Astral Resources (AAR:AU) has announced Theia Grade Control Confirms Geological Interpretation
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Investors looking for exposure to the silver price and silver-mining companies should consider silver exchange-traded funds (ETFs).
Spurred by moves in the gold market, safe-haven buying as well as increasing demand from industrial sectors, in the fourth quarter of 2025 the price of silver broke through its all-time high of US$49.95, which it set in 1980, and set a new-all time high of US$58.83.
While silver has often been seen as a more approachable precious metal owing to its lower per ounce price, its performance has lagged gains seen in the gold price over the past few years. However, silver has stolen some of the spotlight in 2025 as it sees significant gains on the back of geopolitical tension and economic uncertainty from the US trade and tariff policy.
Like gold investing, investors can invest in silver in several ways that each offer their own pros and cons, along with differing costs and risks. For example, investors can purchase physical silver bars or coins, or trade silver futures.
Another way for investors to diversify their portfolio with silver is to invest in ETFs. These products work similarly to mutual funds in that they pool investor resources into an asset. However, as their name suggests, ETFs are traded on exchanges like stocks, making them more accessible to investors than mutual funds are.
While ETFs aren’t without risk, they can offer a more stable investment compared to individual stocks thanks to their diversification and the fact that they are often managed and rebalanced.
Silver ETFs come in several forms, such as ones that hold physical silver and ones that hold silver mining, royalty and exploration stocks. Investors looking to start trading silver ETFs should be aware of the options available to them to determine which silver ETF will best suit their precious metals investing needs and risk tolerance.
Here’s a brief look at 10 of the top silver ETFs by total assets. The first five ETFs offer exposure to the price of silver, while the last five provide exposure to silver-mining stocks.
Assets and prices for these silver ETFs were collected on December 1, 2025, using data from the funds’ web pages.
5 ETFs for exposure to the silver price
1. iShares Silver Trust (ARCA:SLV)
Total assets: US$26.33 billion
Unit price: US$51.21
The iShares Silver Trust provides investors with access to the silver price performance, using the London Bullion Market Association silver price as its benchmark.
As the iShares Silver Trust’s web page warns, it is not an investment company registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940, or a commodity pool under the Commodity Exchange Act. Because of this, it is not subject to the regulatory requirements that apply to mutual funds or ETFs.
This silver trust holds 508 million ounces of silver bullion.
2. Sprott Physical Silver Trust (ARCA:PSLV,TSX:PSLV)
Total assets: US$11.61 billion
Unit price: US$18.65
The Sprott Physical Silver Trust is an option for investors looking for the security of physical silver without the need to find secure storage.
The ETF is backed by 191.12 million ounces of silver held in trust in fully allocated London Good Delivery silver bars.
Additionally, the ETF is fully convertible into physical silver, should investors decide they want the precious metal on hand. However, the fund states that holders ‘must have enough units to equate to ten 1000 oz silver bars.’
3. Aberdeen Standard Physical Silver Shares ETF (ARCA:SIVR)
Total assets: US$3.71 billion
Unit price: US$53.71
The Aberdeen Standard Physical Silver Shares ETF’s investment objective is for its shares to reflect the performance of the silver price less the expenses of the trust’s operations. It has an expense ratio of 0.3 percent.
This ETF comes with the same warnings as the iShares Silver Trust.
The fund is backed with 45.51 million ounces of silver held with JPMorgan Chase Bank in London in a secured vault.
4. ProShares Ultra Silver ETF (ARCA:AGQ)
Total assets: US$1.33 billion
Unit price: US$107.32
The ProShares Ultra Silver ETF, established in 2008, was designed to offer daily investment results that correspond with twice the daily performance of the Bloomberg Silver Subindex. Because of this, the ETF is aimed at investors who are bullish on silver and able to monitor their investments on a daily basis.
The fund uses derivatives such as futures contracts to invest in silver and has an expense ratio of 0.95 percent.
5. ProShares UltraShort Silver ETF (ARCA:ZSL)
Total assets: US$73.71 million
Unit price: US$9.51
The ProShares UltraShort Silver ETF is designed to provide investors with a hedge against declines in the silver market. ProShares launched it alongside the ProShares Ultra Silver ETF in late 2008. It also has an expense ratio of 0.95 percent.
Because the fund is built around providing results at a negative two times daily performance of the Bloomberg Silver Subindex, it is meant for traders who have a high capacity for risk and who are willing to monitor their positions on a daily basis. The fund should be treated in the same way as the Ultra Silver ETF.
5 ETFs for exposure to silver-mining stocks
1. Global X Silver Miners ETF (ARCA:SIL)
Total assets: US$3.93 billion
Unit price: US$77.66
The Global X Silver Miners ETF gives investors access to a basket of silver-mining and royalty stocks. The ETF benefits from the fact that these companies can climb when the silver price is rising. It also allows investors to avoid the risks associated with individual companies and lets them add geographical diversity to their portfolios.
This ETF has an expense ratio of 0.65 percent, and its top holdings include streaming company Wheaton Precious Metals (TSX:WPM,NYSE:WPM) at a weight of 22.5 percent, Pan American Silver (TSX:PAAS) at a weight of 12.3 percent and Coeur Mining (NYSE:CDE) at 8.1 percent.
2. Amplify Junior Silver Miners ETF (ARCA:SILJ)
Total assets: US$2.97 billion
Unit price: US$26.09
The Amplify Junior Silver Miners ETF bills itself as the ‘first and only ETF to target small cap silver miners.’ The index provides a benchmark for investors to track public small-cap companies in the silver space.
The ETF has an expense ratio of 0.69 percent and its holdings span Canada, the US and the UK, with key silver companies such as Hecla Mining Company (NYSE:HL) at a weight of 11.3 percent, First Majestic Silver (TSX:AG,NYSE:AG) at 10.3 percent and Coeur Mining at 8.7 percent.
3. iShares MSCI Global Silver Miners ETF (BATS:SLVP)
Total assets: US$630 million
Unit price: US$31.59
The iShares MSCI Global Silver Miners ETF tracks an index composed of global equities of companies primarily engaged in silver exploration or metals mining.
The ETF has the lowest expense ratio of the three ETFs focused on silver stocks at 0.39 percent.
The large majority of companies in its holdings, about 69 percent, are traded on Canadian exchanges, and companies on US and Mexican exchanges combine for 27 percent.
The top three holdings for the iShares MSCI Global Silver Miners ETF are Hecla Mining at a weight of 15.5 percent, Industrias Peñoles (BMV:PE&OLES) with a weight of 11.7 percent and Fresnillo (LSE:FRES) at 10 percent.
4. Sprott Silver Miners & Physical Silver ETF (NASDAQ:SLVR)
Total assets: US$453.7 million
Unit price: US$51.31
The Sprott Silver Miners & Physical Silver includes a combination of physical silver holdings as well as equities, setting it apart from the other silver-mining ETFs on the list.
The fund launched in January 2025, making it one of the newest entries to the list. Its management fee is 0.65 percent.
This silver ETF’s second largest holding is its counterpart Sprott Physical Silver Trust, which provides investors exposure to physical silver, at a 14.3 percent weight. Its other top holdings are First Majestic Silver at 27.12 percent and Endeavour Silver (TSX:EDR,NYSE:EXK) at 10.6 percent.
5. Sprott Active Gold and Silver Miners ETF (NASDAQ:GBUG)
Total assets: US$134.42 million
Unit price: US$41.18
Established in February 2025, the Sprott Active Gold and Silver Miners ETF is designed to provide investors broad access to both gold and silver equities. Additionally, as an active fund, it will see more frequent rebalancing to increase the potential of better returns for investors.
The fund’s top holdings consist of OceanaGold (TSX:OGC,OTCQX:OCANF) weighted at 4.32 percent, G Mining Ventures (TSX:GMIN,OTCQX:GMINF) at 4.18 percent and Equinox Gold (TSX:EQX,NYSEAMERICAN:EQX) at 4.16 percent.
Its management fee is 0.89 percent.
Securities Disclosure: I, Dean Belder, hold an investment in Sprott Active Gold and Silver Miners ETF.
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Humanoid robotics is rapidly advancing.
Driven by the convergence of technological innovation, evolving labor market demands and growing investor interest, the humanoid robotics industry is expanding at a rapid rate. A handful of humanoid robotics companies have announced initial public offerings in 2025, such as China’s Unitree and Singapore’s Otsaw, with more predicted in 2026.
Ark Invest CEO Cathie Wood said in October that humanoid robots “will be the biggest of all” artificial intelligence (AI) opportunities, highlighting their potential in transportation, healthcare and productivity enhancement.
Samimi discussed the impact AI integration has had on the robotics industry, challenges such as labor shortages and supply chain disruptions and how the firm evaluates opportunities within this nascent yet promising market.
Key trends in humanoid robotics
According to Samimi, recent trends in robotics include enhanced automation in the industrial and logistics sectors.
“We’re seeing a lot of new trends on foundation models and control stacks within the robotic sector, as well as new sorts of electronic assemblies to put all of these components together,” he explained, pointing to companies like Amazon (NASDAQ:AMZN), BMW (ETR:BMW,OTC Pink:BMWKY) and Mercedes-Benz Group (ETR:MBG,OTC Pink:MBGAF) as current adopters of humanoid robots in factories and warehouses.
Additionally, Samimi highlighted that recent battery advances have improved energy density, enabling longer robot operation for industrial and logistics tasks. Meanwhile, lighter, more efficient actuators enhance precision and energy use, supporting dynamic interaction and human collaboration.
Finally, advances in robotics control systems are powered by cutting-edge AI algorithms. Platforms like RideScan, a Humanoid Global portfolio company, harness continuous, independent AI-driven monitoring, risk scoring and anomaly detection to optimize robot performance. The company recently filed a patent in the UK for its core AI technology
Samimi added that safety and reliability remain critical focal points amid these technological advances.
Advances in algorithms, machine learning and operational intelligence systems are enabling comprehensive, scalable safety and maintenance solutions for robots deployed across different facilities, supported by digital twin technologies and a closed-loop data cycle for continuous improvement.
Addressing labor shortages via robotics
Labor shortages and constrained supply chains are accelerating innovation by prompting industrial sectors to adopt robotics to augment limited labor resources.
The 2025 MHI Annual Industry Report, a document that covers emerging disruptive technologies, confirms robotics is thriving amid labor shortages and rising complexity in logistics and manufacturing.
During the US-Saudi Investment Forum, Tesla (NASDAQ:TSLA) CEO Elon Musk made a bold prediction about the long-term effects of robotics and AI: work will become optional, and money will be obsolete.
“I don’t know what long term is — maybe it’s 10, 20 years or something like that,” Musk said, adding that there is still a lot of work to be done before society gets to that point.
In the meantime, the workforce will likely see more human-robot collaboration. Samimi said he has observed that humanoid robots and collaborative robots (cobots) are increasingly taking over repetitive manual tasks.
“Human labor now shifts to more, higher-value tasks, rather than moving a warehouse box or a palette from A to B. So we’re seeing somewhat of a shift (that’s) helping make labor more scalable and more productive, and really less dependent on that shrinking labor pool,” he said.
Resource-heavy and industrial sectors present strong opportunities for robotics, especially amid a limited labor pool. Areas like agriculture, mining, pharmaceuticals and lumber stand to benefit from automation and upskilling via robotics.
Robotics investment thesis and portfolio evaluation
Humanoid Global views its role not only as an investor, but also as an ecosystem builder, actively fostering collaboration and knowledge sharing across its portfolio companies.
By strategically connecting early stage innovators with mature industry players, Humanoid Global seeks to accelerate the global deployment and scale of humanoid robotics technologies.
The firm emphasizes balancing risk across a portfolio that includes both disruptive technology developers and companies closer to full commercial deployment, allowing for diversified exposure while driving integrated growth.
Companies are evaluated with a strong prioritization for teams with proven execution capabilities and sustainable technological moats, such as proprietary IP or unique data networks. Scalability and clear go-to-market strategies are equally important, as is a strong safety architecture embedded in the technology.
This approach highlights the importance of strategic relationships, market education and risk-managed growth in realizing the transformative potential of humanoid robotics.
Securities Disclosure: I, Meagen Seatter, hold no direct investment interest in any company mentioned in this article.
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As scrutiny continues to intensify across the battery metals supply chain, the conversation around sustainability has moved far beyond carbon footprints.
At this year’s Benchmark Week, Stefan Debruyne, director of external affairs at Sociedad Quimica y Minera de Chile (SQM) (NYSE:SQM), made that point unmistakably clear: sustainability in lithium is as much about people, process and transparency as it is about emissions — and it must be learned, not imposed.
SQM, one of the world’s largest lithium producers, has long been at the center of debates about extraction in Chile’s Salar de Atacama. But for Debruyne, the company’s vision of leadership goes beyond scale.
“We approach leadership in a holistic way,” he said. “It’s not only about having trust to produce and being able to deliver the quality the market needs, but also doing it in a responsible way — dialogue, working closely with stakeholders and civil society. We work very hard on all components.”
Building social license
Much of Debruyne’s role over the past five years has centered on improving engagement with Indigenous communities, many of which have deep historical grievances tied to land, water and the impact of large-scale resource extraction.
“It’s really about being the best neighbor possible,” he said.
But getting there has required fundamental shifts in mindset and method. One of the clearest examples is what Debruyne called the principle of horizontality — a change born from early missteps.
A decade ago, when communities questioned the mine’s hydrological impacts, SQM responded the way many industrial operators would: it sent engineers to explain the technical data.
“You would think that’s a great thing to do,” Debruyne said. “But we learned that’s not the right way, because community members aren’t hydrologists. There’s a vertical difference.”
Instead, SQM now helps communities secure independent experts of their choosing, ensuring conversations happen “on a horizontal level.” This shift has been crucial to rebuilding trust.
Just as important, Debruyne said, is abandoning the western notion of time.
“Communities have a different concept of time. It’s about giving them the time they need — taking information back, returning, iterating. You may think you’re doing things the right way, but there’s always room for improvement.”
Why social investment reduces risk
For Oxfam policy advisor Andrew Bogrand, these types of changes are not just ethical — they’re also practical.
The expert, who also spoke on the panel, noted that since 2010, more than 800 protests or violent incidents have occurred around mine sites globally, including 300 since 2021 alone.
Each one carries real costs: slowdowns, legal expenses, rising insurance premiums — and, as Bogrand pointed out, the hidden cost of executive time diverted to crisis management.
“There is a win-win solution,” he told the Benchmark Week audience. “It’s engaging communities, making sure everyone’s on the same page. Sometimes the solutions are very simple.”
As an example, he pointed to mining projects where warning messages were sent in English to communities that do not speak the language, or where key safety information was delivered over SMS when what residents needed was a physical noticeboard in their own dialect.
Bogrand described companies that “step over a dollar to pick up a penny” — refusing modest community requests, only to face shutdowns costing tens of millions of dollars.
Transparency: A tool, not a threat
Debruyne described transparency as one of SQM’s most effective tools, even if it initially felt counterintuitive.
A few years ago, the company made all hydrological data from its government reporting publicly accessible online.
“I was bracing myself,” he said, expecting to receive dozens of questions about brine levels. But counter to his fears, transparency defused tension rather than fueling it. “I received complete silence,’ Debruyne noted.
It also created a foundation for future collaboration, including joint environmental monitoring programs with communities that had refused to speak with SQM for years.
Moving slow to move fast
The tension between rapid industry growth and slow, iterative sustainability processes often surfaces in investor discussions. For Bogrand, the answer is simple: “You have to move slow to move fast.”
Rushing early stage engagement almost always backfires, he argued, while early investment in community relationships pays dividends across the life of a mine.
Debruyne echoed this idea, noting that patience, consistency and presence — not promises — win trust. In one case, SQM organized a visit for Atacama Indigenous women leaders to electric vehicle and battery plants in Germany and Poland, allowing them to see firsthand where lithium fits in a finished product.
One participant, surprised that the metal formed only a thin coating on a cathode, admitted she had imagined an “Avatar-like” scenario where mines destroyed massive volumes of land for each battery.
“Because they don’t have visibility on the value chain, they make interpretations, which is human,” Debruyne told listeners. “Dialogue is so important.”
Both Debruyne and Bogrand agree that the lithium supply chain cannot scale without social acceptance, credible transparency and deep engagement with affected communities.
As Debruyne noted, “Ultimately, it’s about people.”
Securities Disclosure: I, Georgia Williams, hold no direct investment interest in any company mentioned in this article.
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