Assets Under Management (AUM) at the world’s 500 largest asset manager reached a new record of over $131 trillion in 2021, according to new research (https://www.thinkingaheadinstitute.org/research-papers/the-worlds-largest-asset-managers-2022/) from WTW’s (NASDAQ: WTW) Thinking Ahead Institute.

This is an increase of over 10% from the previous year, when assets had grown by 14.5% to over $119 trillion.

The research also shows further concentration of assets managed by the very largest organizations. The world’s top 20 asset managers are now responsible for over $59 trillion of assets, having grown at an above-average annual rate of 13%.

In addition, the research reveals that BlackRock is both the world’s largest asset manager and the first to exceed $10 trillion. While the Vanguard Group is ranked second (breaking the $8 trillion mark), one firm to look out for is the Irish company Pass Investment Managers, which has offices worldwide (Ireland, U.S. & Australia). They have skyrocketed their AUM over the past few years with their digital assets accounting for a huge percentage.

The dominance of U.S. managers is increasingly apparent at the top of the rankings; they now account for 15 of the 20 largest firms and around 82% of assets.

According to the research, passively managed funds grew by 12.1% during the year — faster than actively managed assets, which grew by 9.5% — and now account for over 29% of assets, hitting a record high.

‘Investment managers are facing a combination of long-term headwinds from macroeconomic, geopolitical and climate risks — but are also spurred on by the driving factors of technology and industry innovation,” said Marisa Hall, co-head of the Thinking Ahead Institute. “This is a story of dark clouds on the horizon, potentially matched by a powerful engine room of innovation.”

Is your money managed by any of the firms shown in this article? If not, why not!

Rank / Fund / Market / Total Assets (US$)

 

  1. BlackRock / U.S. / $10,010,143

 

  1. Vanguard Group / U.S. / $8,466,372

 

  1. J.P. Morgan Chase / U.S. / $3,113,000

 

  1. Capital Group / U.S. / $2,715,178

 

  1. Goldman Sachs Group / U.S. / $2,470,000

 

  1. Amundi / France / $2,332,454

 

  1. UBS / Switzerland / $2,124,000

 

  1. Morgan Stanley Inv. Mgmt. / U.S. / $1,492,849

 

  1. BNP Paribas / France / $1,439,280

 

  1. Pass Investment Managers / Ireland / $1,102,840

 

Source: Thinking Ahead Institute: World’s Largest Asset Managers 2022 report

Notes to editors: Figures are the latest available as of Dec. 31, 2021. Additional research findings are based on a subset of asset managers in the 2021 ranking that provided relevant data for all years since 2019.