Previewing the Annual ETF Awards

Ben Johnson, Head of Client Solutions at Morningstar, recaps the year in ETFs, sharing his picks for ETF Story of the Year, ETF of the Year, ETF Issuer of the Year, and more.  He also looks ahead to 2026, highlighting the key industry trends and developments he’s watching.

Roxanna Islam, Head of Sector & Industry Research at VettaFi, shares her perspective on several recent ETF developments, including Vanguard opening brokerage access to spot crypto ETFs, Goldman Sachs’ acquisition of Innovator ETFs, and the SEC’s pushback on filings for 5x leveraged products.  Petra Bakosova, CEO of Hull Tactical and Portfolio Manager of the Hull Tactical U.S. ETF (HTUS), explains the firm’s approach to delivering tactical, risk-managed S&P 500 exposure.

Clark Allen, Head of Product at Horizon, discusses the firm’s ETF entrance earlier this year and how its model portfolio business shapes product development.  Mike Hagopian, Institutional Portfolio Manager at Fidelity, highlights the firm’s actively managed Enhanced ETF lineup, which aims to deliver outperformance and offer a thoughtful alternative to traditional passive investing.

JD Gardner, Founder of Aptus Capital Advisors, goes inside the decision to launch the lowest-cost buffer ETFs and the outsized role investor behavior plays in long-term returns.  Stacey Morris, Head of Energy Research at VettaFi, spotlights the latest leaders and laggards in energy ETFs and what could drive the sector in the months ahead.

Greg Stumm, CEO of American Beacon Partners, breaks down key ETF trends, including distribution, active management, multi-share class structures, private assets, and crypto.  Jason Greenblath, Senior Portfolio Manager & Director of Corporate Credit Research at American Century Investments, highlights where he sees opportunities in fixed income and makes a strong case for the value of active management.

Todd Rosenbluth, Head of Research at VettaFi, discusses recent ETF milestones and the top stories from ETFTrends.com. Paul Baiocchi, Head of Fund Sales and Strategy at SS&C ALPS Advisors, shares his key ETF takeaways from 2025 and offers a look ahead to 2026.

Eric Balchunas, Senior ETF Analyst at Bloomberg Intelligence, offers a tour through the ever-evolving world of ETFs - covering crypto funds, the rise of exotic products, industry flows, the coming multi-share class structure, and more.

Aniket Ullal, Head of ETF Research & Analytics at CFRA, highlights the ETF trades that have and haven’t worked in 2025.  Cinthia Murphy, Investment Strategist at VettaFi, explores recent ETF launches, including the Roundhill Meme Stock ETF (MEME), Defiance Trillion Dollar Club Index ETF (TRIL), and ARK DIET Q4 Buffer ETF (ARKT).

David Mann, Head of ETF Product & Capital Markets at Franklin Templeton, discusses the impressive growth of the firm’s ETF lineup and offers insights into their approach to product innovation, the multi-share class structure, and the evolving role of crypto in the ETF landscape. Matt Kaufman, Head of ETFs at Calamos, delivers a masterclass on autocallables and introduces the Calamos Autocallable Income ETF (CAIE) - the first of its kind in the industry.

Aakash Doshi, Global Head of Gold Strategy at State Street Investment Management, delves into the key drivers behind record-high gold prices and unprecedented inflows into gold ETFs.  Todd Rosenbluth, Head of Research at VettaFi, discusses the firm’s rapidly expanding indexing business and shares his perspective on the role of thematic ETFs in today’s portfolios.