Alex Vynokur: Why Betashares is staying private

Betashares may be capitalising on the exchange-traded fund boom taking over markets but founder and chief executive Alex Vynokur says his company will remain privately owned for the time being despite its strong earnings growth.

Betashares began issuing ETFs in 2009 after passive investments gained popularity following the global financial crisis and has grown to manage over $80 billion in assets for more than a million Australian customers.

Betashares products are heavily marketed and last year it bought popular finance podcast Equity Mates for $8.5 million but the company's relatively high profile has not resulted in much focus on its underlying financial performance.

However, consolidated accounts lodged with the Australian Securities and Investments Commission show that for calendar 2025 Betashares generated a pre-tax profit of $38 million, up 84 per cent on the previous year, on revenues of $201 million.