The Best-Performing Fund Brands in Europe and Globally According to the 2026 Broadridge Fund Brand 50 Report

BlackRock retains top position in Broadridge's Fund Brand 50 global asset manager rankings, significantly increasing its total brand score

LONDON, March 31, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- The latest edition of Broadridge's Fund Brand 50 (FB50), an annual research study by global Fintech leader Broadridge Financial Solutions, Inc. (NYSE:BR), was released today, highlighting the world's best-performing third-party asset management brands. The study reveals a shifting brand landscape as asset managers jockey for position amid geopolitical tensions, market volatility, and intense fund selector scrutiny. Managers are enhancing their brand by offering clients access to high-growth markets such as private equity and private debt via strategic partnerships or through targeted acquisitions. Another critical trend that continues to shape the competitor environment, and the brand ranking, is investor appetite for passive and active ETFs. Innovative funds are highly prized in these dynamic growth areas.

"JPMorgan AM no longer poses a significant threat to BlackRock as its total brand score has dropped 48 points after surging 755 points in 2024," notes Barbara Wall, Broadridge's EMEA Director of Data & Analytics. "BlackRock emerges top in four brand attributes including 'Expert in what they do' and 'Solidity.' The US leader is also the foremost recognised brand in eight out of the ten European markets covered. However, JPMorgan narrowly leads BlackRock in Germany, while Amundi moves into top position in France."

The independent study, now in its 15^th year, is powered by insights from Broadridge's Global Fund Buyer Focus Intelligence— a comprehensive, continuously updated intelligence and analytics dataset capturing fund selector preferences, behaviours, and market trends across global markets. FB50 measures and ranks asset managers' relative brand attractiveness based on fund selector perceptions: considering 10 brand attributes to reveal the top fund brands in Europe, APAC and the US. This is the latest study from Broadridge's Data and Analytics business and highlights the depth and breadth of the firm's global market insights.

Top-10 European Asset Management Brands

Key insights

• Amundi upsets the established order by replacing Pictet in fourth position (a post held by Pictet since 2021). It was also a productive year for Schroders and UBS – both move up a rung into eighth and tenth place, respectively. While Schroders' top attribute is 'Stability of investment management team', the group is also valued for its extensive product range and expanding private markets offerings, including liquid alternatives. Home bias might have been a factor in the rise of UBS, with Swiss selectors remarking that their domestic clients are more at home with a provider which, like UBS, is a well-known local brand. UBS's top attribute is 'Local Knowledge.'

• Fidelity remains in third place scoring highly for 'Keeping best informed.' Selectors also like this provider for its consistency, sheer professionalism and the great capacity that it has for fundamental analysis. Passive powerhouses iShares and Vanguard retain their top-10 slots in sixth and seventh place, respectively. Both groups are valued for their solidity and core passive fund ranges.

• Social responsibility may not be top of mind for many providers in the current market climate, but it is noteworthy that some of the biggest asset management brands in Europe have lost institutional mandates due to a perceived reduction in their focus on ESG issues. At the retail level, fund selectors view promoters' sustainability credentials as relevant, though increasingly less so amid mixed performance, closures and mergers, and regulatory uncertainty.  

• Active ETFs were a hot topic in 2025, and, while AUM remains low, flow momentum is building. Establishing a distinctive and authoritative message will be critical for building brand recognition in what is a highly concentrated space. As the sector matures, selectors are increasingly looking for high conviction active ETFs (many of which are thematic) distinguishable from the more widespread index enhanced strategies.

Valued attributes

While the top-five most important attributes in Europe are ostensibly unchanged from the previous year, with 'Appealing investment strategy' retaining top position, the precise ranking is rather more nuanced, with multiple attributes tying for second and fourth place. This serves to underscore the importance for asset managers of being seen to offer both fund selectors and investors alike the whole package.

Increasingly, asset managers are being asked to provide continuous, high-quality, and transparent market updates to navigate an investment landscape defined by geopolitical uncertainty, elevated valuations, and choppy markets. While size can enable a provider to leverage higher communication budgets to great effect, selectors want targeted communication that is easy to understand and in more engaging formats.

Additional findings from this year's study include:

• Traditional active equity managers continue to face an uphill struggle as ETF providers expand their market share. However, there are notable successes among independent managers with selectors valuing certain groups for their smaller size, longevity, low staff turnover and niche product sets.
• It was a banner year for fixed income, and this was reflected in flows and brand perception. This is one area of traditional active management where bond providers were able to shine. Active flexible strategies and short-term fixed income exposure were popular with fund selectors.
• One of the year's most significant thematic trends in equity markets has been European defence. Two providers that have made significant gains in the top FB50 brand ranking – WisdomTree and VanEck – have made a notable impression here and in other popular thematic ETF strategies. Selectors want to see further product innovation in areas such as cryptocurrency and AI.

A webinar is scheduled for Tuesday, 14 April 2026 at 2:00pm BST | 9:00am EST | 9:00pm CST to reveal the top asset management brands in each region. Registration is available to all  https://event.on24.com/wcc/r/5270343/9C55A720DB344CF0E2D572C76AB46728

About the report

Broadridge Fund Brand 50 is an annual study derived from Broadridge's Global Fund Buyer Focus Intelligence, which equips asset managers with critical analytics on their fund selector preferences, brand tracking, and quality scores. The analytics are driven by intensive interviews with more than 1,300 of the most significant fund selectors in Europe, APAC, and the US. Fund selectors name their top-three suppliers across 10 brand attributes.

These attributes for Europe are as follows:

• Appealing investment strategy                     
• Client-oriented thinking                                 
• Expert in what they do                                   
• Keeping best informed                                   
• Key international player                                 
• Solidity                                                               
• Innovation/adaptation to market               
• Stability of investment management team               
• Local knowledge                                              
• Social responsibility/sustainability             

These answers, as well as commentary from other preference questions, are collated using statistical analysis and transformed into a 'Total Brand Score', on which groups are ranked.

Asset managers, consultants and other industry stakeholders interested in receiving more detail about  Fund Buyer Focus Intelligence can visit this website page. To inquire about Broadridge's Fund Brand 50 report, please visit the Fund Brand 50 information page.

Broadridge helps asset managers streamline investment operations, comply with changing regulations, and drive revenue and profitability with advanced data, analytics, and global market intelligence. Broadridge's fund solutions business serves nearly 500 asset managers, and tracks $110 trillion of assets under management, providing fund clients with an unparalleled global view into investor and asset trends.

About Broadridge

Broadridge Financial Solutions (NYSE: BR) is a global technology leader with trusted expertise and transformative technology, helping clients and the financial services industry operate, innovate, and grow. We power investing, governance, and communications for our clients – driving operational resiliency, elevating business performance, and transforming investor experiences.

Our technology and operations platforms process and generate over 7 billion communications annually and underpin the daily average trading of over $15 trillion in tokenized and traditional securities globally. A certified Great Place to Work®, Broadridge is part of the S&P 500® Index, employing over 15,000 associates in 21 countries.

For more information, visit www.broadridge.com.

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