Best of the Best 2025: Best ETF Manager
Vanguard has been named Money's Best ETF Manager as part of the Best of the Best awards.
More than 1.5 million Australians, or roughly 20% of all on-exchange investors in the country, held at least one exchange traded fund in their portfolio in 2023, according to the Australian Stock Exchange's latest Australian Investor Study.
It's a type of investment that only appears to be getting more popular in Australia as the years go by, but one provider that has been there from the very beginning is this year's Best ETF Manager award winner, Vanguard Australia.
"Vanguard pioneered index funds nearly 50 years ago, which later became the launching pad for the global ETF industry," says Adam DeSanctis, Vanguard's head of ETF capital markets for the Asia-Pacific region.
"Our stated mission has always been to take a stand for all investors, to treat them fairly and to give them the best chance for investment success. It's in our DNA. Behind this is our low-cost investing philosophy, which enables investors to keep more of their total returns."
That philosophy appears to be working, given that a number of Vanguard's ETFs currently rank among the most popular in Australia with investors - at least when it comes to funds under management.
Speaking to the popularity of ETFs more broadly, though, DeSanctis says the diversification that they can provide to portfolios and their relatively low cost are among the major driving factors.
"The biggest motivations among investors using ETFs are their ability to provide broad diversification across investment markets and the fact that they are so easy to access on the stock exchange.
"But beyond that, more and more investors are seeing ETFs as the quickest and lowest-cost way to access different types of asset classes and a wide range of offshore markets."
Vanguard's success this year comes on the back of consistently strong performances across the various ETF award categories, including Australian and international shares, ESG, income and fixed interest.
"We are honoured to have been recognised as the winner of the prestigious 2025 Money magazine Best of the Best Award in the Best ETF Manager category," says DeSanctis.
"It reflects the trust that the industry has in us and we look forward to continuing to help investors achieve their goals via our low-cost ETFs."
Exchange traded funds have quickly become the investment vehicle of choice for millions of Australians, he says.
"With over 50 million customers worldwide, Vanguard's long-term buy-and-hold investment approach using broadly diversified, low-cost funds continues to resonate with everyday investors seeking to build their wealth."
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