WisdomTree launches a global equity ETF focusing on companies with high dividends
WisdomTree announced today the launch of the WisdomTree Global High Dividend UCITS ETF (WDIV), a new exchange-traded fund designed to offer exposure to developed market companies with high dividend yields.
The product, which replicates the behavior of the WisdomTree Global High Dividend UCITS Index before commissions and expenses, begins trading today on Börse Xetra, Borsa Italiana and SIX Swiss Exchange, and will debut on the London Stock Exchange on July 2, 2026. Its total expense ratio (TER) is 0.35%.
A global strategy supported by fundamental criteria
The new ETF differs from traditional market capitalization-weighted indices by applying a fundamentals-based approach. Instead of assigning greater weight to companies by their market size, the strategy selects securities based on their dividend yield and weights them according to the dividends they distribute.
With this approach, WisdomTree seeks to enhance exposure to the High Dividend and Value investment factors, while maintaining diversification and a valuation discipline. The firm points out that this methodology is supported by a transparent and systematic process, backed by academic research.
Selection of 300 companies
To be part of the index, companies must first meet liquidity, dividend payment, and ESG criteria. They are then classified by dividend yield and evaluated using a proprietary Composite Risk Score, which incorporates quality and momentum indicators.
This system seeks to exclude higher risk companies and potential value traps, while favoring those with stronger fundamentals in selection and weighting. Finally, the 300 companies with the highest dividend yield are chosen, weighted according to their adjusted dividend flow, with diversification controls per share, sector, and country.
According to WisdomTree, companies with sustainable dividends tend to show greater discipline in managing free cash flow and a stronger commitment to returning capital to shareholders. In addition, dividend securities can provide a tangible source of return, combining income generation and capital appreciation potential.
The launch of WDIV is framed within WisdomTree's trajectory as a manager specialized in fundamentally weighted ETFs. The firm emphasizes that the new fund expands its offering of high dividend strategies in Europe, where it already has solutions focused on European, American and emerging markets.
High dividend strategies have long been considered an effective way to access both income and value characteristics in equity markets. By combining dividend yield with selection criteria based on quality and momentum, this strategy aims to offer investors a more disciplined approach to investing in high dividend stocks, which helps to avoid some of the risks associated with merely seeking the highest returns.
Pierre Debru, Head of Research, Europe, WisdomTree
Investors continue to seek strategies that allow them to obtain attractive income while maintaining their exposure to global stock markets. Through the WisdomTree Global High Dividend UCITS ETF, investors can access a diversified portfolio of companies that distribute high dividends, while benefiting from the disciplined and research-based framework that has characterized WisdomTree for more than two decades.
Alexis Marinof, CEO, Europe, WisdomTree
