According to data released today by ETFGI, the European ETF industry closed the first quarter with net inflows of $128.71 billion, an all-time high.
Article created by the editorial staff of ETFWorld.co.uk
Deborah Fuhr, managing partner and founder of ETFGI
In March, +$13.62 billion. Total assets stand at $3.29 trillion. Data from the ETFGI monthly report.
The European exchange-traded fund industry recorded record net inflows in the first quarter of 2026, coinciding with the sector’s 26th anniversary, celebrated on 11 April.
In March, European ETFs attracted net inflows of $13.62 billion, bringing the year-to-date total to $128.71 billion, according to ETFGI’s March 2026 European ETFs Industry Landscape Insights report. This figure exceeds previous quarterly highs: $99.04 billion in the first quarter of 2025 and $59.30 billion in the first quarter of 2021.
Assets invested in the European ETF industry stood at $3.29 trillion at the end of March, down from the record $3.53 trillion recorded at the end of February 2026. March marked the 42nd consecutive month of net inflows into the sector.
Market context
In March, the S&P 500 fell by 4.98%, with a negative year-to-date performance of 4.33% in 2026. Developed markets excluding the US fell by 10.99% in March, whilst maintaining a slight gain of 0.18% year-to-date. Within this category, South Korea (-24.15%) and Luxembourg (-21.47%) recorded the sharpest declines during the month.
Emerging markets closed March down 10.13%, and down 2.84% year-to-date. Egypt (-19.42%) and South Africa (-17.24%) recorded the most significant losses among emerging markets during the month in question.
Structure of the European market
At the end of March, the ETF industry in Europe comprised 3,683 products, with 15,350 listings and assets totalling $3.29 trillion, offered by 149 providers listed on 32 exchanges across 25 countries.
By asset share, the leading providers are:
iShares: $1.31 trillion, representing a 39.8% market share
Amundi ETF: $407.38 billion, 12.4% market share
Xtrackers: $331.99 billion, 10.1% market share
The top three providers, out of a total of 149, account for 62.3% of total assets in the European ETF sector. The remaining 146 providers each hold a share of less than 8%.
Flows by asset class
Equity ETFs: led inflows in March, with +$9.62 billion. The year-to-date total stands at $95.39 billion, significantly higher than the $72.15 billion recorded at the same point in 2025.
Bond ETFs: recorded net outflows of $424.08 million in March. Despite this, the year-to-date total is positive at $21.86 billion, higher than the $13.67 billion attracted by fixed-income ETFs in March 2025.
Commodity ETFs: saw net inflows of $456.64 million in March, but remain in negative territory year-to-date with outflows of $1.99 billion, compared with inflows of $5.46 billion at the same point in 2025.
Active ETFs: continue to attract interest, with net inflows of $3.68 billion in March. The year-to-date total in Europe stands at $11.08 billion, well above the $6.65 billion recorded in the first quarter of 2025.
Most popular products
The 20 ETFs with the highest net inflows raised a total of $18.24 billion in March. The Vanguard FTSE All-World UCITS ETF (VWRD LN) recorded the largest individual inflow, with $2.46 billion.
As for ETPs (Exchange-Traded Products), the top 10 products by net inflows raised $1.69 billion in March. WisdomTree Agriculture (AIGA LN) recorded the largest individual inflow in the category, with $355.35 million.
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: ETFWorldSubscribe to Our Newsletter
