The latest edition of Broadridge’s Fund Brand 50 (FB50), an annual research study by Broadridge Financial Solutions, Inc, has been published, highlighting the world’s best-performing third-party asset management brands.
The firm writes that 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 10 European markets covered. However, JPMorgan narrowly leads BlackRock in Germany, while Amundi moves into top position in France.”
The independent study, now in its 15th year, is powered by insights from Broadridge’s Global Fund Buyer Focus Intelligence, described as “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.”
Top 10 European asset management brands
| Rank | Fund Group | Change |
| 1 | BlackRock | 0 |
| 2 | JPMorgan AM | 0 |
| 3 | Fidelity | 0 |
| 4 | Amundi | +1 |
| 5 | Pictet | -1 |
| 6 | iShares | 0 |
| 7 | Vanguard | 0 |
| 8 | Schroders | +1 |
| 9 | Robeco | -1 |
| 10 | UBS | +1 |
Key insights from Broadridge include:
“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
Broadridge writes that 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. ”
