Mutual funds’ SIP collection soars

Investors are placing significant bets on systematic investment plans, or SIPs, with inflows rising to Rs 1.66 lakh crore in the first 11 months of 2023, while Sebi’s decision to lower the ticket size to Rs 250 will further boost investment. The total invested in the first 11 months this year is way higher than Rs 1.5 lakh crore through the route in the entire 2022, Rs 1.14 lakh crore in 2021, Rs 97,000 crore in 2020, as per data with the Association of Mutual Funds in India (AMFI). Going ahead, Akhil Chaturvedi, Chief Business Officer of Motilal Oswal AMC, anticipated a sustained and healthy year-on-year growth in overall SIP participation. ”With a buoyant economic outlook and increased market participation, investors are likely to continue favouring SIPs as a disciplined and accessible investment avenue. The ongoing strength in the market, coupled with the potential for healthy returns, reinforces our belief that the upward trend in SIPs will persist throughout 2024,” he added. According to the data, inflow in mutual fund schemes through SIPs was at Rs 1.66 lakh crore in this year (till November). Industry experts have attributed several factors that influenced the surge in inflow such as awareness created by Association of Mutual Funds in India (AMFI), demographics, strong return on equity investment and ease of investment. ”AMFI has played a pivotal role in raising awareness about the benefits of SIP and equity investing. Besides, demographics play a pivotal role in this surge. Also, structural change in how people in India perceive and approach equity as an asset class also helped,” Chaturvedi said. SIP is an investment methodology offered by mutual funds wherein an individual can invest a fixed amount in a chosen scheme periodically at fixed intervals — say once a month, instead of making a lumpsum investment. At present, SIP instalment amount can be as small as Rs 500 per mont