telecommunications Sector. The telecommunications sector includes companies that provide telecommunications services. Because as currently constituted the telecommunications sector represents a significant portion of the Russia Index, the Fund will be sensitive to changes in, and its performance will depend to a greater extent on, the overall condition of the telecommunications sector. Companies in the telecommunications sector may be affected by industry competition, substantial capital requirements, government regulations and obsolescence of telecommunications products and services due to technological advancement.

Risk of Investing in the Financial Services Sector. The financial services sector includes companies engaged in banking, commercial and consumer finance, investment banking, brokerage, asset management, custody or insurance. Because as currently constituted the financial services sector represents a significant portion of the Russia Index, the Fund will be sensitive to changes in, and its performance may depend to a greater extent on, the overall condition of the financial services sector. Companies in the financial services sector may be subject to extensive government regulation that affects the scope of their activities, the prices they can charge and the amount of capital they must maintain. The profitability of companies in the financial services sector may be adversely affected by increases in interest rates and by loan losses, which usually increase in economic downturns. In addition, the financial services sector is undergoing numerous changes, including continuing consolidations, development of new products and structures and changes to its regulatory framework. Furthermore, increased government involvement in the financial services sector, including measures such as taking ownership positions in financial institutions, could result in a dilution of the Fund’s investments in financial institutions. Recent developments in the credit markets have caused

companies operating in the financial services sector to incur large losses, experience declines in the value of their assets and even cease operations.

Risk of Investing in Medium-Capitalization Companies. Medium-capitalization companies may be more volatile and more likely than large-capitalization companies to have narrower product lines, fewer financial resources, less management depth and experience and less competitive strength. Returns on investments in securities of these companies could trail the returns on investments in securities of large-capitalization companies.

Equity Securities Risk. The value of the equity securities held by the Fund may fall due to general market and economic conditions, perceptions regarding the markets in which the issuers of securities held by the Fund participate, or factors relating to specific issuers in which the Fund invests. Equity securities are subordinated to preferred securities and debt in a company’s capital structure with respect to priority in right to a share of corporate income, and therefore will be subject to greater dividend risk than preferred securities or debt instruments. In addition, while broad market measures of equity securities have historically generated higher average returns than fixed income securities, equity securities have also experienced significantly more volatility in those returns.

Market Risk. The prices of the securities in the Fund are subject to the risks associated with investing in the securities market, including general economic conditions and sudden and unpredictable drops in value. An investment in the Fund may lose money.

Index Tracking Risk. The Fund’s return may not match the return of the Russia Index for a number of reasons. For example, the Fund incurs a number of operating expenses not applicable to the Russia Index and incurs costs associated with buying and selling securities, especially when rebalancing the Fund’s securities holdings to reflect changes in the composition of the Russia Index. Because the Fund bears the costs and risks associated with buying and selling securities while such costs and risks are not factored into the return of the Index, the Fund’s return may deviate significantly from the return of the Index. In addition, the Fund may not be able to invest in certain securities included in the Russia Index, or invest in them in the exact proportions they represent of the Russia Index, due to legal restrictions or limitations imposed by the government of Russia or a lack of liquidity on stock exchanges in which such securities trade. The Fund is expected to value certain of its investments based on fair value prices. To the extent the Fund calculates its net asset value (“NAV”) based on fair value prices and the value of the Russia Index is based on securities’ closing price on local foreign markets ( i.e. , the value of the Russia Index is not based on fair value prices), the Fund’s ability to track the Russia Index may be adversely affected.

Replication Management Risk. An investment in the Fund involves risks similar to those of investing in any fund of equity securities traded on an exchange, such as market fluctuations caused by such factors as economic and political developments, changes in interest rates and perceived trends in security prices. However, because the Fund is not “actively” managed, unless a specific security is removed from the Russia Index, the Fund generally would not sell a security because the security’s issuer was in financial trouble. Therefore, the Fund’s performance could be lower than funds that may actively shift their portfolio assets to take advantage of market opportunities or to lessen the impact of a market decline or a decline in the value of one or more issuers.

Premium/Discount Risk. Disruptions to creations and redemptions, the existence of extreme market volatility or potential lack of an active trading market for Shares may result in Shares trading at a significant premium or discount to NAV. If a shareholder purchases Shares at a time when the market price is at a premium to the NAV or sells Shares at a time when the market price is at a discount to the NAV, the shareholder may sustain losses.

Non-Diversified Risk. The Fund is classified as a “non-diversified” investment company under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “1940 Act”). Therefore, the Fund may invest a relatively high percentage of its assets in a smaller number of issuers or may invest a larger proportion of its assets in a single company. As a result, the gains and losses on a single investment may have a greater impact on the Fund’s NAV and may make the Fund more volatile than more diversified funds.

Concentration Risk. The Fund’s assets may be concentrated in a particular sector or sectors or industry or group of industries to the extent the Index concentrates in a particular sector or sectors or industry or group of industries. Based on the current composition of the Russia Index, the Fund’s assets are concentrated in the energy sector; therefore, the Fund will be subject to the risk that economic, political or other conditions that have a negative effect on that sector will negatively impact the Fund to a greater extent than if the Fund’s assets were invested in a wider variety of sectors or industries.