Active ETFs Continue to Gain Momentum, on Pace for Another Record-Breaking Year
Active ETFs dominated new product launches through the first half of 2025. The structure saw 396 new inceptions in the first six months of the year, eclipsing the 58 new active mutual funds and 60 new passive ETFs released over the same period.
The Active ETF Advantage: Unlocking Growth in a Shifting Investment Landscape
Active ETF assets under management have grown tenfold since 2019, reaching over $1 trillion by May 2025. This surge is not just a headline; it’s a signal of deeper changes in investor behavior, advisor preferences, and product strategy.
Windows into Wealth Management, Q2 2025: RIAs drive active ETF adoption
ETFs were either the most popular vehicle or were tied for the most popular across intermediary channels in the 2024 survey. That figure, however, soars among RIAs; 81% of advisors in the channel stated that ETFs were their preferred vehicle.
Launches and Liquidations Q1 2025: Mutual Funds vs. ETFs
In this dynamic landscape, an impressive total of 195 new funds were introduced in just the first three months—a figure that more than doubles the 94 new funds recorded in the same period last year, Q1 2024 .
The Future of Asset Management: ETFs, Alts, and Private Markets Reshape the Retail Landscape
While interest in active ETFs will likely not grow anywhere quickly enough to make up for the losses from active mutual funds, active fund buyers’ shift from mutual funds to ETFs could well put a giant pot of assets—about $1 trillion over five years—in play.
ISS Market Intelligence Projects U.S. AUM to Hit $43.6 trillion by 2029 Amid Surge in Active Strategies and Liquid Alternatives
Our research underscores a pivotal transformation in the investment landscape. The convergence of increased market complexity and investor sophistication is driving the shift toward active strategies and liquid alternatives.
Interest in Active ETFs Is Growing, but Passive ETFs Continue to Dominate Advisor Preferences
While passive ETFs have been the largest driver of the activity, and account for more than 90% of ETF assets, interest in active ETFs has also grown steadily.
Majority of Advisors Shift to ETFs, ISS Market Intelligence Survey Research Finds
Product excellence is a necessary but insufficient ingredient for success in the active ETF arena. The right packaging, sales, and distribution strategies are essential. Getting those right is impossible without understanding the role advisors see them playing in their client portfolios
Active ETFs Emerge, Seeking to Soar
Active ETFs that come to market will continue to face similar obstacles as actively-managed products more broadly. Active ETF managers without top-quartile long-term results and bottom-quartile fees will struggle to attract assets, just as they have in the mutual fund arena.