Central banks and Brazilian investors boost ETF adoption worldwide

Global assets managed in exchange‑traded funds (ETFs) reached about $19.5 trillion at the end of 2025, growing on average 15 % per year over the past two decades. Institutional demand drives this growth, and central banks and sovereign wealth funds are increasingly using ETFs for their simplicity, liquidity and efficient portfolio allocation. According to Invesco’s 2026 Global Sovereign Asset Management Study, 31 % of central banks and 58 % of state‑owned investment funds now employ ETFs, with Europe showing the highest usage at 52 % of respondents.

In Brazil, ETFs are also expanding rapidly. In the first half of 2026, the sector attracted R$ 32.5 billion of new inflows, of which R$ 27.1 billion (83.6 %) went to fixed‑income ETFs. Total ETF assets more than doubled from R$ 55.5 billion in July 2025 to R$ 116.6 billion in June 2026, while the number of listed ETFs rose 47 % to 202 and investor accounts grew to 1.65 million. Market participants cite low costs, transparency and easier access as key advantages, and upcoming regulatory discussions on active ETFs may further widen the market.