Active ETFs have continued their ascent to start 2026. The category, which has seen accelerated launches and flows in recent years, surpassed a major milestone in January. According to a report from independent ETF research firm ETFGI, active ETFs globally hit $2 trillion in AUM last month.
See more: Why Small-Cap ETFs Can Win The First Half in 2026
The global active ETF industry added some $76 billion in net inflows last month, according to a press release from the consultancy. Those inflows, themselves a record, significantly outpaced January 2025 and 2024’s monthly inflows of $51.7 and $24.7 billion respectively. There are 4,747 actively managed ETFs industry globally according to the firm, from 674 providers listed on 46 exchanges in 36 countries at the end of January.
“The S&P 500 rose 1.45% in January. Developed markets excluding the US gained 6.15% in, 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%)”, said Deborah Fuhr, managing partner, founder, and owner of ETFGI.
Active ETFs on the Rise
Active ETFs’ relentless march on the ETF ecosystem writ large stems from a few key factors. Their flexibility has helped them adapt to years of market volatility, while in strong growth periods, their pursuit of outperformance and deeper focus on fundamentals has helped them frequently outperform market cap-weighted passive indexes.
This year, too, could prove an important moment for active ETFs to step up. With inflows accelerating, more and more investors are looking to the category’s flexibility. Geopolitical risks loom from East Asia to the MENA region, while U.S.-based concentration and policy risks continue.
Firms like T. Rowe Price offer ETFs that can stand out from the active ETF pack. Its blue chip ETF, the T. Rowe Price Blue Chip Growth ETF (TCHP), has returned 29% over the last three years according to ETF Database data. As active ETFs continue to ascend the investment fund ranks globally, funds like those can potentially play a bigger and bigger role in portfolios.
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