Currency-converted price (and dividend) share classes of funds, which have no independent accounting profile of their own and are identical in most other respects to the base currency class of the fund. Most funds will accept investment in a wide range of currencies, but may not provide Net Asset Value or unit price information in all currencies. Shareholders wishing to invest or redeem their investment in a currency other than those offered by the fund provider’s virtual currency share classes will usually incur a currency exchange fee.
Key features of virtual currency share classes:
- Created to reflect investment (pricing and dealing) currency options that the fund company has made available to investors;
- No separate accounting entity - all balance sheet statements are presented only in the base currency of the fund class;
- Number of units in issue will be identical to that of the base currency class;
- In a common currency share class, net assets will be identical to that of the base class, allowing for differences due to exchange rates used in currency conversion;
- Dividend payments may or may not be made in the virtual class currency;
- May or may not be referenced in the prospectus as an independent share class;
- May or may not have a unique ISIN;
- UCITS-compliant funds may or may not publish an independent Key Investor Information Document (KIID);
- No foreign exchange conversion fee for subscription or redemption in the virtual currency.