According to data from ETFGI, the Global ETF Industry Hits $20.64 Trillion in January, Second Highest Month Ever for Inflows
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By ETFWorld.co.uk
By Deborah Fuhr, Managing Partner at ETFGI
The global exchange-traded fund industry started 2026 with record growth. According to data released today by ETFGI, global assets under management reached $20.64 trillion at the end of January, surpassing the previous record of $19.85 trillion set at the end of December 2025.
During the month, the industry gathered net inflows of $150.41 billion. This marks the second-best January on record, just behind the $152.57 billion of the same month in 2025, but ahead of the $136.67 billion from January 2024. January’s inflows also represent the 80th consecutive month of positive net inflows for the global industry.
Equity Market Snapshot
“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%)”, commented Deborah Fuhr, Managing Partner, Founder, and Owner of ETFGI.
Provider Rankings
The market remains highly concentrated. iShares confirms its position as the world’s largest provider with $5.77 trillion in assets under management, representing a 28.0% market share. Vanguard follows with $4.40 trillion and a 21.3% share, while State Street SPDR ETFs is third with $2.07 trillion and a 10.0% market share. The top three managers collectively hold 59.4% of global assets. The remaining 969 providers, out of a total of 972 globally, each have a market share of less than 5%.
Monthly Flows by Category
Analyzing January’s inflows reveals differentiated dynamics across asset classes:
Equity: $33.26 billion in net inflows, down from the $65.35 billion recorded in January 2025.
Fixed Income: $32.18 billion, slightly higher than the $30.37 billion from the previous year.
Commodities: $14.78 billion, a substantial jump compared to the $1.71 billion seen in January 2025.
Active ETFs: $76.43 billion, showing significant growth from the $51.71 billion in net inflows in January 2025. The actively managed ETF sector ended the month with total assets of $2.04 trillion.
Top Performing Products
Inflows were driven by leading products. The top 20 ETFs by new assets attracted a combined $86.17 billion during the month. Leading the pack was the Vanguard S&P 500 ETF (VOO US), which gathered $16.28 billion alone.
Among ETPs, the top 10 by new assets collected $4.02 billion. The iShares Physical Gold ETC (SGLN LN) topped the list with net inflows of $1.11 billion.
Geographically, ETFs listed in the United States closed January with record assets of $13.96 trillion and monthly net inflows of $166.65 billion, the highest ever recorded for the US market.
As of January 31st, the global ETF industry comprised 15,997 products, with 30,997 listings on 83 exchanges across 65 countries, managed by 972 providers.
ETFGI is a leading independent research and consultancy firm covering trends in the global ETF/ETP ecosystem, based in London, England. Deborah Fuhr, Managing Partner, Founder, ETFGI website www.etfgi.com.
Source: ETFWorld
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