With the Nasdaq sitting near record highs, some investors might assume they have missed the boat.
But long-term wealth isn't built by waiting for the perfect entry point. It is built by owning the world's most innovative companies and letting compounding do its work.
That's exactly what the Betashares Nasdaq 100 ETF (ASX: NDQ) offers. It provides simple access to the 100 largest non-financial stocks listed on the Nasdaq exchange. Many of which are shaping the next decade of global growth.
Here are three powerful reasons the NDQ ETF remains a top ASX exchange traded fund (ETF) to buy in 2026.
The world's highest-quality technology leaders
The Nasdaq 100 is home to stocks with extraordinary financial strength, global dominance, and proven ability to compound earnings over decades. These aren't speculative tech names, they are some of the most profitable and influential businesses ever created.
The ASX ETF's top holdings include Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL), Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT), Nvidia (NASDAQ: NVDA), Amazon (NASDAQ: AMZN), Alphabet (NASDAQ: GOOG), Meta Platforms (NASDAQ: META), and Tesla (NASDAQ: TSLA).
These companies sit at the centre of cloud computing, smartphones, social platforms, semiconductors, and digital payments. They generate vast amounts of cash, reinvest heavily into innovation, and hold competitive advantages that are incredibly difficult to disrupt.
When you buy the Betashares Nasdaq 100 ETF, you are not betting on one winner. You are owning the entire field of proven global tech leaders.
A front-row seat to the AI boom
Artificial intelligence is no longer a distant theme, it is already reshaping industries worldwide. The companies enabling this shift are almost entirely found in the Nasdaq 100.
NDQ gives investors exposure to foundational AI infrastructure, like Nvidia chips and Microsoft's cloud platforms, and AI adopters and monetisers, such as Adobe (NASDAQ: ADBE), Alphabet, and Meta.
AI requires enormous computing power, massive data storage, advanced software platforms, and constant hardware upgrades. The Nasdaq 100 contains nearly all the companies positioned to benefit from this multi-trillion-dollar transformation.
AI could prove to be the defining megatrend of the 2020s and 2030s, and the NDQ ETF gives you some of the broadest exposure you can get from the ASX.
Betashares Nasdaq 100 ETF outperformance
The Nasdaq 100 has consistently outperformed most major global indices for over 20 years.
For example, over the past 10 years, the Betashares Nasdaq 100 ETF has generated an average total return of 20% per annum.
This is not luck or timing, it is the natural outcome of owning stocks that grow faster, innovate more aggressively, and expand into new markets at scale.
But the long-term story is far from over. The forces driving the Nasdaq's rise, such as cloud computing, e-commerce, digital payments, cybersecurity, AI, and software-as-a-service, remain early in their global adoption curves. These industries are expected to grow for decades, not years.
As a result, the Betashares Nasdaq 100 ETF could be a great pick for Aussie investors in 2026.
