Global ETF Funds Reached a New Record of $20.64 Trillion in Assets

Quick overview

According to market data compiled in London, the global ETF industry has once again broken its all-time record for assets under management, following a strong January that came just short of being the best on record.

At a time when markets and investors are rotating portfolios, recalibrating positions and forecasts, and debating the end of the tech bubble linked to artificial intelligence (AI), the latest January figures show that investment bets remain firmly in place. One of the main beneficiaries of this trend continues to be global ETFs, which at the start of 2026 set a new record for invested assets, surpassing $20 trillion.

Data from London indicate that in January the ETF industry recorded global net inflows of $150.41 billion, according to the specialized consultancy ETFGI. As a result, total assets invested in the global ETF industry reached a new all-time high of $20.64 trillion at the end of the month, surpassing the previous record of $19.85 trillion set at the end of 2025. This implies a 4% increase year-to-date, based on ETFGI’s survey, which draws on data from ETF/ETP sponsors, exchanges, regulatory filings, Thomson Reuters/Lipper, Bloomberg, public sources, and proprietary datasets.

There is little doubt that January’s net inflows of more than $150 billion reflect strong market interest in this investment vehicle. In fact, they represent the second-highest January inflows on record (the highest being January 2025 with $152.57 billion), exceeding those of January 2024 ($136.67 billion). Moreover, January 2026 marked the 80th consecutive month of net inflows into global ETFs.

This performance took place in a context where the S&P 500 rose 1.45% in January, while developed markets excluding the US advanced 6.15%, led by Korea (+26.7%) and Luxembourg (+18.6%). Emerging markets posted an average gain of 5.5%, led by Peru (+26.2%) and Colombia (+23.2%), according to Deborah Fuhr of ETFGI.

iShares as the Market Leader

iShares remains the world’s largest ETF provider, with $5.77 trillion in assets under management and a 28% market share. Vanguard ranks second, with $4.4 trillion in assets and a 21.3% market share, followed by State Street SPDR ETFs, which manages $2.07 trillion and holds a 10% market share.

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Ignacio Teson

Economist and Financial Analyst

Ignacio Teson is an Economist and Financial Analyst. He has more than 7 years of experience in emerging markets. He worked as an analyst and market operator at brokerage firms in Argentina and Spain.

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