Thematic ETFs have captured investor imagination by offering targeted exposure to megatrends such as innovation, defence, digital lifestyles and structural shifts in global demand. These funds go beyond traditional sector investing by linking capital directly with powerful narratives like robotics, space, blockchain and next‑generation technology.

Smart Beta ETFs occupy a middle ground between traditional passive funds and active management. These funds use factor‑based rules, such as value, momentum, quality, dividends, and low volatility, to weight holdings in ways that seek better risk‑adjusted returns than a standard market‑cap index fund.

in 2025 Fixed income ETFs have quietly delivered on what many investors hoped for, income, diversification and some welcome stability after a turbulent cycle of rising interest rates. Bond‑linked ETFs have played their role as a counterweight to the more dramatic moves in equity markets, attracting solid inflows even as global monetary policy swung between caution and accommodation.

ETFs are now a fixture of global investing. At a basic level they are baskets of assets such as stocks or bonds that you can buy and sell on a stock exchange just as you would a single share.

In an extraordinary year for markets, the leading equity ETFs of 2025 revealed where investors were placing their bets on global growth and structural change. At the very top, funds tied to critical materials and metals led the charge. The Sprott Lithium Miners ETF and the Sprott Critical Materials ETF delivered the strongest returns, propelled by surging demand for battery components and rare earths as countries scramble to secure supply chains for electric vehicles and renewable technology.