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SICAV

European open-end investment company structure with variable capital, commonly used for collective investment funds in Luxembourg and similar jurisdictions.

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A SICAV is a variable-capital investment company structure used for collective funds, especially in Luxembourg and other European jurisdictions.

In practice, the term matters because it tells you about the legal wrapper and capital structure of the fund, not just the holdings inside it.

How It Works

A SICAV generally:

  • operates as an open-end collective vehicle
  • issues and redeems shares as investors enter or leave
  • adjusts capital as subscriptions and redemptions change
  • can hold different sub-funds or share classes under one umbrella

That makes it a structural cousin of other open-end pooled vehicles, but with jurisdiction-specific legal features.

Why Investors Care

Investors encounter SICAVs when comparing European-domiciled funds, UCITS products, and cross-border distribution structures. The label helps explain how the fund is organized, regulated, and sold.

  • Open-End Fund: Functional comparison point for variable-capital pooled vehicles.
  • Net Asset Value: Standard pricing concept used by SICAVs and other open-end funds.
  • UCITS: Common European regulatory framework associated with many SICAVs.
  • Balanced Fund: One example of a fund strategy that may sit inside a SICAV structure.
Revised on Monday, May 18, 2026