Asia ETF News for the Past Year
What the war in Iran means for China
March 17, 2026-China is relatively inured to the Iran conflict, but less external demand could hit its exports and its international partnerships may be undermined
The disruption to global energy flows triggered by the United States and Israel's attacks against Iran are a severe test of energy security, export resilience and geopolitical strategy for China, the world’s largest oil importer.
While Beijing's massive oil stockpiles and diversified sourcing offer short-term protection, a prolonged conflict over Iran could exacerbate domestic economic pressures and undermine China's global goals.
Access to Iranian oil cut off
Iran has long served as a vital, discounted source of energy for China. This has especially been the case since 2021 when the Iran-China 25-year cooperation agreement was signed, securing a $400 billion of oil at below market prices for China, in exchange for investment in Iran's infrastructure and security cooperation1.
By the end of 2025, China was importing up to about 1.4 million barrels per day (mbd) from Iran, representing 13 percent of its total crude imports and some 80 percent to 90 percent of Tehran’s oil exports2.
Iranian oil was often rerouted to circumvent US sanctions3. To avoid the reputational and financial risk from importing sanctioned oil, this oil was mainly bought by small, private 'teapot' refineries, rather than major Chinese state-owned oil companies.
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Source: bruegel.org
ChinaAMC (HK) Successfully Launched ChinaAMC HK-US AI ETF China-US AI Rising Stars, All in Your Hands Stock Code: (3140 HK /9140 HK /83140 HK)
March 12, 2026-China Asset Management (Hong Kong) Limited ("ChinaAMC (HK) ") is pleased to announce the official launch
of the ChinaAMC HK-US AI ETF (the "Fund"), which will start trading on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange on
March 18.
The Fund closely tracks the "Solactive G2 AI 50 Select Index", comprising up to 50 leading AI companies listed
in Hong Kong and the United States.
To optimize diversification and mitigate concentration risk, the index
methodology applies a strategic regional allocation (62% in Hong Kong, China, 38% in the United States) and
enforces strict single-stock weighting caps (maximum 8% for HK-listed and 5% for U.S.-listed companies). All
constituents must meet rigorous liquidity standards. Using FactSet RBICS classifications, the index targets
three core themes: "AI Software", "AI Hardware", and "AI-Driven Applications", providing investors with
dynamic exposure to the rapidly evolving global AI landscape.
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Source: ChinaAMC (HK)
KB Asset Management Launches RISE China AI Semiconductor Top 4 Plus ETF Tracking the Solactive China AI Semiconductor Top 4 Plus Index
March 10, 2026--Solactive is pleased to announce the collaboration with KB Asset Management by the launch of the RISE China AI Semiconductor Top 4 Plus ETF, which tracks the Solactive China AI Semiconductor Top 4 Plus Index.
The product is designed to provide exposure to Chinese companies active in the artificial intelligence (AI) semiconductor value chain, reflecting China's strategic focus on strengthening domestic AI infrastructure and semiconductor capabilities.
Amid increasing global investment in artificial intelligence technologies, China has expanded efforts to strengthen domestic capabilities across AI ecosystem. Research published by the Mercator Institute for China Studies (MERICS) highlights China's policy focus on advancing AI chips and large language model development as part of broader technology self-reliance initiatives.
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Source: Solactive
China's banking goliath: from growth engine to economic drag
March 6, 2026-China's banking system has long been utilised as a quasi-government tool to channel China’s huge household savings towards the government's objectives. This has been instrumental to the country's economic miracle, yet the support it provides is diminishing as banks face rapidly falling profitability and stretched balance sheets.
This will have important consequences for the Chinese economy.
Thirty years ago, China lacked a functional financial sector. By 1998, banks were saddled with 50% non-performing loans, prompting a massive recapitalisation. The rebuilt system, centred around four giant, state-owned banks, amassed deposits from a thrifty population who could not move their money abroad due to capital controls.
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Source: Bruegel
Harvest Global Investments Limited Launches Harvest G2 Tech 50 ETF Tracking the Solactive Harvest Tiger G2 Tech 50 Select Index
March 6, 2026--Solactive announces its collaboration with Harvest Global Investments Limited ("Harvest Global") on the launch of the Harvest G2 Tech 50 ETF, which tracks the Solactive Harvest Tiger G2 Tech 50 Select Index. The ETF provides exposure to technology companies listed in Hong Kong and the United States within a single rules-based framework.
Technology companies represent a significant segment of global equity markets, supported by ongoing developments in areas such as artificial intelligence, semiconductors, digital platforms, and hardware and software solutions.
The United States hosts many large technology companies, while Hong Kong serves as a key listing venue for Chinese technology firms. By including securities from both markets, the index reflects companies operating across two major innovation ecosystems.
The Solactive Harvest Tiger G2 Tech 50 Select Index is a rules-based equity index comprising up to 50 constituents. The selection includes the 30 largest eligible Hong Kong-listed companies by free float market capitalization and the 20 largest eligible U.S.-listed companies by free float total market capitalization.
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Source: Solactive
Solactive Silver Total Return Leveraged Indices Selected as Underlying Indices for Silver Total Return ETNs by Four Major South Korean Securities Firms
March 5, 2026-Solactive is pleased to announce that KB Securities, Korea Investment Securities, Meritz Securities, and Samsung Securities have selected the Solactive Silver Total Return Leveraged Index family as the underlying indices for their newly launched Silver Total Return ETNs. The ETNs track the respective Solactive indices and provide investors with leveraged and inverse exposure to silver futures within a transparent and rules-based total return framework.
Silver plays a dual role in global markets as both a precious metal and an industrial input. In addition to its traditional role as a store of value, silver demand has been supported by structural growth across sectors such as solar energy, semiconductors, and electric vehicles. As electrification trends and renewable energy deployment continue to evolve, silver's industrial applications remain an important component of broader commodity market dynamics. Leveraged and inverse ETNs are commonly used for short-term exposure or hedging purposes in volatile market environments.
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Source: Solactive
Harvest International launches the China-US Technology 50 ETF, providing a new tool for cross-market technology allocation.
February 27, 2026--Harvest International Asset Management Limited ("Harvest International") recently launched the "Harvest China-US Technology 50 ETF" (fund code: 3169). This fund aims to provide investors with a convenient and efficient investment tool, offering a one-stop investment strategy to access core assets in China and the United States, two major global technology innovation centers, and capitalize on the opportunities presented by the new round of global technology cycle driven by artificial intelligence (AI).
As AI technology continues to spread from underlying computing power to industrial applications, global technological innovation is showing a clearer structural division of labor: the United States maintains its leading advantage in "hardcore technologies" such as chips, operating systems, and basic software, while China demonstrates strong industrialization capabilities in application scenarios such as internet platforms, consumer electronics, and new energy.
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Source: Harvest International Asset Management Co., Ltd.
How China's Economy Can Pivot to Consumption-led Growth
February 18, 2026--More forceful macroeconomic stimulus,stronger social protection,and fiscal support for the property sector can help boost domestic demand,especially consumption
China’s economy has proved resilient in the face of multiple shocks,boosted by robust exports and fiscal stimulus,and it remains a major driver of global growth.
The economy expanded by 5 percent in 2025,and we project 4.5 percent growth this year,up 0.3 percentage points from our October forecast.
Despite this resilience,the growth model of the world's second-largest economy faces increasing challenges. Domestic demand has been subdued,in part because the protracted property slump, combined with a weak social safety net, hurt consumers' willingness to spend.
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Source: imf.org
Japan: Staff Concluding Statement of the 2026 Article IV Mission
February 17, 2026--The Japanese economy has displayed impressive resilience in the face of global shocks and is experiencing a sustained period of output growing above potential. Domestic demand has been robust and unemployment remains low. After three decades of near-zero inflation, prices have been growing faster than the BOJ's 2-percent target for three and a half years. While nominal wages are rising at a historic pace, there are persistent concerns about the cost of living as high inflation erodes household purchasing power.
Japan continues to face challenges from its aging population and high public debt. With the output gap positive and inflation expected to converge to target from above, fiscal and monetary policies should be calibrated to sustain price and output stability, while rebuilding fiscal buffers. Reforms to the labor market are needed to ensure that labor market tightness translates into sustained real wage gains.
RECENT DEVELOPMENTS, OUTLOOK, AND RISKS
Growth has been resilient, recovering to exceed potential in the first half of 2025, but has started to moderate.
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Source: imf.org
ETF Shares Selects Bloomberg to Electronify ETF Primary Markets Workflows
February 9, 2026-Bloomberg today announced that ETF Shares, an emerging Australian ETF issuer has adopted BSKT, Bloomberg's ETF creation and redemption tool to help automate ETF primary markets workflows, increasing operational efficiency and the ability to better manage risk.
Using BSKT will enable ETF Shares to efficiently distribute portfolio composition files for each ETF to authorized participants at the end of each trading day.
ETF Shares will also use BSKT to make its primary market liquidity accessible via the Bloomberg Terminal, which provides a centralized location to access ETF baskets, submit create and redeem requests electronically, and get real-time updates on the lifecycle of each order.
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Source: Bloomberg
