This year, public funds have continued to reward holders with substantial cash dividends, with numerous large-scale distribution cases emerging. This round of dividends is supported by solid performance. On March 3, Southern Fund announced a dividend distribution for its Southern Changli Regular Open Bond Fund. The distributable profit for the reference date was 1.891 billion yuan, with a dividend plan of 1.6 yuan per 10 fund units. Dividend handling fees are waived, and investors opting for dividend reinvestment will not incur subscription fees on the converted units.

Wind data shows that as of March 5, a total of 457 funds (primary share classes only) have distributed dividends this year, with a cumulative total of 33.814 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 2.81%. Notably, this round of fund distributions is linked to performance growth. The average net value growth rate for these 457 funds year-to-date is 2.67%, with 413 funds achieving positive returns, accounting for over 90% of the total.

In terms of single distribution amounts and product structure, broad-based index ETFs have been the dominant force. Data indicates that several funds have made single distributions exceeding 1 billion yuan this year. Huatai-PineBridge CSI 300 ETF, E Fund CSI 300 ETF, Southern CSI 500 ETF, and Southern CSI 1000 ETF lead the market with single distributions of approximately 9.811 billion yuan, 4.591 billion yuan, 1.161 billion yuan, and 1.038 billion yuan, respectively. Importantly, 16 broad-based index ETF products have distributed dividends so far this year, with a cumulative total of 16.947 billion yuan, primarily tracking indices such as the CSI A50 and CSI A500.

An assistant analyst from Morningstar's China fund research center stated that broad-based ETFs, leveraging the stable profitability and dividend capacity of core A-share assets, have accumulated sufficient distributable profits, giving them a natural advantage for sustained and stable distributions. Overall, this trend aligns with regulatory policies aimed at enhancing long-term investor returns and reflects the industry's shift from scale expansion towards a high-quality development model focused on genuine returns and holder experience.

Categorized by product type, as of March 5, equity funds, bond funds, and hybrid funds have distributed total dividends of 20.059 billion yuan, 7.150 billion yuan, and 5.691 billion yuan, respectively. The distribution scale for equity funds has increased significantly compared to the 7.790 billion yuan recorded in the same period last year.

A professor of finance noted that the active implementation of dividends by public funds results from a combination of factors including policy direction, performance support, market conditions, and institutional transformation. The new guidelines reinforce the focus on investor returns, prompting the industry to prioritize investor interests over mere scale. Funds distributing dividends generally show good overall performance, indicating solid foundational support. Furthermore, dividends help investors lock in gains, alleviate redemption pressures, and meet the stable cash flow needs of long-term capital like insurance funds, signaling the industry's accelerated transition to a high-quality, return-oriented development phase.

Industry insiders suggest that performance-based regular dividends represent a concrete measure for public funds to meet regulatory requirements and improve investment return mechanisms. They are also a core pathway to genuinely protect investor interests and enhance the holder experience, which will continue to guide long-term capital into the market and promote the sustainable, healthy development of the public fund industry.