Samsung Asset Management's KODEX China Humanoid Robot ETF posts 38% return over one year

Samsung Asset Management said Wednesday that its KODEX China Humanoid Robot exchange-traded fund posted a one-year return of 38.3%, with net assets reaching 203 billion won ($133 million).

Investor sentiment toward the robotics sector is reviving as major global players begin to move — most notably China's Unitree Robotics, set to list on Shanghai's STAR Market, and Tesla, which has begun preparations for mass production of its Optimus humanoid robot.

The ETF recorded a one-month return of 0.6% and a three-month return of 18.1%, outperforming competing products by as much as 9 to 11 percentage points.

The fund concentrates on "robot body" hardware companies — makers of actuators, reducers and other components — positioning it to benefit directly from any expansion in robot mass production. Samsung Asset Management said the portfolio is built around core players in China's humanoid robot industry and companies embedded in actual production value chains, making it highly responsive to upward momentum.

Investment focus across the AI industry has been shifting rapidly toward "physical AI" — systems deployed in real industrial settings. Humanoid robots, the defining product of physical AI, are widely regarded as a next-generation growth industry poised to transform manufacturing, logistics and the broader physical economy.

On Thursday, China's securities regulator, the China Securities Regulatory Commission, approved an IPO for Unitree Robotics on Shanghai's STAR Market. Unitree is expected to become China's first listed humanoid robot company.

Tesla is also accelerating preparations for mass production of its Optimus humanoid robot and is building a large dedicated Optimus factory in Texas. The move has drawn growing attention not only to Tesla itself but also to Chinese and global value-chain suppliers providing components to the company.

Adding to the momentum, a series of major robotics industry events are scheduled in China between July and August — the 2026 World Humanoid Robot Games, the 2026 World Artificial Intelligence Conference and the 2026 World Robot Conference.

"China is rapidly advancing the commercialization of humanoid robots, backed by aggressive government support policies, strong manufacturing competitiveness and AI capabilities," said Lee Ga-hyeon, a fund manager at Samsung Asset Management. "With momentum continuing across the industry — from the Unitree IPO to Tesla's Optimus mass production — and the sector now entering a full-scale production competition, the likelihood of earnings improvement among related companies is steadily rising."

Samsung Asset Management has been expanding its lineup of robotics-related ETFs. Last month, it listed the KODEX Hyundai Motor Robotics Value Chain TOP3 Plus ETF, which invests in key companies within Hyundai Motor Group's robotics value chain. The fund is designed to allow a special allocation of up to 25% to Boston Dynamics upon its future listing.