ETFGI reports Global ETF Assets Hit New Record US$20.64 Trillion as January Net Inflows Hit Second Highest Level on Record
Press Release
LONDON — February 25, 2026 — Assets invested in the ETFs industry globally reached a new record of US$20.64 trillion at the end of January. During January, the ETFs industry globally gathered net inflows of US$150.41 billion, according to ETFGI's January 2026 Global ETFs and ETPs industry landscape insights report, the monthly report which is part of ETFGI’s an annual paid-for research subscription service. ETFGI, is a 14 year old leading independent research and consultancy firm renowned for its expertise in subscription research, consulting services, events, and ETF TV on global ETF industry trends. (All dollar values in USD unless otherwise noted)
Highlights
- Assets invested in the global ETFs industry reached a record $20.64 trillion at the end of January, exceeding the prior record of $19.85 trillion set at the end of December 2025.
- January net inflows totaled $150.41 billion, the second highest January inflows on record, following January 2025 ($152.57 billion) and ahead of January 2024 ($136.67 billion).
- Assets rose 4.0% year‑to‑date in 2026, increasing from $19.85 trillion to $20.64 trillion.
- January marked the 80th consecutive month of net inflows into the global ETFs industry.
“The S&P 500 rose 1.45% in January. Developed markets excluding the US gained 6.15% in January and are up 6.15%, with Korea (+26.73%) and Luxembourg (+18.64%) posting the strongest increases among developed markets. Emerging markets climbed 5.50% in January, led by Peru (+26.23%) and Colombia (+23.24%)”, according to Deborah Fuhr, managing partner, founder, and owner of ETFGI.
Growth in assets in the Global ETFs industry as of the end of January
Source: ETFGI data sourced from ETF/ETP sponsors, exchanges, regulatory filings, Thomson Reuters/Lipper, Bloomberg, publicly available sources and data generated in-house.
Note: “ETFs” are typically open-end index funds that provide daily portfolio transparency, are listed and traded on exchanges like stocks on a secondary basis as well as utilising a unique creation and redemption process for primary transactions. “ETPs” refers to other products that have similarities to ETFs in the way they trade and settle but they do not use a mutual fund structure. The use of other structures including grantor trusts, partnerships, notes and depositary receipts by ETPs can create different tax and regulatory implications for investors when compared to ETFs which are funds.
The Global ETFs industry had 15,997 products, with 30,997 listings, assets of $20.64 Tn, from 972 providers on 83 exchanges in 65 countries at the end of January.
iShares is the largest ETF provider globally, with US$5.77 trillion in assets under management, representing a 28.0% market share. Vanguard ranks second with US$4.40 trillion in assets and a 21.3% market share, followed by State Street SPDR ETFs, which holds US$2.07 trillion in assets and a 10.0% market share. Collectively, the top three providers account for 59.4% of global ETF assets, underscoring the high level of industry concentration. The remaining 969 providers, out of a total of 972 globally, each hold less than 5% market share.
Net flows for the month
- ETFs gathered $150.41 billion in net inflows during January.
- Equity ETFs attracted $33.26 billion, down from $65.35 billion in net inflows in January 2025.
- Fixed income ETFs gathered $32.18 billion, slightly higher than the $30.37 billion recorded in January 2025.
- Commodities ETFs recorded $14.78 billion in net inflows, substantially higher than the $1.71 billion reported in January 2025.
- Active ETFs attracted $76.43 billion, exceeding the $51.71 billion in net inflows seen in January 2025.
Substantial inflows can be attributed to the top 20 ETFs by net new assets, which collectively gathered $86.17 Bn during January. Vanguard S&P 500 ETF (VOO US) gathered $16.28 Bn, the largest individual net inflow.
Top 20 ETFs by net new assets January
Source: ETFGI data sourced from ETF/ETP sponsors, exchanges, regulatory filings, Thomson Reuters/Lipper, Bloomberg, publicly available sources and data generated in-house. Note: This report is based on the most recent data available at the time of publication. Asset and flow data may change slightly as additional data becomes available
The top 10 ETPs by net new assets collectively gathered $4.02 Bn over January. iShares Physical Gold ETC (SGLN LN) gathered $1.11 Bn, the largest individual net inflow.
Top 10 ETPs by net new assets January
Source: ETFGI data sourced from ETF/ETP sponsors, exchanges, regulatory filings, Thomson Reuters/Lipper, Bloomberg, publicly available sources and data generated in-house. Note: This report is based on the most recent data available at the time of publication. Asset and flow data may change slightly as additional data becomes available
Investors have tended to invest in Active ETFs during January.
Contact deborah.fuhr@etfgi.com if you have any questions or comments on the press release or ETFGI events, research or consulting services.
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