The folks at a privately held, Big Apple fund firm are celebrating the big seven-oh.

Jan van Eck VanEck CEO

This morning, Jan van Eck, CEO of VanEck [profile], highlights the New York City-based asset manager's 70th birthday. Founded by Jan van Eck's father, the late John van Eck, in 1955, their eponymous company has grown to about $132.9 billion in AUM* and a team of 460 full-time employees**.

"My father believed that investors deserved more than what the mainstream was offering," stated Jan van Eck, who has led the firm for 15 years. "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."

VanEck started out as International Investors Inc., and indeed the team lays claim to John van Eck launching one of the first international mutual funds in the U.S. Other pioneering VanEck efforts that the team has laid claim to over the years have included:

the 1968 launch of the first U.S. gold equities fund;

the 1984 launch of the first long "hard assets" fund;

the 1987 launch of their first global bond;

the 2006 entrance of VanEck into the ETF space (via what was then its "Market Vectors" brand) and the launch of the first U.S. gold ETF;

the 2017 launch of an early bitcoin-linked ETF;

the 2024 launch of one of the first spot bitcoin ETPs and one of the first spot ether ETPs; and more.

Today, VanEck's product suite spans equity funds (both U.S. and international), precious metals funds, fixed income funds (both U.S. and international), digital assets funds, and multi-asset strategies. In addition to U.S. mutual funds and ETFs, the VanEck team also offers model portfolios, institutional separate accounts, private funds, and UCITS funds.

Jan van Eck describes the anniversary celebration as just about "history and longevity, but also about the people who have carried [VanEck's] philosophy forward and continue to do so today."

"From our early days of hand drawing gold charts to the rise of digital assets, our team has always brought thoughtfulness, discipline and a willingness to adapt," Jan van Eck states. "That's what will carry us into the future."

* As of June 30, 2025.

**Including 73 investment professionals. 

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