HSBC Asset Management listed the HSBC MSCI China Robotics UCITS ETF on the London Stock Exchange on 26 October 2026.
Article created by the editorial staff of ETFWorld.co.uk
Olga de Tapia, Global Head of ETF & Indexing Sales at HSBC Asset Management
The physically replicated fund tracks the MSCI China All Shares IMI Robotics Select Index, a 40-stock portfolio of Chinese robotics companies, and has a total expense ratio of 0.50%. The listed USD accumulating share class (ISIN IE000TMA3NX9) gives UK investors access to a China robotics ETF that already trades on Xetra and Euronext Paris.
| Product Name | HSBC MSCI China Robotics UCITS ETF – USD (Acc) |
| ISIN | IE000TMA3NX9 |
| SEDOL | BPJL718 |
| Trading Currency | GBP |
| Underlying | MSCI China All Shares IMI Robotics Select Index |
| Management Fee | 0.50% |
| Product Name | HSBC MSCI China Robotics UCITS ETF – USD (Acc) |
| ISIN | IE000TMA3NX9 |
| SEDOL | C095FW1 |
| Trading Currency | USD |
| Underlying | MSCI China All Shares IMI Robotics Select Index |
| Management Fee | 0.50% |
Investment objective and policy
According to the fund documentation, the ETF aims to track the returns of the MSCI China All Shares IMI Robotics Select Index as closely as possible while minimising tracking error between the fund and the index. The index covers large-, mid- and small-cap Chinese companies associated with robotics development and related core technologies. Eligible securities are listed in Hong Kong, Shanghai and Shenzhen, or through certain foreign listings. Share types include China A-shares, B-shares, H-shares, red chips, P-chips, Chinese depositary receipts and foreign listings such as American depositary receipts. The fund intends to invest in index constituents in generally the same proportions as in the index.
How the MSCI China robotics index is built
MSCI’s index methodology, in the version dated May 2026, sets out a multi-stage selection process. The starting point is the MSCI China All Shares IMI Index, which serves as the parent index.
Calculation universe. MSCI selects the 300 companies from the parent index whose business descriptions have the highest semantic similarity to the robotics theme.
Strategy exposure. For each of these 300 companies, MSCI calculates a “strategy exposure” score, meaning the share of revenue derived from business segments matching the components of the robotics theme.
Eligibility threshold. Only companies with strategy exposure of 50% or more remain eligible.
Screens. The following filters are applied: securities in the bottom quintile of the parent index by three-month average daily traded value are excluded; China A-shares and CDRs are replaced by their Stock Connect lines and must be eligible for both buying and selling under the Shanghai or Shenzhen Connect programme; companies involved in controversial weapons or conventional weapons, based on MSCI Business Involvement Screening Research, are excluded; and only one security per issuer is retained.
Selection. The remaining stocks are ranked by strategy exposure, and the top 40 companies enter the index. If fewer than 40 securities qualify, all of them are included.
Weighting. Each constituent is weighted by the product of its strategy exposure and its weight in the parent index. Individual weights are capped at 5%, with the excess redistributed proportionally across the other constituents.
The index is reviewed semi-annually in May and November, in line with the parent index reviews. Stock Connect eligibility and the business involvement screens are also checked every month.
Four segments of the robotics theme
The MSCI methodology defines four components of the theme. In each case, the focus is on companies that design, develop, produce or supply robots in which AI-driven autonomy is central to the business model.
Industrial robots: collaborative, welding, assembly, articulated, SCARA and CNC robots, together with core components such as actuators, drive systems, sensors and robotic arms.
Non-industrial robots: consumer, service, medical and surgical, agricultural, security, education, inspection, cleaning and companion robots.
Autonomous robots: autonomous vehicles, drones, automated guided vehicles and delivery robots, including specialised sensors such as LiDAR.
Humanoid robots: bipedal, legged and embodied AI robots, plus dedicated components such as joint modules, harmonic drives, force-torque sensors and mechanical hands.
The methodology excludes companies mainly focused on general automation, traditional industrial equipment without robotic components, and firms that use robots without being involved in their design, production or supply.
Portfolio flexibility under UCITS rules
The fund documentation sets out several operational provisions:
The fund may hold up to 35% of its assets in a single index constituent issued by the same body due to exceptional market conditions, and may use increased diversification limits under Regulation 71 of the UCITS Regulations.
Exposure may be obtained through ADRs, European depositary receipts, global depositary receipts, other funds with a similar objective or strategy (including funds managed by the investment manager or its affiliates) and financial derivative instruments.
The fund may invest in securities not included in the index where these are expected to provide similar performance and risk characteristics to index constituents in which it cannot invest.
For cash management purposes, the fund may hold cash and cash equivalents, including money market instruments, investment grade government securities, bankers’ acceptances, commercial paper, bank certificates of deposit and money market funds.
Investment in other funds, for investment or cash management purposes, may not exceed 10% of assets.
The 35% limit allowed by the fund’s policy is separate from the 5% cap applied to each constituent under the index methodology.
Other European listings
The London listing follows the fund’s arrival on other European exchanges. Deutsche Börse included the HSBC MSCI China Robotics UCITS ETF among its new ETF listings on 20 October 2026, under the ticker BOTS and with trading in euros. The fund also trades on Euronext Paris under the ticker HROB.
What investors should consider
The ETF offers concentrated exposure to a single country and a single theme. The index holds a fixed number of 40 constituents and includes small-cap companies, while selection depends on the share of revenue each company derives from robotics activities. Access to China A-shares through the Stock Connect programme, the use of different share classes and listing venues, and the fund’s USD base currency are further elements investors may wish to assess in relation to their own portfolios.
Conclusions
With its London Stock Exchange listing, the HSBC MSCI China Robotics UCITS ETF is now available on three European venues. The fund replicates an MSCI index that selects 40 Chinese companies with at least 50% of revenue linked to robotics, weighted by theme exposure and market capitalisation, with a 5% cap per stock. The TER is 0.50%, and income is accumulated. The index composition will next be reviewed in November 2026 as part of the regular semi-annual review cycle.
Source: ETFWorld.co.uk
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