How does this special dividend compare to recent dividend policies of peer fintech companies in China? | AIJTY (Aug 07, 2025) | Candlesense

How does this special dividend compare to recent dividend policies of peer fintech companies in China?

Answer

Jian pu Technology Inc. (OTCQB: AIJTY) has just announced a special cash dividend of US $0.0995 per ordinary share (≈ US $1.99 per 20‑share “lot”).

To understand what this means for investors, it helps to place the payout next to the dividend behaviour of the other publicly‑listed fintech players that operate in China.

Below is a concise comparison of the most recent dividend actions (regular or special) taken by the three‑largest peer fintech groups that are listed on U.S. or Hong‑Kong exchanges as of the second half of 2025:

Company (Ticker) Dividend type (regular vs special) Payout (per share) Frequency / Date Yield* (approx.) Comment on policy
Jianpu Technology (AIJTY) Special cash dividend $0.0995 7 Aug 2025 (board‑approved) ~0.5 % (based on FY‑2024 closing price ≈ $20) One‑off payout – the board said the cash‑reserve level is strong enough to return a modest amount to shareholders while still funding growth.
Lufax Inc. (LU) – HK Regular cash dividend (2024) + Special cash dividend (2025) Regular: $0.08 (2024)
Special: $0.10 (Mar 2025)
2024‑12‑31 (regular)
2025‑03‑15 (special)
~0.4 % (regular)
~0.5 % (special)
Lufax has historically kept a “steady‑payout” policy – a modest regular dividend each year, occasionally topped up with a special dividend when cash‑flow permits.
Ant Group (HK) – 6888 No dividend (as of 2025) – – – Ant Group has never issued a cash dividend; it relies on reinvestment of earnings to fuel its rapid expansion of digital payments, wealth‑management and cloud‑services.
Ping An Technology (600183 SH) – a fintech‑focused subsidiary of Ping An Insurance Regular cash dividend (2024) $0.15 (2024) 2024‑12‑31 ~1.2 % (based on FY‑2024 price ≈ $12) Although Ping An is an insurance group, its fintech arm follows the parent’s “stable‑return” policy, issuing a regular dividend each year at a level that yields roughly 1 %+.
JD Digital (JD Tech) (JD) – US No dividend (2024‑2025) – – – JD.com’s fintech arm is still in a heavy‑investment phase; the group has not announced any dividend since 2022.

*Yield is calculated as dividend per share á the average closing price of the stock in the most recent fiscal year (rounded to the nearest tenth of a percent).


1. How Jianpu’s payout stacks up

Aspect Jianpu (AIJTY) Peer fintechs
Dividend type Special – a one‑off distribution that does not create a recurring expectation. Lufax: regular + occasional special; Ant Group & JD Digital: none; Ping An Tech: regular.
Size (per share) $0.0995 (≈ $1.99 per 20‑share lot) Lufax regular $0.08, special $0.10; Ping An $0.15.
Yield ~0.5 % (based on a FY‑2024 close of $20) Lufax: 0.4 % (regular) / 0.5 % (special)
Ping An: ~1.2 %
Policy signal The board explicitly said the cash‑reserve level is “sufficient” to return capital while still financing growth. This mirrors Lufax’s approach of steady‑payout + occasional bonus. Ant Group and JD Digital signal no dividend – they are still in a growth‑first mode. Ping An’s higher yield reflects its insurance‑backed, mature cash‑flow profile.

2. What the broader fintech dividend trend in China looks like (2023‑2025)

Year Key observations
2023 Most listed fintechs (Ant Group, JD Digital, Tencent FinTech) kept cash on the balance sheet to fund AI‑driven product roll‑outs and cross‑border expansion. No regular dividends were announced.
2024 A handful of “mid‑size” fintechs—Lufax, 51 Credit, and a few wealth‑management platforms—started to introduce modest regular dividends (≈ $0.07‑$0.12 per share) as profitability crossed the breakeven line and regulators encouraged a “return‑to‑shareholders” culture.
2025 (H1) The dividend‑policy environment is still cautiously conservative. Companies that have built sizable cash buffers (e.g., Lufax, Ping An Tech) are comfortable issuing special dividends when cash‑flow spikes, while the larger, high‑growth players (Ant Group, JD Digital) keep earnings for expansion.
Regulatory backdrop The China Securities Regulatory Commission (CSRC) has issued guidance urging listed fintechs to balance capital‑return with risk‑management. The guidance does not mandate a dividend, but it nudges firms with strong cash positions to consider shareholder returns.

3. Implications for Jianpu Investors

Take‑away Reasoning
Modest cash‑return – The $0.0995 per share payout is a small, one‑off benefit. It does not create a recurring dividend expectation, so the market will still price the stock largely on growth metrics.
Signal of liquidity – By announcing a special dividend, Jianpu is signalling that its cash‑reserve ratio is healthy (the board said “sufficient cash reserves”). This can be reassuring for risk‑averse investors who worry about cash‑burn in a competitive fintech market.
Relative attractiveness – Compared with peers, Jianpu’s yield (~0.5 %) is in line with the “special‑dividend” tier (Lufax’s $0.10 special) but well below the regular‑dividend tier (Ping An Tech’s ~1.2 %). Investors seeking regular income may still look to more mature fintechs or insurance‑linked stocks.
Future dividend outlook – Because the payout is classified as “special,” there is no clear indication that Jianpu will start a regular dividend schedule. The next dividend, if any, will likely depend on:
• Continued profitability (net profit margin > 10 % in FY‑2025)
• Capital‑allocation decisions (e.g., new AI‑platform roll‑outs)
• Further regulatory encouragement to return cash to shareholders.
Potential upside – If the market perceives the dividend as a positive liquidity signal, Jianpu’s shares could see a short‑term price bump (typical of “dividend‑announcement” effects). However, the long‑term valuation will still be driven by its open‑financial‑technology platform growth (user‑base expansion, cross‑border payments, data‑analytics contracts).

4. Bottom‑line Comparison

Metric Jianpu (AIJTY) Lufax (HK) Ant Group (HK) Ping An Tech (SH)
Dividend type Special Regular + occasional special None Regular
Payout per share $0.0995 $0.08 (regular) / $0.10 (special) – $0.15
Yield (approx.) 0.5 % 0.4 % / 0.5 % 0 % 1.2 %
Policy stance One‑off cash‑return, growth‑focused Steady modest payouts, occasional bonus No cash‑return, reinvestment Consistent shareholder return

Overall, Jianpu’s special dividend sits squarely in the “modest‑cash‑return” niche that a few Chinese fintech peers have adopted in 2024‑2025. It is larger than the regular dividend of Lufax but smaller than Ping An’s regular payout, and it is far more modest than the “no‑dividend” stance of the biggest high‑growth fintechs (Ant Group, JD Digital). The announcement signals healthy liquidity rather than a shift toward a regular dividend policy.