Mumbai, May 9: India’s mutual fund industry saw a historic surge in systematic investment plan (SIP) contributions in April, with investors pouring in a record Rs 26,632 crore last month, according to data by the Association of Mutual Funds in India (AMFI) released on Friday. This marks the highest-ever SIP inflow for any month, the report said.
In April, 1.36 crore SIP accounts were either closed or matured as part of this process. However, investor interest remained strong. The number of active SIP accounts grew to 8.38 crore in April, up from 8.11 crore in March, showing that people are still keen on building long-term wealth through mutual funds.
April also saw the creation of 46 lakh new SIP accounts, higher than the 40.19 lakh new accounts opened in March. AMFI said the spike in account closures was due to a planned clean-up and is likely to reduce sharply from May onwards.
“The sustained inflows underscore improving investor sentiment, supported by strong corporate earnings, resilient macroeconomic fundamentals, and a continued tilt towards equities as the preferred asset class,” said Himanshu Srivastava, Associate Director, Manager Research, Morningstar Investment Research India.
Notably, the absence of any major new fund launches during the month indicates that investors largely allocated capital to existing schemes — a testament to their confidence in the long-term growth prospects of Indian equity markets, he added.
The record-breaking investment came even as the industry undertook a large clean-up of inactive accounts. Despite a slight dip in inflows into equity mutual funds, the overall mutual fund industry continued to grow rapidly. Total assets under management (AUM) reached an all-time high of Rs 70 lakh crore in April. This is a big jump from Rs 65.74 lakh crore recorded in March — showing strong investor confidence in the market.
Large-cap mutual funds, which had faced outflows in recent months, bounced back with net inflows of Rs 2,671.46 crore in April. This was a slight increase from Rs 2,479.31 crore in March. According to the report, this suggest that investors are regaining interest in these relatively stable funds.
Mid-cap funds attracted Rs 3,313 crore during the month, a minor drop from Rs 3,438.87 crore in March. Meanwhile, small-cap funds continued to perform steadily, drawing Rs 3,999.95 crore in April, only slightly lower than the Rs 4,092 crore they received the month before.
IANS
