Exchange-traded funds have debuted on European exchange homes this week—Amsterdam and Ireland. And an exchange-traded product is expected to launch soon in Egypt.

In all, ETF Securities has added 13 ETFs on Euronext and the Irish Stock Exchange, with a focus on commodities-themed investing.

The launch is taking place on the Euronext Amsterdam and the Irish Stock Exchange.

The sector ETFs cover alternative energy, nuclear, water, shipping, coal, steel, gold, basic resources, utilities, oil & gas and agribusiness. They are the:

• ETFS WNA Global Nuclear Energy Fund
• ETFS Janney Global Water Fund
• ETFS S-Net ITG Global Agri Business Fund
• ETFS Russell Global Coal Fund
• ETFS Russell Global Gold Fund
• ETFS Russell Global Steel Large Cap Fund
• ETFS Daxglobal Alternative Energy Fund
• ETFS Dow Jones Stoxx 600 Basic Resources Fund
• ETFS Dow Jones Stoxx 600 Oil & Gas Fund
• ETFS Dow Jones Stoxx 600 Utilities Fund
• ETFS Russell Global Shipping 40 Fund
• ETFS Russell 1000 Fund
• ETFS Russell 2000 Fund

In many respects, this launch mirrors recent activity in the U.S. ETF market.

Market Vectors and PowerShares have brought to market various global plays on hard assets investing (see story.)

Alternative energy ETFs, including water funds, have done reasonably well in early efforts to gain assets (see story.)

Two of the three existing U.S. transportation ETFs also launched in the past month (see story.)

Meanwhile, in Egypt, investment bank Beltone Financial plans to launch an ETF in December tracking the CASE 30 Index, trading on the 30 most liquid stocks in the Egyptian market.

The fund, XT-MISR, is targeting 100 million Egyptian pounds, and foreign institutions as investors. The Egyptian Stock Exchange has said in published reports that it plans to launch ETFs, and stock and index futures and options next year in a bid to increase trading.

The investment bank said based on the popularity of the XT-MISR, it may dual-list on a European exchange, and launch additional regional and Islamic investments.