Nearly 1,000 actively managed ETFs launched in 2025, almost double the previous record of 584 set just a year earlier, according to Morningstar. Investors responded by pouring roughly $475 billion into active ETFs over the course of the year. By June, the number of active ETFs on the market surpassed passive ones for the first time. The vehicle has gone from niche to near mandatory in most firms’ product lineups.
But launching a product is one thing, getting investment is another. Why should investors and advisors choose one firm’s active fund over another?
That challenge is driving a wave of digital repositioning across the asset management industry. Throughout 2025, several of the largest asset managers overhauled their About Us pages to change the way they present their own histories online. These are not just aesthetic refreshes, but also strategic moves. By positioning themselves as firms with long histories, firms raise their credibility with potential investors and argue why they should be trusted over others.
Morningstar found that a record 146 active ETFs were closed or merged in 2025, most of them small or specialized offerings that never gained traction. In a field this crowded, simply showing up with a new ticker is not enough.
What advisors actually want
In a recent Corporate Insight advisor survey, 68% of respondents said they were more likely to choose an active ETF strategy over a passive one. Past performance proved a key factor in deciding which to invest client funds in, with 51% of advisors citing that as a top reason. Risk management came in at 44%, but some 42% of advisors said they chose a particular active fund based on portfolio manager expertise.
Advisors choosing active ETFs elect to put stock picking in the hands of a specific manager at a specific firm. Not only do they want a track record of the fund, but they want evidence that a firm behind it knows what it’s doing. This means firms cannot win the active ETF credibility argument with a product spec sheet alone. They need a deeper case, one rooted in who they are and how long they have been doing this work.
Rewriting the origin story
Several firms set out to build that case last year, starting with their About Us pages. In January 2025, T. Rowe Price completely overhauled its About Us page, adding a visual timeline of its milestones that walks visitors through decades of innovation. The timeline covers everything from the firm’s founding to its early adoption of actively managed ETFs in 2020. Rather than telling advisors the firm has deep investment expertise, it shows them, letting its history speak for itself.
American Funds made a similar move the same month, updating its Who We Are page, previously called Our Beliefs, adding an informational chart of operational data tied to its position as the world’s largest active fund manager. It also streamlined its Our History page, replacing expandable yearly sections with a cleaner layout that offers prospective advisors and investors a quick view of the firm’s notable history. Together, the changes shift the firm’s digital identity away from abstract philosophy and toward concrete scale and longevity.
Product pages tell the same story
This repositioning does not stop at About Us pages. It extends into how firms frame their active ETF offerings directly. American Funds also updated its Exchange-Traded Funds page with a new section called Being Active Truly Matters. The section leads with management credentials before turning to vehicle benefits. American Century similarly retitled its active ETF page from Unthink ETFs to Active ETFs from American Century Investments, dropping a playful marketing hook in favor of a plain statement of identity that may appeal to advisors more keen on sincerity than cleverness.
J.P. Morgan took a different approach. In May, the firm revamped its active ETF page and retitled it Active Strategies for Unpredictable Markets. Where other firms lean on heritage, J.P. Morgan leans on relevance, framing active management as the answer to turbulent conditions right now.
What it all means
The gap between launching a fund and building a sustainable business around it is growing wider, and the pressure to differentiate is unlikely to ease. Morningstar noted that about 1,260 active ETFs ended 2025 with less than $50 million in assets, and that closures could continue to accelerate as more of those funds age past the roughly 18-month window managers typically give a new product to gain traction. So the firms that invested in narrative infrastructure in 2025, rewriting their histories and building the case for credibility, will likely have company in 2026. And Corporate Insight’s Asset Management Monitor – Advisor Monitor will continue to track all the firms that join that race.
Tim Drugan
Tim Drugan is an analyst on CI's asset management research team.