Mumbai: Equity Mutual Funds (MFs) witnessed robust growth in March, with investments in actively managed funds rising to Rs 40,450.26 crore — the highest since July 2025 — compared to Rs 25,977.81 crore in February, according to data released by the Association of Mutual Funds in India (AMFI) on Friday.
Meanwhile, Systematic Investment Plan (SIP) contributions hit a record high of Rs 32,087 crore in March, up from Rs 29,845 crore in February, indicating continued retail participation.
However, the overall mutual fund industry saw net outflows of Rs 2.39 lakh crore during the month, as against inflows of Rs 94,530 crore in February, largely due to heavy withdrawals from debt-oriented schemes.
Market experts said that the surge in inflows reflects sustained retail engagement through SIP contributions, year-end portfolio allocations, and investors using recent market corrections as an opportunity to deploy incremental capital into equities.
They further added that the volatility triggered by the West Asia conflict created attractive entry points for long-term investors, prompting many to increase allocations through mutual funds.
Among equity categories, inflows increased across segments, led by flexi-cap funds, which attracted Rs 10,054.12 crore in March, up from Rs 6,924.65 crore in the previous month.
Mid-cap and small-cap funds also saw higher inflows at Rs 6,063.53 crore and Rs 6,263.56 crore, respectively, compared to Rs 4,002.99 crore and Rs 3,881.06 crore in February.
Moreover, large-cap funds recorded inflows of Rs 2,997.84 crore, while sectoral and thematic funds saw relatively stable inflows at Rs 2,698.82 crore.
In contrast, debt mutual funds witnessed sharp outflows of Rs 2.94 lakh crore in March, against inflows of Rs 42,106.31 crore in February.
Overnight and liquid funds were among the key contributors to these outflows.
Hybrid schemes also recorded outflows of Rs 16,538.47 crore during the month, while arbitrage funds saw withdrawals of Rs 21,113.70 crore, the data showed.
In addition, gold Exchange-Traded Funds (ETFs) saw inflows decline to Rs 2,266 crore, nearly half of February’s Rs 5,254.95 crore.
However, New Fund Offerings (NFOs) mobilised Rs 3,985 crore through 24 launches during the month, compared to Rs 4,979 crore raised via 21 schemes in February.
(IANS)
