The BMO Equal Weight Banks Index ETF is a financial product that launched on TSX on October 20, 2009 and is designed to track the net performance of the Solactive Equal Weight Canadian Banks Index as closely as possible.
The Solactive Equal Weight Canadian Banks Index includes securities listed in the Canadian banking industry. Included securities are subject to liquidity checks and minimum market capitalization.
Additionally, rather than weighting holdings based on each security’s market capitalization, the index assigns an equal weight to each security.
ZEB.TO is currently trading just under $34.19.
ZEB Key Facts
As of July 15, 2026:
- Ticker Symbol: ZEB.TO
- Exchange: Toronto Stock Exchange
- Assets Under Management: $3,142.73 Billion (as of July 25, 2026)
- MER: 0.28%
- Annualized Distribution Yield: 4.37%
- Currency Traded: CAD
- Eligible Accounts: Most registered (TFSA, RRSP, etc) and non-registered available
BMO ZEB MER And Fees
BMO ZEB ETF charges a management fee of 0.25% and comes with a Management Expense Ratio (MER) of 0.28%. The ETF is not as pricy compared to many other ETFs offering exposure to the banking sector in Canada.
BMO ZEB Dividend Yield
My favourite feature about BMO ZEB ETF is that it is a monthly dividend-paying ETF despite the fact that the underlying securities pay quarterly shareholder dividends.
The wide economic moats of the underlying securities allow the fund to finance monthly shareholder dividends comfortably.
As of July 15, 2026:
- Annualized Distribution Yield: 4.37%
- Dividend schedule: Monthly
BMO ZEB Performance And Returns
Here is the growth of a hypothetical $10,000 invested in BMO ZEB since inception:
As of June 30, 2026:
| 1 Year | 2 Year | 3 Year | 5 Year | 10 Year | Since Inception | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NAV | -1.67% | 24.46% | 10.80% | 8.94% | 11.35% | 10.58% |
| Index | -1.31% | 25.11% | 11.42% | 9.60% | 12.05% | 11.28% |
Source: Bmogam.com
What Does BMO ZEB ETF Invest In?
BMO ZEB ETF exclusively invests in the Canadian banking sector.
BMO ZEB Asset Allocation
BMO ZEB ETF invests entirely in Canadian banking stocks without any exposure to fixed-income securities:
BMO ZEB Top Holdings
This section of my ZEB ETF review would have typically discussed its top ten holdings, but the fund holds only six, namely, the National Bank of Canada (17.76%), the Royal Bank of Canada (17.21%), the Bank of Montreal (16.59% of the fund), the Toronto-Dominion Bank (16.24% of the fund), the Bank of Nova Scotia (15.93% of the fund), and the Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce (15.38% of the fund).
| Weight (%) | Name | Bloomberg Ticker |
|---|---|---|
| 17.76% | NATIONAL BANK OF CANADA | NA |
| 17.21% | ROYAL BANK OF CANADA | RY |
| 16.59% | BANK OF MONTREAL | BMO |
| 16.24% | TORONTO-DOMINION BANK/THE | TD |
| 15.93% | BANK OF NOVA SCOTIA/THE | BNS |
| 15.38% | CANADIAN IMPERIAL BANK OF COMMERCE | CM |
| 0.88% | CASH | – |
Source: Bmogam.com
BMO ZEB Sector Weighting
As of July 25, 2026, as seen in the chart below, the ETF has allocated 99.11% to financials sector.
BMO ZEB Risk Rating
BMO ZEB has a medium risk rating.
BMO ZEB Alternatives
This section of my BMO ZEB ETF review will cover a few alternative financial instruments with which you can compare the ETF.
BMO ZEB ETF Vs. BMO ZWB
BMO Covered Call Canadian Banks ETF is one of the Canadian bank ETFs that comes the closest to BMO ZEB ETF.
BMO ZWB ETF is primarily comprised of seven holdings, and one of them is BMO ZEB ETF itself. The remaining assets for the fund are allocated almost equally to the Big Six Canadian banks.
However, it is also a costlier fund that charges a management fee of 0.65% and an MER of 0.71%.
BMO ZEB ETF Vs. CI Canadian Banks Income Class ETF
CI Canadian Banks Income Class ETF (CIC) is another Canadian bank ETF that focuses on investing in Canadian equity securities trading in the banking sector. Managed by CI Global Asset Management, CIC ETF comprises primarily of the same holdings as for BMO ZEB ETF.
The ETF has a 0.65% management fee and an MER of 0.81%.
BMO ZEB ETF Vs. RBC Canadian Bank Yield Index ETF
RBC Canadian Bank Yield Index ETF (RBNK) is one of the newest ETFs among Canadian bank ETFs. It began trading on the TSX in October 2017. The fund primarily consists of the same holdings as BMO ZEB ETF.
However, the fund does not allocate its assets into the constituent banking stocks with an equal weighting.
It focuses more on Scotiabank (the fastest-growing bank) and the Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce (the largest bank). RBC RBNK ETF has a management fee of 0.29% with an MER of 0.33%.
Is There A Canadian Bank ETF?
Yes, there is. The BMO Equal Weight Banks Index ETF is one of several bank ETFs that are trading on the TSX.
There are several Canadian bank ETFs that you can consider investing in, including BMO Covered Call Canadian Banks ETF, CI First Asset CanBanc Income Class ETF, iShares Equal Weight Banc & Lifeco ETF, and the RBC Canadian Bank Yield Index ETF.
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Our Final Verdict: Is BMO ZEB A Good Investment For You?
BMO ZEB ETF is a slightly tricky investment to consider adding to your portfolio. I like the fact that the ETF provides you with monthly dividend payouts. You can add it to your portfolio as a monthly income-generating asset.
The ETF also provides you with a simpler way to get exposure to the top banking stocks instead of individually adding each one to your portfolio.
However, the high management fee and MER will eat into your profits, especially as the holdings within the fund keep appreciating in the long run.
You can easily replicate the performance of this ETF by adding the individual stocks to your portfolio at a minimal cost, provided that you intend to buy and hold the assets for the long haul.
You won’t get monthly payouts since the individual holdings pay quarterly shareholder dividends, but the cost will be significantly lower.
If you want to add dividend-paying ETFs to your portfolio, I suggest you check out my list of the best dividend ETFs in Canada to learn how to earn easy passive income.