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Matthews Emerging Markets Sustainable Future Fund
MASGX

The Matthews Asia ESG Fund won the inaugural 2021 UNCTAD Sustainable Emerging Market Fund Award. Press Release. Methodology.

Formerly known as the Matthews Asia ESG Fund.

Snapshot
  • Unconstrained strategy focused on companies that make a positive environmental, social and economic impact in emerging markets
  • All-cap portfolio with diversified emerging and frontier market exposures
  • Deep bottom-up fundamental approach that seeks to generate attractive long-term risk-adjusted returns by investing in well-governed companies

04/30/2015

Inception Date

7.00%

YTD Return

(as of 01/16/2026)

$14.82

NAV

(as of 01/16/2026)

+0.03

1 Day NAV Change

(as of 01/16/2026)

Objective

Long-term capital appreciation

Strategy

Under normal circumstances, the Matthews Emerging Markets Sustainable Future 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 of any market capitalization located in emerging market countries that satisfy one or more of the Fund’s environmental, social and governance (“ESG”) standards. Emerging market countries generally include every country in the world except the United States, Australia, Canada, Hong Kong, Israel, Japan, New Zealand, Singapore and most of the countries in Western Europe. Certain emerging market countries may also be classified as “frontier” market countries, which are a subset of emerging market countries with newer or even less developed economies and markets, such as Sri Lanka and Vietnam.

Risks

Investments in emerging and frontier securities may involve risks such as social and political instability, market illiquidity, exchange-rate fluctuations, a high level of volatility and limited regulation. Additionally, investing in emerging and frontier markets countries are substantially smaller, less liquid and more volatile than securities markets in more developed markets. Matthews Emerging Markets Sustainable Future Fund’s consideration of ESG factors in making its investment decisions may impact the Fund’s relative investment performance positively or negatively.

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

Fund Facts
Inception Date 04/30/2015
Fund Assets $224.95 million (12/31/2025)
Currency USD
Ticker MASGX
Cusip 577-130-727
Benchmark MSCI Emerging Markets Index
Geographic Focus Emerging Markets - Countries generally include every country in the world except the United States, Australia, Canada, Hong Kong, Israel, Japan, New Zealand, Singapore and most of the countries in Western Europe
Fees & Expenses
Gross Expense Ratio 1.37%
Net Expense Ratio 1.34%

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 Emerging Markets Sustainable Future Fund - MASGX
04/30/2015
MASGX
1.18% 3.98% 22.89% 22.89% 8.93% 4.34% 9.00% 7.65%
MSCI Emerging Markets Index
3.02% 4.78% 34.36% 34.36% 16.98% 4.67% 8.86% 5.73%
As of 12/31/2025
Average Annual Total Returns
Name 1MO 3MO YTD 1YR 3YR 5YR 10YR Since Inception Inception Date
Matthews Emerging Markets Sustainable Future Fund - MASGX
04/30/2015
MASGX
1.18% 3.98% 22.89% 22.89% 8.93% 4.34% 9.00% 7.65%
MSCI Emerging Markets Index
3.02% 4.78% 34.36% 34.36% 16.98% 4.67% 8.86% 5.73%
For the years ended December 31st
Name 2025 2024 2023 2022 2021 2020 2019 2018 2017 2016
Matthews Emerging Markets Sustainable Future Fund - MASGX
MASGX
22.89% -2.46% 7.83% -14.38% 11.76% 42.87% 12.55% -9.73% 33.79% -1.40%
MSCI Emerging Markets Index (USD)
34.36% 8.05% 10.27% -19.74% -2.22% 18.69% 18.88% -14.24% 37.75% 11.60%

Before July 29, 2022, the Fund was managed with a different investment strategy and may have achieved different performance results under its current investment strategy from the performance shown for periods before that date.

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 704 funds
  • 3 YEAR
  • out of 704 funds
  • 5 YEAR
  • out of 620 funds
  • 10 YEAR
  • out of 460 funds

Ratings agency calculation methodology

Portfolio Managers

Vivek  Tanneeru photo

Portfolio Characteristics

(as of 12/31/2025)
Fund Benchmark
Number of Positions 61 1,197
Weighted Average Market Cap $200.0 billion $273.6 billion
Active Share 80.3 n.a.
P/E using FY1 estimates 17.4x 15.0x
P/E using FY2 estimates 13.4x 13.0x
Price/Cash Flow 10.9 10.0
Price/Book 2.5 2.2
Return On Equity 19.9 18.4
EPS Growth (3 Yr) 28.3% 10.8%

Sources: Factset Research Systems, Inc.

Risk Metrics (3 Yr Return)

(as of 11/30/2025)
-7.69%
Alpha
1.10
Beta
84.64%
Upside Capture
122.23%
Downside Capture
0.14
Sharpe Ratio
-1.35
Information Ratio
6.00%
Tracking Error
86.77

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 9.9
Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. Information Technology South Korea 5.5
Bandhan Bank, Ltd. Financials India 5.2
Meituan Class B Consumer Discretionary China/Hong Kong 4.2
SK Square Co., Ltd. Industrials South Korea 3.5
HD Hyundai Electric Co., Ltd. Industrials South Korea 3.1
Micron Technology, Inc. Information Technology United States 3.1
Elite Material Co., Ltd. Information Technology Taiwan 3.0
InPost SA Industrials Poland 2.9
Alibaba Group Holding, Ltd. Consumer Discretionary China/Hong Kong 2.8
TOTAL 43.2

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 32.9 28.3 4.6
Financials 19.8 22.3 -2.5
Industrials 17.5 7.0 10.5
Consumer Discretionary 14.2 11.7 2.5
Consumer Staples 4.1 3.7 0.4
Communication Services 3.4 9.3 -5.9
Health Care 3.3 3.1 0.2
Real Estate 3.1 1.3 1.8
Utilities 1.2 2.3 -1.1
Materials 0.0 7.1 -7.1
Energy 0.0 3.9 -3.9
Cash and Other Assets, Less Liabilities 0.5 0.0 0.5

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 22.9 27.7 -4.8
India 20.4 15.3 5.1
Taiwan 17.8 20.6 -2.8
South Korea 17.6 13.3 4.3
Brazil 3.9 4.3 -0.4
United States 3.1 0.0 3.1
Poland 2.9 1.1 1.8
Turkey 2.3 0.4 1.9
Romania 1.8 0.0 1.8
Argentina 1.6 0.0 1.6
Greece 1.5 0.6 0.9
Vietnam 1.2 0.0 1.2
Saudi Arabia 1.0 2.9 -1.9
Indonesia 0.6 1.2 -0.6
Bangladesh 0.4 0.0 0.4
Jordan 0.4 0.0 0.4
Philippines 0.2 0.4 -0.2
Kazakhstan 0.1 0.0 0.1
South Africa 0.0 3.8 -3.8
Mexico 0.0 1.9 -1.9
United Arab Emirates 0.0 1.4 -1.4
Malaysia 0.0 1.2 -1.2
Thailand 0.0 1.0 -1.0
Kuwait 0.0 0.7 -0.7
Qatar 0.0 0.7 -0.7
Chile 0.0 0.6 -0.6
Peru 0.0 0.4 -0.4
Hungary 0.0 0.3 -0.3
Colombia 0.0 0.1 -0.1
Czech Republic 0.0 0.1 -0.1
Egypt 0.0 0.1 -0.1
Cash and Other Assets, Less Liabilities 0.5 0.0 0.5

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

Equity market cap of issuer Fund Benchmark Difference
Mega Cap (over $25B) 37.6 66.3 -28.7
Large Cap ($10B-$25B) 24.8 21.1 3.7
Mid Cap ($3B-$10B) 16.8 12.5 4.3
Small Cap (under $3B) 20.2 0.1 20.1
Cash and Other Assets, Less Liabilities 0.5 0.0 0.5

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.

Portfolio Breakdown benchmark reflects the MSCI Emerging Markets Index as of 6/30/23.

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)
12/16/2025 12/17/2025 $0.77320 $0.00000 $0.00000 $0.77320 5.5% N.A.
12/17/2024 12/18/2024 $0.30741 $0.00000 $0.00000 $0.30741 2.4% N.A.
12/13/2023 12/14/2023 $0.25011 $0.17470 $0.51859 $0.94340 7.2% N.A.
12/13/2022 12/14/2022 $0.04203 $0.06010 $0.57198 $0.67411 4.9% N.A.
12/14/2021 12/15/2021 $0.00000 $0.70374 $0.64204 $1.34578 7.8% 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

  • 2025 marked the first time in five years that emerging markets equities outperformed U.S. stocks. 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 semi-conductors. 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 software, including the success of DeepSeek’s open-source platform. In contrast, India underperformed as economic growth slowed and valuations generally remained expensive.
  • Southeast Asia markets, including Thailand, Indonesia and the Philippines, were weighed down by political instability and regional conflicts. In Latin America, Brazil and Mexico delivered strong returns.

Contributors and Detractors

  • For the year ended December 31, 2025, the Matthews Emerging Markets Sustainable Future Fund returned 22.89%, (Investor Class) and 23.15% (Institutional Class) while its benchmark, the MSCI Emerging Markets Index, returned 34.36% over the same period.
  • On a country basis, the top three contributors to relative performance were the U.S. due to an off-benchmark allocation, Brazil due to stock selection and Saudi Arabia due to an underweight allocation. The top three detractors were China/Hong Kong, India and South Africa due to stock selection.
  • On a sector basis, the top three contributors to relative performance were consumer staples due to stock selection, energy due to zero allocation and information technology (IT) due to an overweight allocation. The top three detractors were consumer discretionary, financials and health care due to stock selection.
  • The top three contributors to absolute performance during the year included JD Health International, a Chinese online healthcare platform, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (TSMC), a globally leading chipmaker, and Micron Technology, a U.S. semiconductor manufacturer. The largest detractors included Meituan, China's largest food delivery service and internet platform company, M31 Technology, a Taiwanese silicon intellectual property (IP) provider, and Legend Biotech, a global, commercial-stage biopharma 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 earnings growth.
  • The AI theme is anticipated to further develop. Taiwanese and Korean semi-conductor companies should continue to benefit from the CapEx of U.S. hyperscalers, in our view. China has its own hyperscaler theme that is building but we believe a broad earnings recovery needs to unfold to support a wider rerating of its market.
  • Markets with meaningful exposure to cyclical global industrial and engineering sectors, such as Korea, are also well positioned for growth in 2026, in our view. Expectations for additional U.S. Federal Reserve rate cuts and an improving global monetary environment may act as a tailwind, particularly in Latin America, where rates are relatively high. In Brazil, political uncertainty ahead of the October general election could weigh on sentiment.

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 - MASGX as of 12/31/2025
1YR 3YR 5YR 10YR Since Inception Inception Date
22.89% 8.93% 4.34% 9.00% 7.65% 04/30/2015

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 1.37%
Net Expense Ratio 1.34%

Matthews has contractually agreed to waive fees and reimburse expenses to limit the Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses until April 30, 2026. Please see the Fund’s prospectus for additional details.

Investments in emerging and frontier securities may involve risks such as social and political instability, market illiquidity, exchange-rate fluctuations, a high level of volatility and limited regulation. Additionally, investing in emerging and frontier markets countries are substantially smaller, less liquid and more volatile than securities markets in more developed markets. Matthews Emerging Markets Sustainable Future Fund’s consideration of ESG factors in making its investment decisions may impact the Fund’s relative investment performance positively or negatively.

 

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.