Active exchange traded fund inflows in the first quarter hit an all-time high of $245.21 billion, crushing last year’s record by 70% and pushing global assets to $2.12 trillion.
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Key Takeaways:
- Active ETF inflows hit record $245 billion in Q1, up 70% from prior high of $144.51 billion set in 2025.
- Equity active ETFs pulled in $132.58 billion year-to-date, nearly double the $73.64 billion at this point in 2025.
- Fixed income active ETFs attracted $94.26 billion year-to-date, despite the S&P 500 falling 4.98% in March alone.
Investors poured $77.97 billion into actively managed ETFs in March alone, marking the 72nd straight month of inflows, according to ETFGI’s March 2026 Active ETF and ETP industry landscape insights report, released Monday.
The surge brought year-to-date net inflows to $245.21 billion, well above the $144.51 billion recorded through March 2025 and more than three times the $71.23 billion gathered over the same period in 2024, according to ETFGI.
Equity-focused active ETFs led the charge, pulling in $48.64 billion during March and $132.58 billion year-to-date, nearly doubling the $73.64 billion recorded at the same point in 2025. Fixed income active ETFs gathered $23.08 billion in March, lifting year-to-date inflows to $94.26 billion.
Growth Amid Market Turbulence
Among individual products, the iShares Large Cap Core Active ETF (BLCR) led the pack with $4.04 billion in March inflows.
Beyond the monthly leader, the JPMorgan Equity Premium Income ETF (JEPI) and the JPMorgan Nasdaq Equity Premium Income ETF (JEPQ) remain the category’s heavyweights with combined assets exceeding $78 billion. The two income-focused funds, which tap options strategies to generate yield while providing equity exposure, added $1.33 billion and $1.15 billion respectively during the month.
The ProShares GENIUS Money Market ETF (IQMM) has rapidly scaled to $21.82 billion in total assets since its February 2026 inception, gathering $3.57 billion in March alone. Meanwhile, the Capital Group Growth ETF (CGGR), which focuses on companies with above-average growth potential, added $721 million during the month and now holds $19.50 billion in assets.
On the fixed income side, the PIMCO Enhanced Short Maturity Strategy Fund (MINT), which invests in short-term bonds and money market instruments, attracted $978 million in March and now manages $15.98 billion.
Source: ETFGI
Flows reached record levels, even as the S&P 500 index fell 4.98% in March and declined 4.33% year-to-date in 2026, according to ETFGI.
Dimensional ranks as the largest active ETF provider globally, with $271.66 billion in assets, followed by JPMorgan Asset Management, with $264.15 billion and iShares, with $134.51 billion.
Globally, the industry now holds 4,969 products across 47 exchanges in 37 countries.
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