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Virtus KAR Emerging Markets Small-Cap Fund

Virtus KAR Emerging Markets Small-Cap Fund

Investment Objective

The fund has an investment objective of capital appreciation.

Fees and Expenses

The tables below illustrate all fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy, hold and sell shares of the fund. You may pay other fees, such as brokerage commissions and other fees to financial intermediaries, which are not reflected in the tables and examples below. You may qualify for sales charge discounts in Class A Shares if you and your family invest, or agree to invest in the future, at least $50,000 in Virtus Funds. More information on these and other discounts is available: (i) from your financial advisor or other financial intermediary; (ii) under “Sales Charges” on page 160 of the fund’s prospectus; (iii) with respect to purchase of shares through specific intermediaries, in Appendix A to the fund’s prospectus, entitled “Intermediary Sales Charge Discounts and Waivers;” and (iv) under “Alternative Purchase Arrangements” on page 115 of the fund’s statement of additional information.

Shareholder Fees (fees paid directly from your investment)

Shareholder Fees - Virtus KAR Emerging Markets Small-Cap Fund	Class A	Class C		Class I	Class R6
Maximum Sales Charge (load) Imposed on Purchases (as a percentage of offering price)	5.50%	none		none	none
Maximum Deferred Sales Charge (load) (as a percentage of the lesser of purchase price or redemption proceeds)	none	1.00%	[1]	none	none

Annual Fund Operating Expenses (expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)

Annual Fund Operating Expenses - Virtus KAR Emerging Markets Small-Cap Fund		Class A	Class C	Class I	Class R6
Management Fees		1.20%	1.20%	1.20%	1.20%
Distribution and Shareholder Servicing (12b-1) fees		0.25%	1.00%	none	none
Other Expenses		0.36%	0.34%	0.31%	0.21%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses		1.81%	2.54%	1.51%	1.41%
Less: Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement	[1]	(0.02%)	(0.01%)	(0.01%)	(0.01%)
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Expense Reimbursement	[1]	1.79%	2.53%	1.50%	1.40%

Example

This example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the fund with the cost of investing in other mutual funds. The example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the fund for the time periods indicated and then redeem all of your shares at the end of those periods or continued to hold them. The example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year, that the fund’s operating expenses remain the same and that the expense reimbursement arrangement remains in place for the contractual period. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:

Expense Example - Virtus KAR Emerging Markets Small-Cap Fund - USD ($)	1 Year	3 Years	5 Years	10 Years
Class A	722	1,086	1,474	2,558
Class C	356	790	1,350	2,875
Class I	153	476	823	1,801
Class R6	143	445	770	1,690

Expense Example No Redemption - Virtus KAR Emerging Markets Small-Cap Fund - USD ($)	1 Year	3 Years	5 Years	10 Years
Class A	722	1,086	1,474	2,558
Class C	256	790	1,350	2,875
Class I	153	476	823	1,801
Class R6	143	445	770	1,690

Portfolio Turnover

The fund pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or “turns over” its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover rate may indicate higher transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when fund shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in annual fund operating expenses or in the example, affect the fund’s performance. During the most recent fiscal year, the fund’s portfolio turnover rate was 19% of the average value of its portfolio.

Investments, Risks and Performance

Principal Investment Strategies

The fund pursues capital appreciation in emerging markets small-cap equities. The fund invests in a select group of small-cap companies believed by the subadviser to be undervalued relative to their future market growth potential. The investment strategy emphasizes companies that the subadviser believes to have a sustainable competitive advantage, strong management and low financial risk and to be able to grow over market cycles.

Under normal circumstances, the fund invests at least 80% of its assets in equity or equity-linked securities of small capitalization companies located in emerging markets countries. The fund’s subadviser considers small-capitalization companies to be those companies that, at the time of initial purchase, have market capitalizations of less than $8 billion. Emerging markets countries generally include every nation in the world except the U.S., Canada, Japan, Australia, New Zealand and most nations located in Western Europe. The fund intends to diversify its investments among countries and normally to have represented in the portfolio business activities of a number of different countries. In determining “location” of an issuer, the subadviser primarily relies on the country where the issuer is incorporated. However, the country of risk is ultimately determined based on analysis of the following criteria: actual building address (domicile), primary exchange on which the security is traded and country in which the greatest percentage of company revenue or profit is generated. This evaluation is conducted so as to determine that the issuer’s assets are exposed to the economic fortunes and risks of the designated country. Equity securities in which the fund invests include common stocks, preferred stocks and American Depositary Receipts (ADRs). The subadviser does not use allocation models to restrict the fund’s investments to certain regions, countries or industries. Generally, the fund invests in approximately 30-60 securities at any given time.

Principal Risks

The fund may not achieve its objective(s), and it is not intended to be a complete investment program. The value of the fund’s investments that supports your share value may decrease. If between the time you purchase shares and the time you sell shares the value of the fund’s investments decreases, you will lose money. Investment values can decrease for a number of reasons. Conditions affecting the overall economy, specific industries or companies in which the fund invests can be worse than expected, and investments may fail to perform as the subadviser expects. As a result, the value of your shares may decrease. Purchase and redemption activities by fund shareholders may impact the management of the fund and its ability to achieve its investment objective(s). The principal risks of investing in the fund are identified below.

Equity Securities Risk.  The value of the stocks held by the fund may be negatively affected by the financial market, industries in which the fund invests, or issuer-specific events. Focus on a particular style or in small or medium-sized companies may enhance that risk.

Foreign Investing Risk.  Investing in foreign securities subjects the fund to additional risks such as increased volatility; currency fluctuations; less liquidity; less publicly available information about the foreign investment; and political, regulatory, economic, and market risk.

Emerging Market Risk.  Emerging markets securities may be more volatile, or more greatly affected by negative conditions, than those of their counterparts in more established foreign markets.

Depositary Receipts Risk.  Investments in foreign companies through depositary receipts may expose the fund to the same risks as direct investments in securities of foreign issuers.

Equity-Linked Instruments Risk.  The performance of equity-linked instruments is subject to similar risks to those of the referenced equity security, in addition to the risk that the equity-linked instruments fail to replicate the of the referenced equity security. Equity-linked instruments also expose the fund to counterparty risk, which could result in a loss of all or part of the fund’s investment.

Limited Number of Investments Risk.  Because the fund may have a limited number of securities, it may be more susceptible to factors adversely affecting its securities than a fund with a greater number of securities.

Market Volatility Risk.  The value of the securities in the fund may go up or down in response to the prospects of individual companies and/or general economic conditions. Price changes may be short- or long-term. Local, regional or global events such as war, acts of terrorism, the spread of infectious illness or other public health issue, recessions, or other events could have a significant impact on the fund and its investments, including hampering the ability of the fund’s portfolio manager(s) to invest the fund’s assets as intended.

Preferred Stocks Risk.  Preferred stocks may decline in price, fail to pay dividends when expected, or be illiquid.

Redemption Risk.  One or more large shareholders or groups of shareholders may redeem their holdings in the fund, resulting in an adverse impact on remaining shareholders in the fund by causing the fund to take actions it would not otherwise have taken.

Small Market Capitalization Companies Risk.  The fund’s investments in small market capitalization companies may be less liquid and more vulnerable to adverse business or economic developments, which may increase the volatility and risk of loss to the fund, as compared with investments in larger, more established companies.

Performance Information

The bar chart and table below provide some indication of the potential risks of investing in the fund. The fund’s past performance, before and after taxes, is not necessarily an indication of how the fund will perform in the future.

The bar chart shows changes in the fund’s performance from year to year over the life of the fund. The table shows how the fund’s average annual returns compare to those of a broad-based securities market index. Updated performance information is available at virtus.com or by calling 800-243-1574.

Returns do not reflect sales charges and would be lower if they did.

Calendar year total returns for Class I Shares

Best Quarter: Q2/2020: 34.75% Worst Quarter: Q1/2020: -20.54%

Average Annual Total Returns (for the periods ended 12/31/21)

Returns reflect deduction of maximum sales charges and full redemption at end of periods shown.

Average Annual Returns - Virtus KAR Emerging Markets Small-Cap Fund	Label	1 Year	5 Years	Since Inception	Inception Date
Class I	Return Before Taxes	(1.65%)	14.90%	8.63%	Dec. 17, 2013
Class A	Return Before Taxes	(7.31%)	13.33%	7.61%	Dec. 17, 2013
Class C	Return Before Taxes	(2.67%)	13.75%	7.56%	Dec. 17, 2013
Class R6	Return Before Taxes	(1.49%)		16.22%	Aug. 01, 2019
After Taxes on Distributions | Class I	Return After Taxes on Distributions	(3.79%)	14.34%	8.21%
After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares | Class I	Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares	0.13%	12.11%	7.08%
MSCI Emerging Markets Small Cap Index (net) (reflects no deduction for fees, expenses or taxes) | Class R6	MSCI Emerging Markets Small Cap Index (net) (reflects no deduction for fees, expenses or taxes)	18.75%	11.47%	18.85%	Aug. 01, 2019
MSCI Emerging Markets Small Cap Index (net) (reflects no deduction for fees, expenses or taxes)	MSCI Emerging Markets Small Cap Index (net) (reflects no deduction for fees, expenses or taxes)	18.75%	11.47%	6.70%	Dec. 17, 2013

The MSCI Emerging Markets Small Cap Index (net) is a free float-adjusted market capitalization-weighted index designed to measure small cap equity market performance in the global emerging markets. The index is calculated on a total return basis with net dividends reinvested. The index is unmanaged and not available for direct investment. 

After-tax returns are calculated using the historical highest individual federal marginal income tax rates and do not reflect the impact of state and local taxes. After-tax returns are shown only for Class I Shares; after-tax returns for other classes will vary. Actual after-tax returns depend on the investor’s tax situation and may differ from those shown. After-tax returns are not relevant to investors who hold fund shares in tax-deferred accounts or to shares held by non-taxable entities. In certain cases, the Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares for a period may be higher than other return figures for the same period. This will occur when a capital loss is realized upon the sale of fund shares and provides an assumed tax benefit that increases the return.

[1] The deferred sales charge is imposed on Class C Shares redeemed during the first year only.

[1] The fund’s investment adviser has contractually agreed to limit the fund’s total operating expenses (excluding certain expenses, such as front-end or contingent deferred sales charges, taxes, leverage and borrowing expenses (such as commitment, amendment and renewal expenses on credit or redemption facilities), interest, brokerage commissions, expenses incurred in connection with any merger or reorganization, unusual or infrequently occurring expenses (such as litigation), acquired fund fees and expenses, and dividend expenses, if any) so that such expenses do not exceed 1.79% for Class A Shares, 2.53% for Class C Shares, 1.50% for Class I Shares and 1.40% for Class R6 Shares through January 31, 2023. Following the contractual period, the adviser may discontinue these expense reimbursement arrangements at any time. Under certain conditions, the adviser may recapture operating expenses reimbursed and/or fees waived under these arrangements for a period of three years following the date such waiver or reimbursement occurred, provided that the recapture does not cause the fund to exceed its expense limit in effect at the time of the waiver or reimbursement, and any in effect at the time of recapture, after repayment is taken into account.