25th Anniversary of Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs) on SIX Swiss Exchange

25 years ago, SIX pioneered the introduction of Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs) in Europe by launching a dedicated segment on SIX Swiss Exchange. It has made the benefits of ETFs available to investors on a regulated and secure market place while providing issuers and market makers with a new opportunity to distribute innovative products and serve their institutional and retail clients in Switzerland and beyond.

Nowaways, SIX offers the full spectrum of international ETF services along its value chain as a unique one-stop shop, from creation to redemption, listing, trading and custody, also including high-quality market, index and reference data distribution.

As the ETF segment celebrates 25 years of growth on SIX Swiss Exchange, it shows no signs of slowing down. So far in 2025 alone, six new issuers have joined – bringing the current total to 34 – and close to 250 new ETFs were launched. As a result, the milestone of over 2,000 listed ETFs has been reached in June, with 2,099 products available to investors as of today, with liquidity being provided by 16 Market Makers.

Along with the number of issuers and choice of products, trading activity is on the rise. In the first eight months, the trading turnover has reached CHF 83.9 bn, an increase of 68% compared to the same period in the previous year, while transactions have risen by 41% to reach 2,183,412. 

Tomas Kindler, Global Head Exchanges, commented: “Building on the success story of the last 25 years our next goal is to become with QOD Europe the leading on-exchange Request-for-Quote venue for pan-European ETFs – with already over 7'000 products available.”

Gregor Braun, Head Cash Market Sales, Exchanges, commented: ”A successful ETF marketplace is the result of strong investor demand driving innovation, clear and reliable regulation that builds trust, and close collaboration with issuers and market makers, ensuring a dependable distribution network for clients and end-customers. As the Swiss stock exchange, we’re proud to bring together issuers and market makers, private and institutional investors, as well as partners such as connectivity providers, index providers and regulators. We are enthusiastic about further developing the ETF ecosystem in Switzerland and unlocking new growth potential through innovation.”

Alain Picard, Head Change & Operations, Exchanges, commented: “Having had the pleasure to shape this 25 year success story almost from the very start, I feel grateful for the great collaboration we’ve experienced with all our stakeholders over all these years. Without their commitment and passion for ETFs we would have never reached all those milestones we can look back on today, as we are firmly established among Europe’s three biggest ETF trading venues with one of the largest product offerings for investors.”

Ever since its opening, the ETF segment of SIX Swiss Exchange has benefited from the advantages of the Swiss Value Chain. This fully automated trading, clearing and settlement system, which draws on the services of other Business Units of SIX and its subsidiaries, is one of the most efficient in all of Europe. Today, SIX is combining its forces to offer the first systemic one-stop shop for ETFs in Europe, reliably providing first-class listing, trading and post-trading services, leveraging its expertise in the financial information market to fully support the ETF industry.