15 Hard Tech Funds Approved! Focus on Artificial Intelligence and Strategic Emerging Industries

CSRC Announces Approval of a New Batch of Hard Technology Theme Funds on March 17

Recently, the China Securities Regulatory Commission (CSRC) approved a new batch of hard technology-themed fund products, with 15 products approved on the same day. These include passive funds tracking the Innovation and Entrepreneurship Artificial Intelligence Index and active funds based on the China Strategic Emerging Industries Index. The products focus on core technology and the growth of strategic emerging industries.

Currently, all 15 approved products are in the full preparation stage for issuance. It is expected that fundraising will commence gradually in the near future. After the funds are raised, they will follow regulations to complete registration, listing, trading, and other procedures, steadily advancing operational implementation.

Focusing on the Growth of Core Technology and Strategic Emerging Industries

2026 marks the beginning of the 14th Five-Year Plan. The government work report emphasizes developing new quality productivity according to local conditions. It calls for deepening comprehensive reforms in capital market investment and financing, and further improving mechanisms for long-term capital to enter the market. CSRC Chairman Wu Qing stated at the Fourth Session of the 14th National People’s Congress that rules and regulations should be more inclusive and adaptable. The focus should be on supporting excellence and science, accelerating the integration of technological innovation and industrial development.

To thoroughly implement national strategic deployment and regulatory requirements, the CSRC recently approved a new batch of hard technology-themed funds, totaling 15 products approved on the same day.

These products mainly include passive funds tracking the Innovation and Entrepreneurship Artificial Intelligence Index and active funds based on the China Strategic Emerging Industries Index. The batch emphasizes core technology and the growth of strategic emerging industries, clearly demonstrating regulatory support for the capital market’s service to strategic industries, aiding high-level technological independence and strength, and cultivating new quality productivity. This injects long-term capital vitality into technological innovation; meanwhile, it further enriches the capital market’s tech financial investment tools, providing investors with high-quality instruments to deploy in the hard tech sector and share industry development dividends.

Image: List of approved products

Adopting a “Passive + Active” Combination Model

The approved index standards are clear, with precise investment positioning; categories are well-defined, catering to diverse needs; and the focus aligns closely with national strategies to empower the real economy.

These products track two major core indices, with transparent sample selection rules and clear investment directions, strictly adhering to industrial layout requirements.

For the China Securities Innovation and Entrepreneurship Artificial Intelligence Index, 50 listed companies involved in providing foundational resources, technology, and application support for AI, selected from the STAR Market and ChiNext, serve as the index sample. This accurately reflects the overall performance of AI-themed listed companies in the Innovation and Entrepreneurship Board, focusing on core assets across the AI industry chain.

For the China Strategic Emerging Industries Composite Index, companies from nine fields—new-generation information technology, high-end equipment manufacturing, new materials, biotechnology, new energy vehicles, renewable energy, energy conservation and environmental protection, digital creative industries, and high-tech services—are selected as samples. This comprehensively reflects the overall performance of companies in China’s strategic emerging industries.

The 15 approved products adopt a “passive + active” model, with clear division of roles and complementary advantages, fully meeting different investor needs:

• Seven passive index funds focus on tracking the China Securities Innovation and Entrepreneurship Artificial Intelligence Index, including ETFs, index funds, and ETF-linked funds. They offer trading convenience, low fees, high transparency, and minimal tracking error, suitable for quick intra-market trading and off-market deployment, helping investors grasp AI sector trends with a single click.

• Eight actively managed funds use the China Strategic Emerging Industries Index as their investment anchor. Relying on professional research and management teams, they select high-quality targets within the nine strategic industries, flexibly adjust holdings, and seek to outperform the index by identifying leading companies with growth potential. These are suitable for long-term growth-oriented investors who prefer active management.

Both types of products focus on strategic emerging industries, aligning precisely with the goal of high-level technological independence and strength. They effectively guide long-term social capital into the hard tech and frontier industries, helping to break through key technological bottlenecks, accelerate the transformation of scientific achievements, and upgrade industrial clusters. Additionally, they improve the tech financial ecosystem in capital markets, providing professional and standardized investment channels for investors, fostering a positive interaction between industrial development and wealth growth, and supporting the cultivation of new quality productivity.

Fundraising Expected to Commence Soon

Currently, all 15 approved products are in the full preparation stage for issuance. Fundraising is expected to start gradually in the near future. After completion, they will follow regulations to register, list, and trade, steadily advancing operational deployment.

Industry insiders say that the concentrated approval of these products demonstrates practical efforts by the capital market to serve the real economy and support technological innovation. It also represents an important step in optimizing technological investment tools and improving wealth management systems. Moving forward, the launch of these products will attract additional capital to the hard tech and strategic emerging industries sectors, strengthen resource allocation in capital markets, help tech startups grow stronger, and promote high-quality development of China’s science and technology industry. Meanwhile, investors will better share the dividends of strategic emerging industries and AI industry development.

(Article source: China Securities Journal)