ETFGI reports that assets invested in the ETFs industry in the United States reached a new record of US$14.28 trillion at the end of February
Press Release
LONDON — March 16, 2026 — ETFGI reported today that assets invested in the ETFs industry in the United States reached a new record of US$14.28 trillion at the end of February. During February, the ETFs industry in the United States gathered net inflows of US$192.25 billion, bringing year-to-date net inflows to US$358.90 billion, according to ETFGI's February 2026 US ETFs and ETPs industry landscape insights report, the monthly report which is part of 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, 6 annual ETFGI Global ETFs Insights Summits, and ETF TV on global ETF industry trends, (All dollar values in USD unless otherwise noted.)
- Assets invested in U.S. ETFs reached a record $14.28 trillion at the end of February, surpassing the previous high of $13.96 trillion in January 2026.
- February net inflows totalled $192.25 billion.
- Year‑to‑date net inflows of $358.90 billion set a new all‑time record, exceeding the prior YTD highs of $201.76 billion in 2025 and $153.96 billion in 2021.
- February marked the 46th consecutive month of net inflows into U.S. ETFs.
- The global ETF industry celebrated its 36th anniversary on March 9th, commemorating the listing of the world’s first ETF — the Toronto Index Participation Shares (TIPS) — on the Toronto Stock Exchange in Canada.
- The SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust (SPY) — the first U.S.-listed ETF — was launched and began trading on January 22, 1993, on the New York Stock Exchange.
“The S&P 500 declined by 0.76% in February and was up 0.68% year‑to‑date in 2026. Developed markets excluding the U.S. rose 6.03% during February and were up 12.55% year‑to‑date, with Korea (up 20.11%) and Luxembourg (up 16.61%) recording the strongest gains among developed markets for the month. Emerging markets increased by 2.47% in February and were up 8.11% year‑to‑date, led by Thailand (up 19.48%) and Taiwan (up 11.63%),” said Deborah Fuhr, Managing Partner, Founder, and Owner of ETFGI.
Growth in assets in the ETFs industry in the United States as of the end of February
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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 ETFs industry in the United States has 5,031 products, assets of $14.28 Tn, from 469 providers listed on 3 exchanges at the end of February.
iShares is the largest provider in terms of assets with $4.21 Tn, reflecting 29.5% market share; Vanguard is second with US$4.09 Tn and 28.7% market share, followed by State Street SPDR ETFs with $1.92 Tn and 13.4% market share. The top three providers, out of 469, account for 71.5% of AUM invested in the ETFs industry in the US, while the remaining 466 providers each have less than 6% market share.
During February, ETFs and ETPs gathered net inflows of $192.25 billion.
Equity ETFs attracted $78.69 billion in net inflows for the month, bringing year‑to‑date inflows to $156.83 billion, significantly higher than the $67.02 billion recorded at the same point in 2025.
Fixed income ETFs saw $32.41 billion in net inflows during February, lifting year‑to‑date inflows to $61.43 billion, compared with $45.23 billion by the end of February 2025.
Commodities ETFs reported $6.74 billion in net inflows for the month, bringing year‑to‑date inflows to $10.42 billion, nearly double the $5.13 billion recorded year‑to‑date in 2025.
Active ETFs gathered $76.12 billion in net inflows in February, with year‑to‑date inflows in the U.S. reaching $140.83 billion, well above the $88.47 billion reported at this point in 2025.
Substantial inflows can be attributed to the top 20 ETF‘s by net new assets, which collectively gathered $89.84 Bn in February. ProShares GENIUS Money Market ETF (IQMM US) gathered $18.25 Bn, the largest individual net inflow.
Top 20 ETFs by net new assets February 2026: US
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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 assets collectively gathered $6.66 Bn during February. SPDR Gold Shares (GLD US) gathered $2.51 Bn, the largest individual net inflow.
Top 10 ETPs by net new assets February 2026: US
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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 Equity ETFs during February.
Contact deborah.fuhr@etfgi.com if you have any questions or comments on the press release or ETFGI subscription research, 6 annual ETFGI Global ETFs Insights Summits, ETF TV or our consulting services.
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