China Southern Asset Management
A major Chinese asset manager offering public funds and related investment-management services.
Last updated October 9, 2026
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Overview
China Southern Asset Management Co., Ltd. is a Chinese investment-management company headquartered in Shenzhen. Established on 6 March 1998 with approval from the China Securities Regulatory Commission, it was among the first locally established fund-management companies created during the development of China's modern mutual-fund industry. The company is commonly known in China as Nanfang Fund, or Southern Fund, and is generally described as one of the country's largest asset managers. Its core business is public fund management. The product range spans equity funds, bond funds, money-market funds, hybrid funds, index funds, and exchange-traded funds. This gives the firm exposure to several major parts of China's investment market, from relatively conservative cash and fixed-income products to actively managed equity strategies and passive vehicles tracking domestic benchmarks. Examples associated with the brand include the Southern Performance Growth fund and the China Southern CSI 500 ETF. The latter reflects the company's participation in the growth of index investing and exchange-traded products in mainland China. The company also conducts institutional and specialized asset-management activities, including segregated-account or private wealth-management services and pension-related investment management. These businesses broaden its role beyond retail mutual funds and allow it to serve institutional investors, high-net-worth clients, and retirement-oriented mandates. Specific assets under management, fee income, ownership details, and current executive leadership are not stated in the supplied reference material and are therefore not included here. China Southern Asset Management expanded its international and cross-border presence through CSOP Asset Management, a Hong Kong joint venture established in 2008 with Oriental Patron. China Southern Asset Management paid HK$140 million for a 70 percent interest, while Oriental Patron contributed HK$60 million for the remaining 30 percent. CSOP subsequently developed a range of exchange-traded funds listed in Hong Kong. Its later product activity included cryptocurrency futures ETFs, Saudi Arabian equity exposure for mainland investors, and leveraged and inverse single-stock products. These initiatives illustrate the broader Southern Fund platform's interest in cross-border access, thematic investing, and exchange-traded product structures, although CSOP is a distinct operating entity rather than simply a renamed version of the mainland fund manager. The company has also faced regulatory scrutiny through the case of former manager Wang Limin. In 2008, Wang was prohibited from participating in China's capital markets for seven years and fined RMB500,000 after regulators found that he had engaged in rat trading: purchasing shares in companies invested in by funds he managed and later selling them for personal profit. The case is part of the compliance history associated with the wider organization, but the supplied material does not describe a corporate penalty against China Southern Asset Management itself. Today, China Southern Asset Management is best understood as a diversified Chinese asset-management brand whose activities combine domestic public funds, institutional mandates, pension management, and cross-border ETF capabilities. Its historical significance comes from its early establishment in China's regulated fund industry and its subsequent participation in the expansion of index, ETF, and international-investment products.
History
China Southern Asset Management was established on 6 March 1998 after receiving approval from the China Securities Regulatory Commission. Its creation came during the formative period of China's regulated mutual-fund sector, when locally established fund managers were beginning to provide professionally managed investment vehicles to retail and institutional investors. The company was among the earliest domestic asset-management firms approved under this emerging regulatory framework. From its mainland base in Shenzhen, the firm developed a broad public-fund platform. Its activities came to include actively managed equity funds, fixed-income products, money-market funds, hybrid strategies, index funds, and exchange-traded funds. The breadth of this offering enabled it to serve investors with different risk tolerances and investment horizons. It also expanded into segregated-account or private wealth-management services and pension-related investment management, creating business lines beyond standard publicly offered mutual funds. A significant international step occurred in 2008, when China Southern Asset Management established CSOP Asset Management in Hong Kong with Oriental Patron. China Southern Asset Management invested HK$140 million for a 70 percent stake, while Oriental Patron invested HK$60 million for 30 percent. CSOP became the platform through which the broader Southern Fund relationship participated in Hong Kong-listed ETF activity and developed products providing access to markets and asset classes outside mainland China. The group's compliance history includes a 2008 regulatory case involving Wang Limin, a former China Southern Asset Management manager. Wang was prohibited from participating in China's capital markets for seven years and fined RMB500,000 after profiting from trades in shares connected to companies invested in by funds he managed. The conduct is commonly characterized as rat trading, a conflict-of-interest practice in which an employee trades personally ahead of or alongside fund-related activity. The supplied reference describes sanctions against the individual and does not establish a separate corporate sanction against China Southern Asset Management. CSOP later broadened its product range. In December 2022 it launched Bitcoin and Ethereum futures ETFs in Hong Kong. In July 2024 it introduced an ETF focused on Saudi Arabian equities and listed on the Shenzhen Stock Exchange, giving Chinese investors a regulated exchange-traded route to Saudi-market exposure. The product reportedly reached the daily price limit on its first trading day and raised RMB634 million. In March 2025, CSOP launched leveraged and inverse products tied to individual stocks, offering two-times long or two-times inverse exposure to names such as Nvidia, Tesla, and Coinbase. These developments show the evolution of the China Southern platform from an early domestic mutual-fund company into a diversified asset-management group with public funds, institutional and pension mandates, index products, and cross-border ETF capabilities. The available reference material does not provide current assets under management, detailed ownership information, a current executive roster, or a confirmed corporate website for the mainland entity. Those fields remain unspecified rather than being inferred from related companies or general industry descriptions.
- 2025
Single-stock leveraged and inverse products launched
[1]CSOP launched two-times leveraged and inverse products linked to individual stocks including Nvidia, Tesla, and Coinbase.
- 2024
Saudi Arabia equity ETF launched
[1]CSOP launched a Saudi Arabian stock ETF listed on the Shenzhen Stock Exchange for Chinese investors seeking access to the Saudi market.
- 2022
Hong Kong cryptocurrency futures ETFs launched
[1]CSOP launched Bitcoin and Ethereum futures ETFs in Hong Kong.
- 2008
CSOP Asset Management joint venture formed
[1]The company formed CSOP Asset Management in Hong Kong with Oriental Patron, investing HK$140 million for a 70 percent interest while Oriental Patron held the remaining 30 percent.
- 2008
Former manager sanctioned for rat trading
[1]Former manager Wang Limin received a seven-year capital-markets ban and a RMB500,000 fine in a rat-trading case.
- 1998
Company established
[1]China Southern Asset Management was established on 6 March 1998 as one of the first locally established Chinese asset managers approved by the China Securities Regulatory Commission.
Products and positioning
Diversified Chinese asset manager combining public mutual funds, institutional investment management, pension services, and cross-border exchange-traded products.
Fund management
Public mutual funds
China Southern Asset Management's principal product family consists of publicly offered funds for retail and institutional investors. The platform includes equity, bond, money-market, hybrid, and index-oriented strategies. Together, these funds provide exposure ranging from cash-management and fixed-income objectives to actively managed participation in domestic equity markets.
Exchange-traded fund
China Southern CSI 500 ETF
The China Southern CSI 500 ETF is an exchange-traded product associated with the firm's index-investing business. It is designed to provide market exposure through the CSI 500 benchmark, representing the company's participation in China's expanding ETF and passive-investment segment.
Equity fund
Southern Performance Growth
Southern Performance Growth is an actively managed equity-fund offering associated with the China Southern brand. The supplied reference identifies it as one of the firm's representative offerings, but does not provide a launch date, mandate details, benchmark, or current status.
Institutional asset management
Pension and segregated-account mandates
In addition to publicly offered funds, the company manages specialized mandates including segregated-account or private wealth-management arrangements and pension-related investments. These services are intended for institutional, retirement, or higher-net-worth investors and are distinct from its standardized retail fund range.
Controversies
2008
Wang Limin rat-trading case
Wang Limin, a former manager at China Southern Asset Management, was sanctioned after using information connected with funds he managed to buy shares personally and later sell for a profit. He was barred from China's capital markets for seven years and fined RMB500,000. The available source describes an enforcement action against Wang rather than a separate penalty against the company.
Brand decisions
2025
Launch of leveraged and inverse single-stock productsProduct launchBackground
Demand for exchange-traded products providing directional and leveraged exposure to prominent international stocks created an opportunity for a new product format in Asia.
Action taken
CSOP launched products offering two-times leveraged or two-times inverse exposure to individual stocks including Nvidia, Tesla, and Coinbase.
Aftermath
The launch broadened CSOP's range of high-risk, exchange-traded international-investment products.
2024
Launch of Saudi Arabian equity ETFProduct launchBackground
Chinese investors had limited convenient access to Saudi Arabian markets because of overseas-market and regulatory constraints.
Action taken
CSOP launched a Saudi Arabian stock ETF listed on the Shenzhen Stock Exchange.
Aftermath
The ETF reportedly reached its first-day price limit and raised RMB634 million, offering mainland investors an exchange-traded route to Saudi energy and oil-related market exposure.
Funds raised. RMB634 million (July 2024)
2022
Launch of Bitcoin and Ethereum futures ETFsProduct launchBackground
The Hong Kong ETF market provided a regulated structure for offering investors exposure to digital-asset futures.
Action taken
CSOP launched Bitcoin and Ethereum futures exchange-traded funds in Hong Kong.
Aftermath
The launches extended the platform's cross-border product range into digital assets.
2008
Investment in CSOP Asset ManagementM&ABackground
The company sought a Hong Kong platform for cross-border asset-management and ETF activity.
Action taken
China Southern Asset Management established CSOP Asset Management with Oriental Patron and paid HK$140 million for a 70 percent stake. Oriental Patron held 30 percent after investing HK$60 million.
Aftermath
CSOP developed Hong Kong-listed ETFs and later became the vehicle for products offering exposure to cryptocurrency futures, Saudi Arabian equities, and leveraged single-stock strategies.
Joint-venture capital contribution. China Southern Asset Management: HK$140 million; Oriental Patron: HK$60 million (2008)
Recent events
- 2025
CSOP introduces leveraged and inverse single-stock products[1]
Product launch · Other
CSOP launched what the reference material describes as Asia's first single-stock leveraged and inverse products, offering two-times long or inverse exposure to stocks including Nvidia, Tesla, and Coinbase.
- 2024
CSOP launches Saudi Arabian equity ETF for Chinese investors[1]
Product launch · Other
CSOP introduced an ETF focused on Saudi Arabian stocks and listed it on the Shenzhen Stock Exchange. The product reached the first-day price limit and raised RMB634 million according to the reference material.
- 2022
CSOP launches Hong Kong Bitcoin and Ethereum futures ETFs[1]
Product launch · Other
China Southern Asset Management's Hong Kong joint venture CSOP launched Bitcoin and Ethereum futures exchange-traded funds, expanding its digital-asset product range.
Sources1 sources
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