Canadian ETF Landscape: A Mid-Year Review
Canadian ETF flows surpassed $100 billion in H1 2026, driven by international equities, active mandates, and all-equity portfolio ETFs.
The Canadian ETF landscape has reached a new milestone this calendar year, as ETF flows surpassed $100 billion in the first half of the year – the highest mid-year inflows on record. For reference, in 2025, ETF flows did not reach this level until November. As shown in the chart below, provided by National Bank of Canada’s Capital Markets (NBCCM), International Equities ETFs attracted strong investor interest, with year-to-date flows of $32.8 billion. As a reminder, international equities were a top-performing asset class in 2025 and have continued to perform strongly thus far in 2026.
Another seminal development within the Canadian ETF landscape is the growing popularity of actively managed mandates. Approximately 201 ETFs have been launched thus far this year, with 80% of them categorized as actively managed. Given the proliferation of passively managed offerings in recent years, the rise of active ETFs can be viewed as ETF manufacturers providing optionality and expertise to the investing public, as equity markets over the last few years have been heavily influenced by the performance of U.S. Big Tech firms. Presently, active ETFs account for 35% of total Canadian assets under management. The total number of ETFs in Canada is currently 1,977; the industry will undoubtedly pass the 2,000 threshold before the year ends.
Among ETF offerings that have garnered strong inflows for the month, interest in asset allocation solutions remains strong, particularly those offering diversified global equity exposure. Looking at the top single-long ETF inflows for June 2026, ‘all equity portfolio’ ETFs are prominent on the list, with the iShares Core Equity ETF Portfolio (Ticker: XEQT) topping the list, and similar offerings, namely, Vanguard All-Equity ETF Portfolio (VEQT), Fidelity All-in-One Equity ETF (Ticker: FEQT), and Avantis CIBC All-Equity Asset Allocation ETF (Ticker: CAGE), populating the list. As noted by NBCCM, ‘all equity portfolio’ inflows for the first half of the year were $12. 3 billion. Given the turnkey nature of these solutions, increased investor utilization as a means of attaining broad-equity market exposure is expected to grow in the years to come.
Images used in this article were taken from the National Bank of Canada’s Capital Markets Canadian ETF Flows ETF Research & Strategy report, as of July 3, 2026.
This article was written on July 20th, 2026. Please note this article is for information purposes only and does not in any way constitute investment advice. It is essential that you seek advice from a registered financial professional prior to making any investment decision.
