Delisting of Sub-Fund

This document is important and requires your immediate attention. If you are in doubt as to the action you should take you should seek advice from your stockbroker, bank manager, solicitor, accountant or other independent financial adviser. If you have sold or transferred all of your shares in the Fund referred to below, please pass this Circular at once to the purchaser or transferee or to the stockbroker, bank or other agent through whom the sale or transfer was effected for transmission to the purchaser or transferee as soon as possible.

This document has not been reviewed by the Central Bank of Ireland (the "Central Bank") and it is possible that changes thereto may be necessary to meet the Central Bank's requirements. The board of directors of the Company (the "Directors") accepts responsibility for the information contained in this Circular.

18 March 2022

HSBC ETFs plc (the "Company")

Dear Shareholder,

We refer to HSBC MSCI SOUTH AFRICA CAPPED UCITS ETF [IE00B57S5Q22] (the "Fund"), a sub-fund of the Company, of which you are a shareholder.

Closure of the Fund

The purpose of this letter is to advise you of the closure of the Fund which is due to take place on 21 April 2022 (the "Closure Date"). 

In accordance with the provisions of the Company's prospectus and the articles of association, the Directors have discretion to redeem all of the shares in and terminate a fund if the total net asset value of that fund falls below USD50 million. 

As of the date of this letter, the Fund is below that threshold and, therefore, the Directors have determined to compulsorily redeem the shares and close the Fund with effect from the Closure Date.  In making this decision, the Directors also considered the reduced level of investor demand for the Fund and considered it unlikely that the net assets of the Fund would increase sufficiently in the future to justify the continuation of the Fund. 

Procedure for Closure

For secondary market orders, the last day for trading on each relevant stock exchange on which the shares of the Fund are listed is 19 April 2022 (the "Final Exchange Trading Date").

For primary market orders, the last day on which applications for subscriptions and redemptions for shares in the Fund by Authorised Participants may be made is 20 April 2022 (the "Final Dealing Date"). 

The Fund will be de-listed from the stock exchanges on which the shares of the Fund are listed on 20 April 2022* (the "Delisting Date").

*Please note that the delisting from the Official List of the Financial Conduct Authority ("FCA") date for the London Stock Exchange will be 26 April 2022.

On the Closure Date, all shares will be compulsorily redeemed in accordance with the terms of the prospectus and redemption proceeds, calculated as of the Closure Date, will be remitted to shareholders within 10 business days.

Investors buying and selling Shares through a broker or market maker/Authorised Participant and/or investors who hold Shares through a nominee and/or clearing agent, may not appear in the Company's register of Shareholders. Such investors should deal directly with the relevant broker, market maker/Authorised Participant, nominee or clearing agent (as relevant) in respect to their investment.

Costs

Please be informed that all legal and administrative costs in relation to the closure of the Fund will be borne by HSBC Global Asset Management Limited and not the Fund.  The Fund will however incur the transaction costs associated with liquidating the assets, but these will be minimal.

If you have any queries regarding the matters dealt with in this letter, please contact your sales representative or your professional advisor.

Tax considerations

The redemption of shares in the Fund will be deemed a disposal for capital gains tax purposes and may give rise to a capital gains tax liability. If you are in any doubt as to the tax consequences, you should contact your financial or tax advisor.

Yours sincerely,

Director

For and on behalf of

HSBC ETFs plc

Further Information

* Calls may be recorded

Appendix