Celebrating 70 years of innovation and integrity
August 2025
Global asset manager VanEck celebrates its 70th anniversary this month, commemorating a rich history of democratising financial opportunities. Since John C van Eck founded the business in 1955 with one of the first US mutual funds to focus on international opportunities, VanEck has grown to become one of the largest exchange traded product issuers in the world.
Today, VanEck has a presence in more than a dozen international cities across the Americas, Europe, Asia and Australia. Collectively, these businesses manage nearly two hundred exchange-traded products and dozens of mutual funds, institutional mandates, model portfolios, private funds and UCITS funds. As of 30 June 2025, VanEck manages more than US$130 billion in assets.
Over a rich history of forward-thinking strategies, resilience through market cycles, and enduring commitment to clients, the global fund manager’s mission has remained intact from John C van Eck’s bold vision 70 years ago: to offer investors intelligent access to global markets and emerging opportunities, with cutting-edge strategies in smart beta, alternatives including digital assets and thematic exposures.
Global CEO Jan van Eck, who joined the firm in 1991, said: “My father believed that investors deserved more than what the mainstream was offering. He built this firm on the idea that the world is constantly changing, and that by understanding those shifts early, you could create real opportunity for clients. That belief still guides us today.”
Asia Pacific CEO and Managing Director Arian Neiron founded the Australian business over a decade ago, driven by a clear and forward-looking vision to reshape the Australian investment landscape. Drawing on his deep experience in asset management, Neiron has championed the belief that innovative, intelligent investment solutions should be more accessible to Australian investors.
This guiding philosophy has underpinned the growth and success of VanEck’s Australian business. Since launching more than a decade ago, Neiron’s leadership has been instrumental in positioning VanEck as a pioneer in the region’s ETF market, bridging the discipline of active management with the efficiency and transparency of ETFs. The business has become the fastest-growing ETF issuer in Australia, offering 45 ETFs that open access to markets once reserved for institutional investors. VanEck has led the way in bringing industry-first smart beta solutions to Australian and international equities, emerging and strategic asset classes including infrastructure, real estate, emerging market equities and bonds, listed private credit, global defence, capital securities and more.
“When Jan and I first met in 2012 to discuss the changing asset management landscape and my desire to establish an Australian asset management business, it was the strong philosophical alignment and purpose that formed the bedrock of the why, the what we do, and the success that transpired. As we mark the global business’s platinum jubilee anniversary, I am incredibly proud of what we have accomplished, both as an international asset manager and as an Asia Pacific business. Over the past 70 years, our global firm has left a lasting imprint on the international investment landscape by identifying transformative themes early and building investor access where none previously existed.
“As we look ahead to the next 70 years, our ambition remains unchanged: to give investors access to the opportunities that will define the world ahead. We believe the next era of investing will be shaped by exponential technologies, global realignment, and a rising demand for accessibility and values-driven capital allocation. Remaining family-owned and independent gives us the unique advantage of agility and authenticity. We are not bound by short-termism. We can think generationally. We are committed to continue shaping a financial future that is more open, more innovative and more aligned with the opportunities and challenges of a changing world,” said Neiron.