South Africa has a vibrant Exchange Traded Fund (ETF) market which is rapidly evolving to incorporate a variety of new products – these including Actively Managed ETFs (AMETFs).
As of the start of 2025, there are over 80 ETFs listed on the JSE, with total assets under management exceeding R150 billion. As at the end of March 2025, the total market capitalisation of the SA ETP industry was R233.6bn. This accounted for a 3,6% increase on the R225,4 billion market capitalisation of the ETP industry, at the end of 2024.
While this is still small in global terms, it represents a significant expansion from earlier years and reflects rising investor appetite for low-cost, transparent, and diversified investment vehicles.
The market is dominated by equity ETFs, particularly those tracking local indices like the FTSE/JSE Top 40, as well as offshore exposure products tracking the S&P 500, MSCI World, and emerging markets. There has also been a notable rise in interest in thematic and ESG-aligned ETFs, mirroring global trends.
A growing number of South African investors are using ETFs as core components in tax-free savings accounts (TFSAs) and retirement annuities, due to their cost-effectiveness and long-term performance consistency. The accessibility of ETFs through online platforms has further opened the market to younger, first-time investors.
In our latest “Meet The Management” podcast, CEO Marc Ashton speaks to Mike Brown from ETFSA for his input on:
- The state of the SA ETF market
- The rest of AMETFs
- Where he says innovation coming into the sector
About ETFSA:
In 2010, South African ETF pioneer Mike Brown had an idea: To give investors access to all ETFs listed on the JSE. A decade earlier, he’d helped establish Satrix to list the first ETF on the JSE. With this expertise under his belt, he launched the ETFSA Investor Plan.
This evolved into the Investor Hub, a fully digital electronic platform that enables investment into more than 200 locally listed ETPs.
Over the years ETFSA have developed a reputation for detailed data services and research on South Africa’s ETF industry dating back to the industry’s origins in 2000.
The team from ETFSA have recently released industry statistics on the ETP market.
About the “Meet the Management” series:
With business media newsrooms under enormous pressure in South Africa, very few of the smaller and mid-cap businesses receive any tangible media coverage as there simply aren’t the resources to commit to covering these businesses.
We have made a commitment to try and assist JSE and Cape Town Stock Exchange (CTSE) listed businesses as well as South African venture capital firms to helped them share their news and stories.
During our time of running this series, we have hosted a variety of guests across our platforms including interviews with businesses including:
- Capital Appreciation
- Altvest Capital
- OneLogix
- Calgro M3
- GAIA Investment Managers
- ARB Holdings
- Homechoice International
- Alt Capital Partners
- Kalon Venture Partners
By giving back to our ecosystem, we provide a channel in which businesses can engage with their stakeholders and share their stories.
We have a number of other exciting guests lined up and you can follow via our website or our YouTube channel.
Would you like to feature on “Meet The Management” or discuss a stakeholder communication strategy for your business?
We want to see a thriving investor ecosystem where organisations can communicate their strategies to their stakeholders.
If you would like to connect with our team, please find our contact details here. We would be happy to setup an online call or host you at our office in Rosebank, Gauteng.