Assets invested in exchange-traded funds and products around environmental, social and governance strategies grew 30% in 2018, despite a down year for equities, to $22 billion across 208 funds. During the month of January, the cohort added another $3 billion in assets while adding three new funds.
Among the managers that took in the most net new assets in January were UBS and BlackRock's iShares, with net inflows of $362 million and $358 million, respectively. Vanguard was the next largest asset gatherer in January with $73 million in net flows into the Vanguard ESG U.S. Stock ETF.
Among the largest funds were UBS' MSCI EMU Socially Responsible ETF and MSCI USA Socially Responsible ETF with $743 million and $709 million in net assets, respectively. UBS' MSCI Emerging markets ETF assumed $166 million in net new assets in January, the most among its peers.
