BetaShares Global Robotics and AI ETF (ASX:RBTZ): Inside the Industrial Automation and Intelligence Portfolio

Key Highlights

• RBTZ tracks the Indxx Global Robotics and Artificial Intelligence Index, holding 60 companies across industrial robotics, automation, non-industrial robots, AI technology and unmanned vehicles.
• Industrials (51.0%) is the largest sector allocation — well above the large-growth category average of 10.7% — reflecting that dominant robotics companies (Fanuc, ABB, Keyence, SMC, Daifuku) are classified as industrial manufacturers rather than technology companies.
• Japan (29.5%) and China (22.5%) are the two largest geographic exposures alongside the United States (31.2%), making RBTZ one of the most Asia-weighted of BetaShares’ global ETFs; Switzerland (9.6%) is the fourth largest country.
• Annual portfolio turnover is 21.36%; management fee is 0.57% per annum; fund has $304.41 million in assets with 20.82 million units outstanding; beta is 1.78.

The BetaShares Global Robotics and Artificial Intelligence ETF — trading on the ASX under the code RBTZ — is a passively managed fund that tracks the Indxx Global Robotics and Artificial Intelligence Index. The index captures companies in developed markets that are expected to benefit from the increased adoption of robotics and AI, spanning industrial robotics and automation, non-industrial robots, artificial intelligence platforms, and unmanned vehicles.

The fund was admitted to the ASX in September 2018 and manages $304.41 million in assets with 20.82 million units outstanding. BetaShares employs a full replication strategy, holding the actual underlying securities of the index. The management fee is 0.57% per annum.

Portfolio Composition and Top Holdings

RBTZ holds 60 companies across the robotics and AI value chain and its sector composition is the most distinctive feature of the fund’s construction. Industrials account for 51.0% of the portfolio — an enormous overweight relative to the large-growth category average of 10.7% — because the dominant robotics companies are manufacturers of physical automation equipment and precision machinery classified as industrial businesses. Technology (30.2%), healthcare (8.1%), consumer cyclical (6.4%) and communication services (4.4%) make up the remaining allocations.

The top ten holdings represent 58.8% of the fund. Fanuc Corp — the Japanese industrial robot manufacturer — is the largest position at 9.12%, reflecting Fanuc’s status as one of the world’s most profitable robotics companies. ABB Ltd (9.05%), the Swiss electrification and automation multinational, is essentially tied for largest. Keyence Corp (8.76%), a Japanese manufacturer of sensors, measurement instruments and vision systems critical to industrial automation, is third. NVIDIA Corp (8.43%) provides the AI compute infrastructure layer — its GPUs power both AI model training and robotic inference. Intuitive Surgical (6.15%) represents the surgical robotics sub-sector through its da Vinci system.

The remaining top ten positions include Shenzhen Inovance Technology (4.53%), SMC Corp (3.95%), Daifuku (3.50%), RoboTechnik Intelligent Technology (2.79%) and Yaskawa Electric (2.41%) — all Japanese or Chinese industrial automation companies.

Geographic Exposure: A Significant Asia Weighting

RBTZ’s geographic composition is materially different from most global technology ETFs in its Asia weighting. Japan is the second largest exposure at 29.5%, driven by the positions in Fanuc, Keyence, SMC, Daifuku and Yaskawa — the core of the global industrial robotics industry. China accounts for 22.5%, including Shenzhen Inovance, RoboTechnik and other Chinese automation companies.

The United States (31.2%) is the largest single country but is not the overwhelmingly dominant exposure it is in most technology ETFs. Switzerland (9.6%) captures ABB’s large position. The remaining allocations span South Korea (3.6%), Canada (0.6%), Finland (0.7%), France (0.4%), Norway (1.0%) and the United Kingdom (1.0%).

This Japan and China weighting creates meaningful currency exposure that distinguishes RBTZ from US-centric technology ETFs. The Japanese yen and Chinese yuan are the two most significant non-USD currency exposures, and the fund does not hedge these. Movements in the AUD/JPY and AUD/CNY exchange rates will affect the fund’s AUD returns.

Risk Profile and Fund Dynamics

RBTZ has a beta of 1.78 — meaningful amplification of equity market moves — and an annualised standard deviation of 23.01%. These metrics are consistent with a thematic fund exposed to both high-growth AI and technology names (NVIDIA, Keyence) and more cyclical industrial automation businesses (Fanuc, ABB, Daifuku) whose fortunes are tied to manufacturing capital expenditure cycles.

The annual portfolio turnover of 21.36% reflects regular rebalancing of the Indxx index. The market-cap breakdown shows 85.5% of the portfolio in companies above $1 billion, 12.5% between $500 million and $1 billion, and 1.9% below $500 million. The most recent distribution was $0.007 per unit for July 2026 — an extremely small amount reflecting the growth orientation of most holdings, including Fanuc, Keyence, NVIDIA and Intuitive Surgical.

Conclusion

The BetaShares Global Robotics and Artificial Intelligence ETF (ASX:RBTZ) provides exposure to the full spectrum of the automation and AI investment universe — from the Japanese and Swiss industrial robot makers that dominate factory floors, to NVIDIA’s AI compute infrastructure, Intuitive Surgical’s robotic surgery systems and Chinese automation companies. The fund’s substantial Japan and China weighting, industrial sector dominance and moderate beta distinguish it from US-centric technology ETFs. Investors should note the absence of currency hedging and the significant exposure to yen and yuan, alongside the cyclical industrial character that sits alongside the AI growth narrative.