There were 728 new ETFs listed in the US in the first half of 2026, and CFRA has identified five of them as notable launches. We screened the new launches and identified those that have rapidly gathered assets or innovated in growing ETF categories, notes Aniket Ullal, VP, ETF Data & Analytics at CFRA Research.
These products are representative of the rapid and continuing creativity and experimentation in the US ETF ecosystem. The Roundhill Memory ETF (DRAM) has been the standout launch of H1 2026 due to its differentiated exposure to the HBM industry and strong return performance.
Source: CFRA
Other launches with success in gathering assets include the Tema Space Innovators ETF (NASA), driven by interest in Space Exploration Technologies Corp. (SPCX), and the ProShares GENIUS Money Market ETF (IQMM), which jumpstarted its asset growth via allocations from other ProShares ETFs.
Our list also includes the Roundhill HALO ETF (LOHA) and iShares Securitized Income Active ETF (SECU). Both have yet to cross $1 billion in assets, but are innovating in categories of growing investor interest.
CFRA identified these recent launches as notable because they are differentiated and reflect high investor interest in their respective categories. The launch of these products indicates that ETF managers are innovating by closely monitoring investor sentiment (e.g., SPCX, memory chips) and regulatory changes (e.g., crypto regulation) and then quickly bringing products to market.
Going forward, market participants should monitor how each of these products and segments grows, and whether investor demand is sustained. The success of these products will be a litmus test of sustained investor appetite for specialized thematic exposure in the ETF wrapper.
