Mutual funds pool money from multiple investors into SEBI-regulated schemes, where professional fund managers invest across securities according to each scheme’s stated objective, strategy and risk profile.
Mutual funds in India work in a three-tier structure - a sponsor, a trustee and an asset management company (AMC). The trustee holds assets in trust for unitholders.
Investors get units for their investments in the mutual fund scheme. The value of each unit is reflected as Net Asset Value (NAV), which is declared on every business day.
India’s mutual fund industry has grown about 465% in a decade, with AUM rising from INR 15.18 trillion in July 2016 to INR 85.76 trillion in July 2026 (Source: AMFI).
With 1,800+ open-ended schemes, India’s mutual fund universe spans a wide range of asset classes and investment approaches, giving investors plenty of choice.
A research report by AMFI and CRISIL has revealed the growing popularity of mutual fund SIPs in the last 5 years. The AUM of SIPs has not only tripled from INR 4.5 lakh crore in March 2021 to INR 14.83 lakh crore in March 2026, but also the number of unique mutual fund investors rose from 2.3 crore in March 2021 to 6.14 crore in March 2026, signalling deeper household participation. Out of the total SIP AUM, equity funds dominate with an 87% share, whereas the overall share of SIPs in the mutual fund industry's total AUM stands at over 20%.
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