According to data from ETFGI, the global ETF industry achieved a record inflow in the first quarter of 2026: $626 billion. Assets up 70% on the same period in 2025
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Article created by the editorial staff of ETFWorld.co.uk
Deborah Fuhr, Managing Partner, Founder and Owner of ETFGI
The first quarter of 2026 marked a new all-time high for the global ETF industry. Data published on 15 April by ETFGI, an independent research and consultancy firm based in London, indicates that from January to March, ETFs recorded net inflows of $626.42 billion. This represents a 35% increase on the previous record of $463.51 billion set in the same period of 2025, and significantly exceeds the $397.51 billion recorded in the first quarter of 2024.
March alone saw $174.42 billion in net inflows, bringing the number of consecutive months of positive flows for the sector globally to 82.
Total assets under management by ETFs stood at $20.08 trillion at the end of the quarter, down from the peak of $21.24 trillion reached in February 2026. The decline reflects the negative performance of equity markets in March: the S&P 500 fell by 4.98% (bringing its year-to-date performance to -4.33%), whilst developed markets outside the US fell by 10.99%. The sharpest losses among developed countries were seen in South Korea (-24.15%) and Luxembourg (-21.47%). Emerging markets also closed March down 10.13%, with Egypt (-19.42%) and South Africa (-17.24%) among the hardest hit.
Deborah Fuhr, Managing Partner, Founder and Owner of ETFGI, confirmed that the inflow figure for the first quarter of 2026 represents the highest ever recorded for the period.
Inflows by category: active ETFs double compared to 2025
Analysis by asset class highlights varying trends:
Equity ETFs: +54.12 billion in March, bringing the year-to-date total to 225.64 billion. This figure exceeds the 211.63 billion raised over the same period in 2025.
Bond ETFs: +€35.44 billion in March, with a year-to-date total of €119.17 billion, a sharp increase compared to the €81.97 billion in the first quarter of 2025.
Commodity ETFs: net outflows of 9.83 billion in March. Since the start of the year, inflows remain positive at 16.62 billion, but lower than the 21.91 billion recorded in 2025.
Active ETFs: +78.37 billion in March, bringing the quarterly total to 245.95 billion. A comparison with the 144.51 billion raised in the first quarter of 2025 shows growth of over 100 billion in absolute terms.
Industry concentration: three providers control 58.3% of assets
At the end of March 2026, the global industry comprised 16,284 products, with 31,823 listings, offered by 994 providers across 85 exchanges in 65 countries.
The market structure remains highly concentrated. iShares leads the rankings with $5.43 trillion in assets (27.1% of the total), followed by Vanguard with $4.29 trillion (21.4%) and State Street SPDR ETFs with $1.98 trillion (9.9%). Collectively, these three groups hold 58.3% of global ETF assets. The remaining 991 providers each account for less than 5% of the total.
Products with the highest inflows in March
The 20 largest ETFs by net flows in March attracted a total of $94.06 billion. The State Street SPDR Portfolio S&P 500 ETF (SPYM US) alone recorded $16.83 billion in net inflows.
On the ETP front (exchange-traded products with a structure different from that of mutual funds), the top 20 instruments attracted $6.58 billion. The iShares Bitcoin Trust (IBIT US) raised $1.40 billion, confirming its status as the most dynamic product in the category.
ETFGI notes that in March, investors favoured equity ETFs.
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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