Assets invested in smart beta equity exchange-traded funds and exchange-traded products listed globally reached a new record high of $497.0bn at the end of November 2016, according to London-based ETF industry consultant ETFGI.

As of the end of November 2016, there were 1,179 smart beta equity ETFs listed globally with a combined $497 in assets under management.

Record levels of assets were also reached at the end of November for equity smart beta ETFs/ETPs listed in the United States at $445.0bn and in Canada with $11.0bn.

During the month, global smart beta equity ETFs/ETPs saw net inflows of $7.2bn. The top three gatherers of net new assets were iShares, Vanguard and Guggenheim Investments with 2.6bn, $1.9bn and $652m net inflows respectively.

Year to date (YTD) through end of November 2016, smart beta equity ETFs/ETPs attracted $47.1bn in net inflows. Over this period, 208 new smart beta equity ETFs/ETPs were launched by 67 providers, highlighting the increasing competitiveness within this market.

iShares gathered the largest smart beta equity ETF/ETP net inflows YTD with $31.0bn, followed by Vanguard with $11.5bn and Charles Schwab Investment Management with $4.5bn.

At the end of November 2016, there were 1,179 smart beta equity ETFs/ETPs, with 1,990 listings from 145 providers on 37 exchanges in 32 countries.