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Matthews Asia Innovators Fund
MATFX

Snapshot
  • High-conviction, concentrated equity portfolio of innovative companies in Asia
  • All-cap fundamental approach focused on companies with unique offerings that create or expand markets
  • Capitalizing on the new economy and the rising disposable income in Asia

12/27/1999

Inception Date

8.43%

YTD Return

(as of 01/22/2026)

$18.27

NAV

(as of 01/22/2026)

+0.12

1 Day NAV Change

(as of 01/22/2026)

Objective

Long-term capital appreciation

Strategy

Under normal circumstances, the Matthews Asia Innovators Fund seeks to achieve its investment objective by investing at least 80% of its net assets, which include borrowings for investment purposes, in the common and preferred stocks of companies located in Asia that Matthews believes are innovators in their products, services, processes, business models, management, use of technology, or approach to creating, expanding or servicing their markets. The Fund seeks to invest in companies capable of sustainable growth based on the fundamental characteristics of those companies, including balance sheet information; number of employees; size and stability of cash flow; management’s depth, adaptability and integrity; product lines; marketing strategies; corporate governance; and financial health.

Risks

Investments in Asian securities may involve risks such as social and political instability, market illiquidity, exchange-rate fluctuations, a high level of volatility and limited regulation. Investing in emerging and frontier markets involves different and greater risks, as these countries are substantially smaller, less liquid and more volatile than securities markets in more developed markets. Sector funds may be subject to a higher degree of market risk than diversified funds because of a concentration in a specific sector. The Fund's value may be affected by changes in the science and technology-related industries.

These and other risks associated with investing in the Fund can be found in the prospectus.

Fund Facts
Inception Date 12/27/1999
Fund Assets $318.42 million (12/31/2025)
Currency USD
Ticker MATFX
Cusip 577-130-883
Benchmark MSCI All Country Asia ex Japan Index
Geographic Focus Asia ex Japan - Consists of all countries and markets in Asia excluding Japan, but including all other developed, emerging, and frontier countries and markets in the Asian region
Fees & Expenses
Gross Expense Ratio 1.29%

Performance

  • Monthly
  • Quarterly
  • Calendar Year
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As of 12/31/2025
Average Annual Total Returns
Name 1MO 3MO YTD 1YR 3YR 5YR 10YR Since Inception Inception Date
Matthews Asia Innovators Fund - MATFX
12/27/1999
MATFX
1.81% -2.88% 30.22% 30.22% 14.21% -0.53% 10.30% 5.55%
MSCI All Country Asia ex Japan Index
2.75% 4.33% 33.02% 33.02% 16.75% 4.16% 8.92% 6.66%
As of 12/31/2025
Average Annual Total Returns
Name 1MO 3MO YTD 1YR 3YR 5YR 10YR Since Inception Inception Date
Matthews Asia Innovators Fund - MATFX
12/27/1999
MATFX
1.81% -2.88% 30.22% 30.22% 14.21% -0.53% 10.30% 5.55%
MSCI All Country Asia ex Japan Index
2.75% 4.33% 33.02% 33.02% 16.75% 4.16% 8.92% 6.66%
For the years ended December 31st
Name 2025 2024 2023 2022 2021 2020 2019 2018 2017 2016
Matthews Asia Innovators Fund - MATFX
MATFX
30.22% 16.47% -1.77% -24.80% -13.10% 86.72% 29.60% -18.62% 52.88% -9.10%
MSCI All Country Asia ex Japan Index (USD)
33.02% 12.51% 6.34% -19.36% -4.46% 25.36% 18.52% -14.12% 42.08% 5.76%

MSCI AC Asia Ex Japan Index since inception value calculated from 12/31/99.

Source: BNY Mellon Investment Servicing (US) Inc. All performance is in US$.

Assumes reinvestment of all dividends and/or distributions before taxes. All performance quoted represents past performance and is no guarantee of future results. Investment return and principal value will fluctuate with market conditions so that when redeemed, shares may be worth more or less than their original cost. Current performance may be lower or higher than the return figures quoted. Returns would have been lower if certain of the Fund’s fees and expenses had not been waived. Performance differences between the Institutional class and the Investor class may arise due to differences in fees charged to each class.

Additional performance, attribution, liquidity, value at risk (VaR), security classification and holdings information is available on request for certain time periods.

Growth of a Hypothetical $10,000 Investment Since Inception

(as of 12/31/2025)

Source: BNY Mellon Investment Servicing (US) Inc. All performance is in US$.

The performance data and graph do not reflect the deduction of taxes that a shareholder would pay on dividends, capital gain distributions or redemption of fund shares.

Ratings

  • OVERALL
  • out of 39 funds
  • 3 YEAR
  • out of 39 funds
  • 5 YEAR
  • out of 37 funds
  • 10 YEAR
  • out of 32 funds

Ratings agency calculation methodology

Portfolio Managers

Tiffany  Hsiao, CFA photo
Michael J. Oh, CFA photo

Portfolio Characteristics

(as of 12/31/2025)
Fund Benchmark
Number of Positions 55 1,009
Weighted Average Market Cap $301.8 billion $302.2 billion
Active Share 62.3 n.a.
P/E using FY1 estimates 24.5x 16.2x
P/E using FY2 estimates 18.5x 13.9x
Price/Cash Flow 19.6 10.7
Price/Book 3.9 2.2
Return On Equity 19.4 18.3
EPS Growth (3 Yr) 24.3% 11.7%

Sources: Factset Research Systems, Inc.

Risk Metrics (3 Yr Return)

(as of 12/31/2025)
-2.71%
Alpha
1.08
Beta
98.04%
Upside Capture
110.11%
Downside Capture
0.55
Sharpe Ratio
-0.37
Information Ratio
6.91%
Tracking Error
83.52

Fund Risk Metrics are reflective of Investor share class.

Sources: Zephyr StyleADVISOR

Top 10 Holdings

(as of 12/31/2025)
Name Sector Country % Net Assets
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co., Ltd. Information Technology Taiwan 11.7
Tencent Holdings, Ltd. Communication Services China/Hong Kong 6.8
Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. Information Technology South Korea 5.8
Alibaba Group Holding, Ltd. Consumer Discretionary China/Hong Kong 4.3
SK Hynix, Inc. Information Technology South Korea 3.8
PDD Holdings, Inc. Consumer Discretionary China/Hong Kong 3.3
Eternal, Ltd. Consumer Discretionary India 3.2
NAURA Technology Group Co., Ltd. Information Technology China/Hong Kong 3.1
Delta Electronics, Inc. Information Technology Taiwan 2.5
Sea, Ltd. Consumer Discretionary Singapore 2.3
TOTAL 46.8

Top 10 holdings may combine more than one security from the same issuer and related depositary receipts.

Source: BNY Mellon Investment Servicing (US) Inc.

Portfolio Breakdown (%)

(as of 12/31/2025)
  • Sector Allocation
  • Country Allocation
  • Market Cap Exposure
Sector Fund Benchmark Difference
Information Technology 39.1 32.0 7.1
Consumer Discretionary 19.3 12.8 6.5
Industrials 14.6 8.0 6.6
Communication Services 14.3 9.7 4.6
Health Care 5.2 3.3 1.9
Financials 3.8 20.5 -16.7
Energy 1.2 2.9 -1.7
Materials 0.0 4.0 -4.0
Consumer Staples 0.0 2.9 -2.9
Utilities 0.0 2.1 -2.1
Real Estate 0.0 1.8 -1.8
Cash and Other Assets, Less Liabilities 2.5 0.0 2.5

Sector data based on MSCI’s revised Global Industry Classification Standards. For more details, visit www.msci.com.

Country Fund Benchmark Difference
China/Hong Kong 38.1 35.9 2.2
Taiwan 22.9 23.4 -0.5
South Korea 18.6 15.1 3.5
India 12.9 17.4 -4.5
Singapore 3.0 3.8 -0.8
Japan 2.0 0.0 2.0
Malaysia 0.0 1.4 -1.4
Indonesia 0.0 1.3 -1.3
Thailand 0.0 1.1 -1.1
Philippines 0.0 0.4 -0.4
Macau 0.0 0.1 -0.1
Cash and Other Assets, Less Liabilities 2.5 0.0 2.5

Not all countries are included in the benchmark index(es).

Equity market cap of issuer Fund Benchmark Difference
Mega Cap (over $25B) 71.0 69.6 1.4
Large Cap ($10B-$25B) 15.4 20.3 -4.9
Mid Cap ($3B-$10B) 7.6 10.0 -2.4
Small Cap (under $3B) 3.5 0.1 3.4
Cash and Other Assets, Less Liabilities 2.5 0.0 2.5

Source: FactSet Research Systems.

Percentage values in data are rounded to the nearest tenth of one percent, so the values may not sum to 100% due to rounding. Percentage values may be derived from different data sources and may not be consistent with other Fund literature.

Distributions

Record Date Ex, Pay and
Reinvest Date
Ordinary
Income
Short Term
Capital Gains
Long Term
Capital Gains
Total Distributions
Per Share
% of NAV Nondividend Distribution (Return of Capital)
12/13/2023 12/14/2023 $0.00018 $0.00000 $0.00000 $0.00018 0.0% N.A.
12/13/2022 12/14/2022 $0.00000 $0.00000 $3.00231 $3.00231 20.4% N.A.
12/14/2021 12/15/2021 $0.00000 $1.10849 $3.22827 $4.33676 18.4% N.A.
12/15/2020 12/16/2020 $0.00000 $0.13545 $0.31069 $0.44614 1.8% N.A.
12/16/2019 12/17/2019 $0.00000 $0.00000 $0.04272 $0.04272 0.3% N.A.

 

There is no guarantee that the Fund will pay or continue to pay distributions. 

Past performance is no guarantee of future results. Investment return and principal value will fluctuate with changing market conditions so that shares, when redeemed, may be worth more or less than their original cost.

Commentary

Period ended December 31, 2025

Market Environment

  • Asian equities delivered strong returns, outperforming U.S. stocks in 2025. Performance was supported by a favorable macro environment, positive investor sentiment toward artificial intelligence (AI) and an easing of geopolitical tensions.
  • North Asia markets helped drive gains. Taiwan and South Korea benefited from their countries’ global dominance in AI-related semiconductors. Korean equities also gained from market-friendly governance reforms and a cyclical revival in heavy industrial sectors.
  • China delivered robust returns in 2025, largely supported by improved relations with the U.S. and momentum generated by innovation related to AI hardware and applications, including the success of DeepSeek’s open-source platform. In contrast, India underperformed as economic growth slowed, relations with the U.S. deteriorated and valuations generally remained expensive.
  • Southeast Asian markets, including Thailand, Indonesia and the Philippines, were weighed down by political instability and regional conflicts.

Contributors and Detractors

  • For the year ended December 31, 2025, the Matthews Asia Innovators Fund returned 30.22%, (Investor Class) and 30.42% (Institutional Class) while its benchmark, the MSCI All Country Asia ex Japan Index, returned 33.02% over the same period.
  • On a country basis, the top three contributors to relative performance were Taiwan due to stock selection, Indonesia due to an underweight allocation and Thailand due to zero allocation. The top three detractors were China/Hong Kong and South Korea due to stock selection and Vietnam due to an off-benchmark allocation.
  • On a sector basis, the top three contributors to relative performance were information technology (IT) due to an overweight allocation, financials and consumer staples due to an underweight allocation. The top three detractors were consumer discretionary and industrials due to stock selection and materials due to zero allocation.
  • The top three contributors to absolute performance included Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (TSMC), a globally leading chipmaker, Samsung Electronics, a South Korean semiconductor and consumer electronics maker, and SK Hynix, a Korean semiconductor company. The largest detractors included Meituan, China's largest food delivery service and internet platform company, MakeMyTrip Ltd., an Indian consumer discretionary company, and Computer Age Management Services Ltd., an Indian industrials company.

Outlook

  • Looking ahead into 2026, a key difference from 2025 is reduced uncertainty surrounding U.S. tariff policy, which weighed on sentiment early last year. Corporate governance reforms across Asia are also expected to continue, which may provide support for stronger total returns.
  • The AI theme is anticipated to further develop. Taiwanese and Korean semi-conductor companies should continue to gain from the CapEx of U.S. hyperscalers, in our view. We also believe that markets with meaningful exposure to cyclical global industrial and engineering segments, such as Korea, are well positioned for growth in 2026.
  • In China despite the absence of a broad-based recovery, we see strong growth in two areas: innovation-driven sectors such as semiconductors and advanced manufacturing; and sectors where anti-involution policy is driving improved earnings. For these reasons we are positive on the Chinese equity market in 2026.
  • In India, questions remain over the government’s commitment to infrastructure CapEx programs but opportunities in consumer spending may emerge as aggressive rate cuts and tax reductions take hold. In contrast, in Southeast Asia, it is difficult to see growth opportunities, with the exception of the markets of Vietnam and Singapore.

View the Fund's Top 10 holdings as of December 31, 2025. Current and future holdings are subject to change and risk.

Average Annual Total Returns - MATFX as of 12/31/2025
1YR 3YR 5YR 10YR Since Inception Inception Date
30.22% 14.21% -0.53% 10.30% 5.55% 12/27/1999

All performance quoted is past performance and is no guarantee of future results. Investment return and principal value will fluctuate with changing market conditions so that shares, when redeemed, may be worth more or less than their original cost. Current performance may be lower or higher than the return figures quoted. Returns would have been lower if certain of the Fund's fees and expenses had not been waived. For the Fund's most recent month-end performance visit matthewsasia.com

Fees & Expenses
Gross Expense Ratio 1.29%

Investments in Asian securities may involve risks such as social and political instability, market illiquidity, exchange-rate fluctuations, a high level of volatility and limited regulation. Investing in emerging and frontier markets involves different and greater risks, as these countries are substantially smaller, less liquid and more volatile than securities markets in more developed markets. Sector funds may be subject to a higher degree of market risk than diversified funds because of a concentration in a specific sector. The Fund's value may be affected by changes in the science and technology-related industries.

 

Visit our Glossary of Terms page for definitions and additional information.

Index Definitions

The information contained herein has been derived from sources believed to be reliable and accurate at the time of compilation, but no representation or warranty (express or implied) is made as to the accuracy or completeness of any of this information. Neither the funds nor the Investment Advisor accept any liability for losses either direct or consequential caused by the use of this information.

The views and opinions in the commentary were as of the report date, subject to change and may not reflect current views. They are not guarantees of performance or investment results and should not be taken as investment advice. Investment decisions reflect a variety of factors, and the managers reserve the right to change their views about individual stocks, sectors, and the markets at any time. As a result, the views expressed should not be relied upon as a forecast of the Fund's future investment intent. It should not be assumed that any investment will be profitable or will equal the performance of any securities or any sectors mentioned herein. The information does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any securities mentioned.