The top investment funds over the past year

The top-performing investment funds for the year ending March 31 have been announced, with all being ETFs focused on international equities.

The BetaShares Crypto Innovators ETF (ASX: CRYP), with $158 million in net assets, led the pack with a 163.8% return, according to Rainmaker Information research. This fund seeks to provide exposure to companies involved in servicing crypto-asset markets or have "material investments" in crypto-assets. Its top holdings - MicroStrategy, CoinBase, Galaxy Digital, CleanSpark, and Marathon Digital Holdings - account for nearly 50% of the fund's weighting.

The Global X Ultra Long NDQ 100 Hedge Fund (ASX: LNAS) came second with an 84.5% return. The fund offers investors positively geared exposure to the Nasdaq-100 Index.

In third place, the BetaShares Global Uranium ETF (ASX: URNM) returned 68.9%. The fund tracks an index of leading companies in the global uranium industry. Its major holdings include Cameco, Kazatomprom, and the Sprott Physical Uranium Trust.

The Global X Semiconductor ETF (ASX: SEMI) secured fourth position with a 66.2% return. The fund invests in companies that will benefit from the adoption of tech-enabled devices that require semiconductors, including those involved in the development and manufacturing of semiconductors. Its largest holdings are NVIDIA, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, and Broadcom.

Rounding out top five, the Global X FANG+ ETF (ASX: FANG), which has the largest net assets of any product in the top 10 at $565 million, returned 65.6%. The fund invests in companies that are considered "next generation" technology companies. Its biggest holdings are in Alphabet (Google), Apple, and Amazon.

Examining sector-specific performance over a three-year period, the Acadian Global Equity Long Short Fund led international equities large-cap strategies with a 37.5% annual return. It was followed by the Ironbark Royal London Concentrated Global Share Fund (22.9%) and GQG Partners Global Equity Fund (22.8%).

For Australian equities large caps over the same period, the Lazard Select Australian Equity Fund topped the table with a 16.9% return. It was followed by the Merlon Concentrated Australian Share Fund (15.5%) and Lazard's Defensive Australian Equity Fund (14.3%).

In the Australian equities small caps category, the Spheria Australian Microcap Fund bested its peers with a 20% return. It was followed by the Ausbil Australian SmallCap Fund (16.8%) and the DNR Capital Australian Emerging Companies Fund (12%).