As our fiscal year started, global equities, in the form of the MSCI World Index^SM (the “Index”) measured in local currencies, including net reinvested dividends had just recovered from a 5% slump after ending 2013 at a record high. The Index endured more wide swings late in 2014 before surging in February 2015 to end up 14.69% for the fiscal year. (The Index returned 7.87% for the one year ended February 28, 2015, measured in U.S. dollars.)

A cold and snowy winter depressed hiring and other key statistics like durable goods orders and home sales early in 2013. But with the improvement in the season came a pick-up in U.S. economic data. Employment reports looked steadily better and the unemployment rate fell below 6%. The February bulletin marked the eleventh consecutive month in which more than 200,000 jobs were created. National purchasing managers’ activity indices signaled expansion at mostly healthy rates. While the housing market was cooling, the annualized rate of existing home sales exceeded 5 million in 6 out of 12 months. The rate of increase in the S&P/Case-Shiller 20-City Composite Home Price Index had slowed to mid-single digits, but the final report in February showed a modest acceleration. The most widely watched measures of consumer confidence touched multi-year high levels. Growth in gross domestic product (“GDP”) was -2.1% (annualized) in the first quarter but rebounded to 5.0% in the third, before pulling back to 2.2% in the fourth.

Yet concerns periodically surfaced about the sustainability of the recovery in the U.S. and worldwide. The improving U.S. employment situation was accompanied by labor force participation rates at or near the lowest since 1978. Wage growth was sluggish, near 2% annually. The U.S. Federal Reserve Board’s (“Fed’s”) monthly Treasury and mortgage-backed securities purchases ended as expected in October. But by then the Fed’s balance sheet had increased fivefold over six years to $4.5 trillion and the aftermath of any attempt to bring the total down was far from clear.

Outside of the U.S., growth in China decelerated to 7.4% in 2014, the slowest since 1990, which weighed on global commodity supplying countries. Japan re-entered recession in the third quarter after an April rise in the consumption tax and the rebound to growth of 2.2% annualized was a disappointment. But it was the euro zone that was the most problematic. Growth was barely visible in the second and third quarters. Unemployment seemed stuck above 11.0%, while deflation emerged in December. At last, in late January, the European Central Bank (“ECB”) announced quantitative easing of  €60 billion per month until at least September 2016, despite German opposition. Against this, a new government was elected in Greece with a mandate to ease the terms of its bailout and roll back reforms. Finally oil prices halved between June and December. Was this also a signal that global economic activity was weaker than anyone had imagined?

Securities prices mirrored investors’ mood swings in the later months. The Index actually reached a new peak on September 19, but by October 16 fell 8%. From there the Index rebounded 12% to December 5, fell 5% to December 16 then rose 10% to end the fiscal year 0.1% below its all-time high.

In U.S. fixed income markets, the Barclays Long-Term U.S. Treasury sub-index returned a remarkable 20.78% over the fiscal

year; the Barclays U.S. Treasury Bond sub-index just 4.40% as the Treasury yield curve flattened. The Barclays U.S. Aggregate Bond Index (“Barclays Aggregate”) added 5.05%, while the Barclays U.S. Corporate Investment Grade Bond sub-index gained 6.54%. Both outperformed the Barclays High Yield Bond — 2% Issuer Constrained Composite Index (not a part of the Barclays Aggregate), which returned only 2.81%, perhaps reflecting growing disillusionment with the risk/reward profile of high yield bonds, after strong returns in recent years.

U.S. equities, represented by the S&P 500^® Index including dividends, advanced 15.51% in the fiscal year, ending 0.38% below its all-time high. The health care sector was the top performer, returning 23.51%; not surprisingly the only loser was energy, which dropped 7.23% as oil prices sagged. Record operating earnings per share for S&P 500^® companies in the second and third quarters were supported by low interest rates, slow wage growth and historically high share buy-back volumes. Operating margins breached 10% for the first time. Both retreated in the last quarter.

In currencies, the dollar gained ground against most other currencies over the year. The dollar surged 23.28% against the euro, as the U.S. ended quantitative easing just as the ECB embarked on it, and 17.51% against the yen, on the likelihood of further monetary easing in Japan and an announced partial re-allocation into stocks (including non-yen) for the giant Government Pension Investment Fund (“GPIF”). The dollar gained less, 8.47%, on the pound. The UK has a better growth story than the euro zone, which however is the destination for about 40% of the UK’s exports.

In international markets, the MSCI Japan^® Index jumped 27.60% in the fiscal year, boosted in the case of Japan’s large exporters by the falling yen, by continued quantitative easing and by the GPIF’s announcement described above. The MSCI Europe ex UK^® Index added 16.01%. The poor economic data were ultimately trumped by the prospect of quantitative easing, which was expected to be highly supportive of the prices of risky financial assets, judging from the experience of the U.S. and Japan. The MSCI UK^® Index was much weaker, edging up 5.38%. Nearly half of this index is comprised of 14 names, mostly global banking, energy, pharmaceuticals and materials companies, not particularly representative of an improving economy, which made a combined negative contribution for the year.

Past performance does not guarantee future results. The performance quoted represents past performance. Investment return and principal value of an investment will fluctuate, and shares, when redeemed, may be worth more or less than their original cost. The Fund’s performance is subject to change since the period’s end and may be lower or higher than the performance data shown. Please call (800) 992-0180 or log on to www.voyainvestments.com to obtain performance data current to the most recent month end.

Market Perspective reflects the views of Voya Investment Management’s Chief Investment Risk Officer only through the end of the period, and is subject to change based on market and other conditions.

NOTE 1 — ORGANIZATION

Voya Emerging Markets High Dividend Equity Fund (the “Fund”) is a diversified, closed-end management investment company registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “1940 Act”). The Fund is organized as a Delaware statutory trust.

Voya Investments, LLC (“Voya Investments” or the “Investment Adviser”), an Arizona limited liability company, serves as the Investment Adviser to the Fund. The Investment Adviser has retained Voya Investment Management Co. LLC (“Voya IM”), a Delaware limited liability company, to provide certain consulting services for the Investment Adviser. The Investment Adviser has engaged ING Investment Management Advisors B.V. (“IIMA”), a subsidiary of ING Groep N.V. (“ING Groep”), domiciled in The Hague, The Netherlands, and Voya IM to serve as sub-advisers to the Fund. Voya Funds Services, LLC (“VFS” or the “Administrator”), a Delaware limited liability company, serves as the Administrator to the Fund. Effective April 7, 2015, IIMA will now be known as NNIP Advisors B.V. (“NNIP Advisors”).

NOTE 2 — SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES

The following significant accounting policies are consistently followed by the Fund in the preparation of its financial statements. The Fund is considered an investment company under U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (“GAAP”) and follows the accounting and reporting guidance applicable to investment companies.

A. Security Valuation. The net asset value (“NAV”) per share of the Fund is determined each business day as of the close of regular trading (“Market Close”) on the New York Stock Exchange (“NYSE”) (normally 4:00 p.m. Eastern time unless otherwise designated by the NYSE) each day on which the NYSE is open for trading. The Fund is open for business every day the NYSE is open. Fund shares will not be priced on days when the NYSE is closed. The NAV per share of the Fund is calculated by taking the value of the Fund’s assets, subtracting the Fund’s liabilities, and dividing by the number of shares that are outstanding.

Assets for which market quotations are readily available are valued at market value. A security listed or traded on an exchange is valued at its last sales price or official closing price as of the close of the normal trading session on the exchange where the security is principally traded, or lacking any sales or official closing price on a particular day, the security may be valued at the mean of the closing bid and ask price on that day. Bank loans are valued at the average of the averages between the bid and ask prices provided to an independent pricing service by brokers.

Futures contracts are valued at the final settlement price set by an exchange on which they are principally traded. Listed options are valued at the mean between the last bid and ask prices from the exchange on which they are principally traded. Investments in open-end registered investment companies that do not trade on an exchange are valued at the end of day net asset value per share. Investments in registered investment companies that trade on an exchange are valued at the last sales price or official closing price as of the close of the customary trading session on the exchange where the security is principally traded.

When a market quotation is not readily available or is deemed unreliable, the Fund will determine a fair value for the relevant asset in accordance with procedures adopted by the Board of Trustees (“Board”). Such procedures provide, for example, that: (a) Debt obligations are valued using an evaluated price provided by an independent pricing service. Evaluated prices provided by the pricing service may be determined without exclusive reliance on quoted prices, and may reflect factors such as institution-size trading in similar groups of securities, developments related to specific securities, benchmark yield, quality, type of issue, coupon rate, maturity individual trading characteristics and other market data; (b) Securities traded in the over-the-counter market are valued based on prices provided by independent pricing services or market makers; (c) Options not listed on an exchange are valued by an independent source using an industry accepted model, such as Black-Scholes; (d) Centrally cleared swap agreements are valued using a price provided by the central counterparty clearinghouse; (e) Over-the-counter swap agreements are valued using a price provided by an independent pricing service; (f) Forward foreign currency contracts are valued utilizing current and forward rates obtained from an independent pricing service. Such prices from the third party pricing service are for specific settlement periods and each Fund’s forward foreign currency contracts are valued at an interpolated rate between the closest preceding and subsequent period reported by the independent pricing service and (g) Securities for which market prices are not provided by any of the above methods may be valued based upon quotes furnished by brokers.

The prospectuses of the open-end registered investment companies in which the Fund may invest explain the circumstances under which they will use fair value pricing and the effects of using fair value pricing.

Foreign securities’ (including foreign exchange contracts) prices are converted into U.S. dollar amounts using the applicable exchange rates as of the close of the NYSE. If market quotations are available and believed to be reliable

NOTE 2 — SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES (continued)

for foreign exchange-traded equity securities, the securities will be valued at the market quotations. Because trading hours for certain foreign securities end before the close of the NYSE, closing market quotations may become unreliable. An independent pricing service determines the degree of certainty, based on historical data, that the closing price in the principal market where a foreign security trades is not the current value as of the close of the NYSE. Foreign securities’ prices meeting the approved degree of certainty that the price is not reflective of current value will be valued by the independent pricing service using pricing models designed to estimate likely changes in the values of those securities between the times in which the trading in those securities is substantially completed and the close of the NYSE. Multiple factors may be considered by the independent pricing service in determining the value of such securities and may include information relating to sector indices, American Depositary Receipts and domestic and foreign index futures.

All other assets for which market quotations are not readily available or became unreliable (or if the above fair valuation methods are unavailable or determined to be unreliable) are valued at fair value as determined in good faith by or under the supervision of the Board following procedures approved by the Board. Issuer specific events, transaction price, position size, nature and duration of restrictions on disposition of the security, market trends, bid/ask quotes of brokers and other market data may be reviewed in the course of making a good faith determination of a security’s fair value. Valuations change in response to many factors including the historical and prospective earnings of the issuer, the value of the issuer’s assets, general economic conditions, interest rates, investor perceptions and market liquidity. Because of the inherent uncertainties of fair valuation, the values used to determine the Fund’s NAV may materially differ from the value received upon actual sale of those investments. Thus, fair valuation may have an unintended dilutive or accretive effect on the value of shareholders’ investments in the Fund.

Each investment asset or liability of the Fund is assigned a level at measurement date based on the significance and source of the inputs to its valuation. Quoted prices in active markets for identical securities are classified as “Level 1,” inputs other than quoted prices for an asset or liability that are observable are classified as “Level 2” and unobservable inputs, including each Sub-Adviser’s judgment about the assumptions that a market participant would use in pricing an asset or liability are classified as “Level 3.” The inputs used for valuing securities are not necessarily an indication of the risks associated with

investing in those securities. Short-term securities of sufficient credit quality are generally considered to be Level 2 securities under applicable accounting rules. A table summarizing the Fund’s investments under these levels of classification is included following the Portfolio of Investments.

The Board has adopted methods for valuing securities and other assets in circumstances where market quotes are not readily available, and has delegated the responsibility for applying the valuation methods to the “Pricing Committee” as established by the Fund’s Administrator. The Pricing Committee considers all facts it deems relevant that are reasonably available, through either public information or information available to the Investment Adviser or sub-advisers, when determining the fair value of the security. In the event that a security or asset cannot be valued pursuant to one of the valuation methods established by the Board, the fair value of the security or asset will be determined in good faith by the Pricing Committee. When the Fund uses these fair valuation methods that use significant unobservable inputs to determine its NAV, securities will be priced by a method that the Pricing Committee believes accurately reflects fair value and are categorized as Level 3 of the fair value hierarchy. The methodologies used for valuing securities are not necessarily an indication of the risks of investing in those securities nor can it be assured the Fund can obtain the fair value assigned to a security if it were to sell the security.

To assess the continuing appropriateness of security valuations, the Pricing Committee may compare prior day prices, prices on comparable securities, and traded prices to the prior or current day prices and the Pricing Committee challenges those prices exceeding certain tolerance levels with the independent pricing service or broker source. For those securities valued in good faith at fair value, the Pricing Committee reviews and affirms the reasonableness of the valuation on a regular basis after considering all relevant information that is reasonably available.

For fair valuations using significant unobservable inputs, U.S. GAAP requires a reconciliation of the beginning to ending balances for reported fair values that presents changes attributable to total realized and unrealized gains or losses, purchases and sales, and transfers in or out of the Level 3 category during the period. The end of period timing recognition is used for the transfers between Levels of the Fund’s assets and liabilities. A reconciliation of Level 3 investments is presented only when the Fund has a significant amount of Level 3 investments.

For the year ended February 28, 2015, there have been no significant changes to the fair valuation methodologies.

NOTE 2 — SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES (continued)

B. Security Transactions and Revenue Recognition. Security transactions are recorded on the trade date. Realized gains or losses on sales of investments are calculated on the identified cost basis. Interest income is recorded on the accrual basis. Premium amortization and discount accretion are determined using the effective yield method. Dividend income is recorded on the ex-dividend date, or in the case of some foreign dividends, when the information becomes available to the Fund.

C. Foreign Currency Translation. The books and records of the Fund are maintained in U.S. dollars. Any foreign currency amounts are translated into U.S. dollars on the following basis:

Although the net assets and the market values are presented at the foreign exchange rates at the end of the day, the Fund does not isolate the portion of the results of operations resulting from changes in foreign exchange rates on investments from the fluctuations arising from changes in market prices of securities held. Such fluctuations are included with the net realized and unrealized gains or losses from investments. For securities, which are subject to foreign withholding tax upon disposition, liabilities are recorded on the Statement of Assets and Liabilities for the estimated tax withholding based on the securities current market value. Upon disposition, realized gains or losses on such securities are recorded net of foreign withholding tax. Reported net realized foreign exchange gains or losses arise from sales of foreign currencies, currency gains or losses realized between the trade and settlement dates on securities transactions, the difference between the amounts of dividends, interest, and foreign withholding taxes recorded on the Fund’s books and the U.S. dollar equivalent of the amounts actually received or paid. Net unrealized foreign exchange gains and losses arise from changes in the value of assets and liabilities other than investments in securities at period end, resulting from changes in the exchange rate. Foreign security and currency transactions may involve certain considerations and risks not typically associated with investing in U.S. companies and U.S. government securities. These risks include, but are not limited to, revaluation of currencies and future adverse political and economic developments which could cause securities and

their markets to be less liquid and prices more volatile than those of comparable U.S. companies and U.S. government securities. The foregoing risks are even greater with respect to securities of issuers in emerging markets.

D. Distributions to Shareholders. The Fund intends to make quarterly distributions from its cash available for distribution, which consists of the Fund’s dividends and interest income after payment of Fund expenses, net option premiums and net realized and unrealized gains on investments. Such quarterly distributions may also consist of return of capital. At least annually, the Fund intends to distribute all or substantially all of its net realized capital gains. Distributions are recorded on the ex-dividend date. Distributions are determined annually in accordance with federal tax principles, which may differ from U.S. GAAP for investment companies.

The tax treatment and characterization of the Fund’s distributions may vary significantly from time to time depending on whether the Fund has gains or losses on the call options written on its portfolio versus gains or losses on the equity securities in the portfolio. Each quarter, the Fund will provide disclosures with distribution payments made that estimate the percentages of that distribution that represent net investment income, other income or capital gains, and return of capital, if any. The final composition of the tax characteristics of the distributions cannot be determined with certainty until after the end of the Fund’s tax year, and will be reported to shareholders at that time. A significant portion of the Fund’s distributions may constitute a return of capital. The amount of quarterly distributions will vary, depending on a number of factors. As portfolio and market conditions change, the rate of dividends on the common shares will change. There can be no assurance that the Fund will be able to declare a dividend in each period.

E. Federal Income Taxes. It is the policy of the Fund to comply with the requirements of subchapter M of the Internal Revenue Code that are applicable to regulated investment companies and to distribute substantially all of its net investment income and any net realized capital gains to its shareholders. Therefore, a federal income tax or excise tax provision is not required. Management has considered the sustainability of the Fund’s tax positions taken on federal income tax returns for all open tax years in making this determination. No capital gain distributions shall be made until the capital loss carryforwards have been fully utilized or expire.

F. Use of Estimates. The preparation of financial statements in conformity with U.S. GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of

NOTE 2 — SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES (continued)

the financial statements and the reported amounts of increases and decreases in net assets from operations during the reporting period. Actual results could differ from those estimates.

G. Risk Exposures and the use of Derivative Instruments. The Fund’s investment objectives permit the Fund to enter into various types of derivatives contracts, including, but not limited to, forward foreign currency exchange contracts and purchased and written options. In doing so, the Fund will employ strategies in differing combinations to permit it to increase or decrease the level of risk, or change the level or types of exposure to market risk factors. This may allow the Fund to pursue its objectives more quickly and efficiently than if it were to make direct purchases or sales of securities capable of affecting a similar response to market factors.

Market Risk Factors. In pursuit of its investment objectives, the Fund may seek to use derivatives to increase or decrease its exposure to the following market risk factors:

Credit Risk. Credit risk relates to the ability of the issuer to meet interest and principal payments, or both, as they come due. In general, lower-grade, higher-yield bonds are subject to credit risk to a greater extent than lower-yield, higher-quality bonds.

Equity Risk. Equity risk relates to the change in value of equity securities as they relate to increases or decreases in the general market.

Foreign Exchange Rate Risk. Foreign exchange rate risk relates to the change in the U.S. dollar value of a security held that is denominated in a foreign currency. The U.S. dollar value of a foreign currency denominated security will decrease as the U.S. dollar appreciates against the currency, while the U.S. dollar value will increase as the U.S. dollar depreciates against the currency.

Interest Rate Risk. Interest rate risk refers to the fluctuations in value of fixed-income securities resulting from the inverse relationship between price and yield. For example, an increase in general interest rates will tend to reduce the market value of already issued fixed-income investments, and a decline in general interest rates will tend to increase their value. In addition, debt securities with longer durations, which tend to have higher yields, are subject to potentially greater fluctuations in value from changes in interest rates than obligations with shorter durations. The Fund may lose money if short-term or long-term interest rates rise sharply or otherwise change in a manner not anticipated by the sub-advisers. As of the date of this report, interest rates in the United States are

at, or near, historic lows, which may increase the Fund’s exposure to risks associated with rising interest rates.

Risks of Investing in Derivatives. The Fund’s use of derivatives can result in losses due to unanticipated changes in the market risk factors and the overall market. In instances where the Fund is using derivatives to decrease, or hedge, exposures to market risk factors for securities held by the Fund, there are also risks that those derivatives may not perform as expected resulting in losses for the combined or hedged positions.

The use of these strategies involves certain special risks, including a possible imperfect correlation, or even no correlation, between price movements of derivative instruments and price movements of related investments. While some strategies involving derivative instruments can reduce the risk of loss, they can also reduce the opportunity for gain or even result in losses by offsetting favorable price movements in related investments or otherwise, due to the possible inability of the Fund to purchase or sell a portfolio security at a time that otherwise would be favorable or the possible need to sell a portfolio security at a disadvantageous time because the Fund is required to maintain asset coverage or offsetting positions in connection with transactions in derivative instruments. Additional associated risks from investing in derivatives also exist and potentially could have significant effects on the valuation of the derivative and the Fund. Associated risks are not the risks that the Fund is attempting to increase or decrease exposure to, per its investment objectives, but are the additional risks from investing in derivatives. Examples of these associated risks are liquidity risk, which is the risk that the Fund will not be able to sell the derivative in the open market in a timely manner, and counterparty credit risk, which is the risk that the counterparty will not fulfill its obligation to the Fund. Associated risks can be different for each type of derivative and are discussed by each derivative type in the following notes.

Counterparty Credit Risk and Credit Related Contingent Features. Certain derivative positions are subject to counterparty credit risk, which is the risk that the counterparty will not fulfill its obligation to the Fund. The Fund’s derivative counterparties are financial institutions who are subject to market conditions that may weaken their financial position. The Fund intends to enter into financial transactions with counterparties that it believes to be creditworthy at the time of the transaction. To reduce this risk, the Fund generally enters into master netting arrangements, established within the Fund’s International Swap and Derivatives Association, Inc. (“ISDA”) Master Agreements (“Master Agreements”). These agreements are with select counterparties and they govern

NOTE 2 — SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES (continued)

transactions, including certain over-the-counter (“OTC”) derivative and forward foreign currency contracts, entered into by the Fund and the counterparty. The Master Agreements maintain provisions for general obligations, representations, agreements, collateral, and events of default or termination. The occurrence of a specified event of termination may give a counterparty the right to terminate all of its contracts and affect settlement of all outstanding transactions under the applicable Master Agreement.

The Fund may also enter into collateral agreements with certain counterparties to further mitigate credit risk associated with OTC derivative and forward foreign currency contracts. Subject to established minimum levels, collateral is generally determined based on the net aggregate unrealized gain or loss on contracts with a certain counterparty. Collateral pledged to the Fund is held in a segregated account by a third-party agent and can be in the form of cash or debt securities issued by the U.S. government or related agencies.

The Fund’s maximum risk of loss from counterparty credit risk on OTC derivatives is generally the aggregate unrealized gain in excess of any collateral pledged by the counterparty to the Fund. For purchased OTC options, the Fund bears the risk of loss in the amount of the premiums paid and the change in market value of the options should the counterparty not perform under the contracts. The Fund did not enter into any purchased OTC options during the period ended February 28, 2015. There were no credit events during the year ended February 28, 2015 that triggered any credit related contingent features.

The Fund’s master agreements with derivative counterparties have credit related contingent features that if triggered would allow its derivatives counterparties to close out and demand payment or additional collateral to cover their exposure from the Fund. Credit related contingent features are established between the Fund and its derivatives counterparties to reduce the risk that the Fund will not fulfill its payment obligations to its counterparties. These triggering features include, but are not limited to, a percentage decrease in the Fund’s net assets and or a percentage decrease in the Fund’s NAV, which could cause the Fund to accelerate payment of any net liability owed to the counterparty. The contingent features are established within the Fund’s Master Agreements.

Written options by the Fund do not give rise to counterparty credit risk, as written options obligate the Fund to perform and not the counterparty. As of February 28, 2015, the total value of written OTC call options subject to Master

Agreements in a liability position was $957,997. If a contingent feature had been triggered, the Fund could have been required to pay this amount in cash to its counterparties. The Fund did not hold or post collateral for its open written OTC call options at year end. There were no credit events during the year ended February 28, 2015 that triggered any credit related contingent features.

H. Options Contracts. The Fund may purchase put and call options and may write (sell) put options and covered call options. The premium received by the Fund upon the writing of a put or call option is included in the Statement of Assets and Liabilities as a liability which is subsequently marked-to-market until it is exercised or closed, or it expires. The Fund will realize a gain or loss upon the expiration or closing of the option contract. When an option is exercised, the proceeds on sales of the underlying security for a written call option or purchased put option or the purchase cost of the security for a written put option or a purchased call option is adjusted by the amount of premium received or paid. The risk in writing a call option is that the Fund gives up the opportunity for profit if the market price of the security increases and the option is exercised. The risk in buying an option is that the Fund pays a premium whether or not the option is exercised. Risks may also arise from an illiquid secondary market or from the inability of counterparties to meet the terms of the contract.

The Fund seeks to generate gains from the OTC call options writing strategy over a market cycle to supplement the dividend yield of its underlying portfolio of high dividend yield equity securities. Please refer to Note 8 for the volume of written OTC call option activity during the year ended February 28, 2015.

I. Indemnifications. In the normal course of business, the Fund may enter into contracts that provide certain indemnifications. The Fund’s maximum exposure under these arrangements is dependent on future claims that may be made against the Fund and, therefore, cannot be estimated; however, based on experience, management considers the risk of loss from such claims remote.

NOTE 3 — INVESTMENT TRANSACTIONS

The cost of purchases and proceeds from sales of investments for the year ended February 28, 2015, excluding short-term securities, were $97,185,649 and $107,664,446, respectively.

NOTE 4 — INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT AND ADMINISTRATIVE FEES

The Fund has entered into an investment management agreement (“Management Agreement”). The Management Agreement compensates the Investment Adviser with a

NOTE 4 — INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT AND ADMINISTRATIVE FEES (continued)

fee, payable monthly, based on an annual rate of 1.15% of the Fund’s average daily managed assets. Managed assets are defined as the Fund’s average daily gross asset value, minus the sum of the Fund’s accrued and unpaid dividends on any outstanding preferred shares and accrued liabilities (other than liabilities for the principal amount of any borrowings incurred, commercial paper or notes issued by the Fund and the liquidation preference of any outstanding preferred shares). As of February 28, 2015, there were no preferred shares outstanding.

The Investment Adviser has entered into a consulting agreement with Voya IM (the “Consultant”). For its services, the Consultant will receive a consultancy fee from the Investment Adviser. No fee will be paid by the Fund directly to the Consultant. These services include, among other things, furnishing statistical and other factual information; providing advice with respect to potential investment strategies that may be employed for the Fund, including, but not limited to, potential options strategies; developing economic models of the anticipated investment performance and yield for the Fund; and providing advice to the Investment Adviser and/or sub-advisers with respect to the Fund’s level and/or managed distribution policy.

The Investment Adviser has entered into sub-advisory agreements with IIMA and Voya IM. Subject to policies as the Board or the Investment Adviser may determine, IIMA currently manages the Fund’s assets in accordance with the Fund’s investment objectives, policies and limitations. However, in the future, the Investment Adviser may allocate the Fund’s assets to Voya IM for management, and may change the allocation of the Fund’s assets among the two sub-advisers in its discretion, to pursue the Fund’s investment objective. Each sub-adviser would make investment decisions for the assets it is allocated to manage.

The Fund has entered into an administrative agreement (“Administrative Agreement”) with the Administrator. The Administrator provides certain administrative and shareholder services necessary for the Fund’s operations and is responsible for the supervision of other service providers. For its services, the Administrator is entitled to receive from the Fund a fee based on an annual rate of 0.10% of the Fund’s average daily managed assets.

Please see Note 12 — Subsequent Events on the Combination of the former Management Agreement and Administrative Agreement.

NOTE 5 — EXPENSE LIMITATION AGREEMENT

The Investment Adviser has entered into a written expense limitation agreement (“Expense Limitation Agreement”) with the Fund under which it will limit the expenses of the Fund, excluding interest, taxes, investment-related costs, leverage expenses, extraordinary expenses, and acquired fund fees and expenses to 1.50% of average daily managed assets.

The Investment Adviser may at a later date recoup from the Fund for fees waived and other expenses assumed by the Investment Adviser during the previous 36 months, but only if, after such recoupment, the Fund’s expense ratio does not exceed the percentage described above. Waived and reimbursed fees net of any recoupment by the Investment Adviser of such waived and reimbursed fees are reflected on the accompanying Statement of Operations. Amounts payable by the Investment Adviser are reflected on the accompanying Statement of Assets and Liabilities.

As of February 28, 2015, there are no amounts of waived or reimbursed fees that are subject to possible recoupment by the Investment Adviser.

The Expense Limitation Agreement is contractual through March 1, 2016 and shall renew automatically for one-year terms. Termination or modification of this obligation requires approval by the Board.

NOTE 6 — OTHER TRANSACTIONS WITH AFFILIATES AND RELATED PARTIES

The Fund has adopted a Deferred Compensation Plan (the “Plan”), which allows eligible non-affiliated trustees, as described in the Plan, to defer the receipt of all or a portion of the trustees’ fees that they are entitled to receive from the Fund. For purposes of determining the amount owed to the trustee under the Plan, the amounts deferred are invested in shares of the funds selected by the trustee (the “Notional Funds”). The Fund purchases shares of the Notional Funds, which are all advised by Voya Investments, in amounts equal to the trustees’ deferred fees, resulting in a Fund asset equal to the deferred compensation liability. Such assets are included as a component of  “Other assets” on the accompanying Statement of Assets and Liabilities. Deferral of trustees’ fees under the Plan will not affect net assets of the Fund, and will not materially affect the Fund’s assets, liabilities or net investment income per share. Amounts will be deferred until distributed in accordance with the Plan.

NOTE 7 — TRANSACTIONS IN WRITTEN OPTIONS

Transactions in written OTC call options on equity indices were as follows:

NOTE 8 — CONCENTRATION OF INVESTMENT RISKS

All mutual funds involve risk — some more than others — and there is always the chance that you could lose money or not earn as much as you hope. The Fund’s risk profile is largely a factor of the principal securities in which it invests and investment techniques that it uses.

Foreign Securities and Emerging Markets. The Fund makes significant investments in foreign securities and securities issued by companies located in countries with emerging markets. Investments in foreign securities may entail risks not present in domestic investments. Since investments in securities are denominated in foreign currencies, changes in the relationship of these foreign currencies to the U.S. dollar can significantly affect the value of the investments and earnings of the Fund. Foreign investments may also subject the Fund to foreign government exchange restrictions, expropriation, taxation or other political, social or economic developments, as well as from movements in currency, security value and interest rate, all of which could affect the market and/or credit risk of the investments. The risks of investing in foreign securities can be intensified in the case of investments in issuers located in countries with emerging markets.

Leverage. Although the Fund has no current intention to do so, the Fund is authorized to utilize leverage through the issuance of preferred shares and/or borrowings, including the issuance of debt securities. In the event that the Fund determines in the future to utilize investment leverage, there can be no assurance that such a leveraging strategy will be successful during any period in which it is employed.

Market Discount. Shares of closed-end investment companies frequently trade at a discount from their NAV. The possibility that Common Shares of the Fund will trade at a discount from their NAV is a risk separate and distinct from the risk that the Fund's NAV may decrease.

NOTE 9 — CAPITAL SHARES

Transactions in capital shares and dollars were as follows:

NOTE 10 — FEDERAL INCOME TAXES

The amount of distributions from net investment income and net realized capital gains are determined inaccordance with federal income tax regulations, which may differ from U.S. GAAP for investment companies. These book/tax differences may be either temporary or permanent. Permanent differences are reclassified within the capital accounts based on their federal tax-basis treatment; temporary differences are not reclassified. Key differences include the treatment of short-term capital gains, foreign currency transactions, income from passive foreign investment companies (PFICs), and wash sale deferrals. Distributions in excess of net investment income and/or net realized capital gains for tax purposes are reported as return of capital.

The following permanent tax differences have been reclassified as of the Fund’s tax year ended December 31, 2014:

Dividends paid by the Fund from net investment income and distributions of net realized short-term capital gains are, for federal income tax purposes, taxable as ordinary income to shareholders.

The tax composition of dividends and distributions in the current period will not be determined until after the Fund’s tax year-end of December 31, 2015. The tax composition of dividends and distributions as of the Fund’s most recent tax year-ends was as follows:

NOTE 10 — FEDERAL INCOME TAXES (continued)

The tax-basis components of distributable earnings and the capital loss carryforwards which may be used to offset future realized capital gains for federal income tax purposes as of December 31, 2014 were:

The Fund’s major tax jurisdictions are U.S. federal and Arizona. The earliest tax year that remains subject to examination by these jurisdictions is the Fund’s initial tax year of 2011.

As of February 28, 2015, no provision for income tax is required in the Fund’s financial statements as a result of tax positions taken on federal and state income tax returns for open tax years. The Fund’s federal and state income and federal excise tax returns for tax years for which the applicable statutes of limitations have not expired are subject to examination by the Internal Revenue Service and state department of revenue.

NOTE 11 — RESTRUCTURING PLAN

Investment Adviser:

Prior to May 2013, Voya Financial, Inc. was a wholly-owned subsidiary of ING Groep N.V. (“ING Groep”). In October 2009, ING Groep submitted a restructuring plan (the “Restructuring Plan”) to the European Commission in order to receive approval for state aid granted to ING Groep by the Kingdom of the Netherlands in November 2008 and March 2009. To receive approval for this state aid, ING Groep was required to divest its insurance and investment management businesses, including Voya Financial, Inc. (formerly, ING U.S., Inc.), before the end of 2013. In November 2012, the Restructuring Plan was amended to permit ING Groep additional time to complete the divestment. Pursuant to the amended Restructuring Plan, ING Groep was required to divest at least 25% of Voya Financial, Inc. by the end of 2013 and more than 50% by the end of 2014, and was required to divest its remaining interest by the end of 2016 (such divestment, the “Separation Plan”).

In May 2013, Voya Financial, Inc. conducted an initial public offering of its common stock (the “IPO”). In October 2013, March 2014, and September 2014, ING Groep divested additional shares in several secondary offerings of common stock of Voya Financial, Inc. and

concurrent share repurchases by Voya Financial, Inc. These transactions reduced ING Groep’s ownership interest in Voya Financial, Inc. to 32%. Voya Financial, Inc. did not receive any proceeds from these offerings.

In November 2014, through an additional secondary offering and the concurrent repurchase of shares by Voya Financial, Inc., ING Groep further reduced its interest in Voya Financial, Inc. below 25% to approximately 19% (the “November 2014 Offering”). The November 2014 Offering was deemed by the Investment Adviser to be a change of control (the “Change of Control”), which resulted in the automatic termination of the existing investment advisory and sub-advisory agreements under which the Investment Adviser and Sub-Advisers provide services to the Fund. In anticipation of this termination, and in order to ensure that the existing investment advisory and sub-advisory services could continue uninterrupted, in 2013 the Board approved new advisory and sub-advisory agreements for the Fund, as applicable, in connection with the IPO. In addition, in 2013, shareholders of the Fund approved new investment advisory and affiliated sub-advisory agreements prompted by the IPO, as well as any future advisory and affiliated sub-advisory agreements prompted by the Separation Plan that are approved by the Board and that have terms not materially different from the current agreements. This meant that shareholders would not have another opportunity to vote on a new agreement with the Investment Adviser or current affiliated sub-advisers even upon a change of control prompted by the Separation Plan, as long as no single person or group of persons acting together gains “control” (as defined in the 1940 Act) of Voya Financial, Inc.

On November 18, 2014, in response to the Change of Control, the Board, at an in-person meeting, approved new investment advisory and sub-advisory agreements. At that meeting, the Investment Adviser represented that the new investment advisory and affiliated sub-advisory agreements approved by the Board were not materially different from the agreements approved by shareholders in 2013 and no single person or group of persons acting together was expected to gain “control” (as defined in the 1940 Act) of Voya Financial, Inc. As a result, shareholders of the Fund will not be asked to vote again on the new agreements with the Investment Adviser and affiliated sub-advisers.

In March 2015, ING Groep divested the remainder of its interest in Voya Financial, Inc. through a secondary offering of Voya Financial, Inc.’s common stock of and a concurrent share repurchase by Voya Financial, Inc. Voya Financial, Inc. did not receive any proceeds from these transactions.

NOTE 11 — RESTRUCTURING PLAN (continued)

Sub-Adviser:

IIMA is an indirect, wholly-owned subsidiary of NN Group N.V. (“NN Group”) and NN Group is a majority-owned subsidiary of ING Groep. In connection with the Restructuring Plan discussed above, ING Groep is required to divest more than 50% of its shares in NN Group before December 31, 2015 and the remaining interest before December 31, 2016. In July 2014, ING Groep settled the initial public offering of NN Group. ING Groep has stated that it intends to divest its remaining stake in NN Group in an orderly manner and ultimately by the end of 2016.

It is anticipated that one or more of the transactions to divest NN Group constitute a transfer of a controlling interest in NN Group, resulting in an “assignment” (as defined in the 1940 Act) of the existing sub-advisory agreements under which IIMA provides services to the Fund for which IIMA serves as sub-adviser. Pursuant to the 1940 Act, these sub-advisory agreements would automatically terminate upon their assignment. In order to ensure that the existing sub-advisory services can continue uninterrupted, the Board approved new sub-advisory agreements for the Fund in anticipation of the divestment. Shareholders of the Fund for which IIMA serves as a sub-adviser approved these new investment sub-advisory agreements. This approval also included approval of any future sub-advisory agreements prompted by the divestment that are approved by the Board and whose terms are not materially different from the current agreements. This means that shareholders of the Fund may not have another opportunity to vote on a new agreement with IIMA even if IIMA undergoes a change of control pursuant to ING Groep’s divestment of NN Group, as long as no single person or group of persons acting together gains “control” (as defined in the 1940 Act) of NN Group.

NOTE 12 — SUBSEQUENT EVENTS

Dividends: Subsequent to February 28, 2015, the Fund made a distribution of:

Each quarter, the Fund will provide disclosures with distribution payments made that estimate the percentages of that distribution that represent net investment income, capital gains, and return of capital, if any. A significant portion of the quarterly distribution payments made by the Fund may constitute a return of capital.

Name Change: Effective April 7, 2015, IIMA will now be known as NNIP Advisors B.V. (“NNIP Advisors”).

Combination of former Management Agreement and Administrative Agreement: On March 12, 2015, the Board approved a new Management Agreement that combines the former Management Agreement and Administrative Agreement under one combined Management Agreement with a single management fee, effective May 1, 2015. This single management fee does not exceed the former combined investment management and administrative services fee rates for the Fund and there is no change to the investment management or administrative services provided to the Fund.

The Fund has evaluated events occurring after the Statement of Assets and Liabilities date (“subsequent events”) to determine whether any subsequent events necessitated adjustment to or disclosure in the financial statements. Other than the above, no such subsequent events were identified.

“Other Securities” represents issues not identified as the top 50 holdings in terms of market value and issues or issuers not exceeding 1% of net assets individually or in aggregate respectively as of February 28, 2015.

The following footnotes apply to either the individual securities noted or one or more of the securities aggregated and listed as a single line item.