India's mutual fund industry saw a robust revival in April, powered by a record surge in Systematic Investment Plan (SIP) inflows and a dramatic comeback in debt fund investments.
SIP inflows hit an all-time high of Rs 26,632 crore in April 2025, marking a 3% rise from Rs 25,926 crore in March. However, equity mutual funds saw a slight cooling-off, with net inflows dipping 3.2% month-on-month to Rs 24,269 crore from Rs 25,082 crore, as investors appeared to rotate allocations towards debt instruments.
Debt mutual funds stole the show with a massive Rs 2.19 lakh crore inflow in April, staging a complete turnaround from March's Rs 2.02 lakh crore outflow. The biggest contributor was liquid funds, which clocked in Rs 1.18 lakh crore, bouncing back strongly from the Rs 1.33 lakh crore withdrawal seen in the previous month.
Flexi-cap funds led the equity pack with Rs 5,541 crore in net inflows. Despite mild month-on-month dips of 2% and 4% respectively, small-cap and mid-cap funds maintained strong traction, drawing Rs 3,999 crore and Rs 3,313 crore.
The hybrid category too gained momentum, attracting Rs 14,247 crore in April ' a dramatic reversal from the Rs 946 crore outflow in March. Arbitrage funds spearheaded the recovery with Rs 11,790 crore in inflows, bouncing back from March's Rs 2,854 crore outflow.
Passives remained in favor as well. Index funds and ETFs saw inflows swell 43% to Rs 20,229 crore, up from Rs 14,148 crore a month earlier.
All this propelled the total mutual fund assets under management (AUM) to Rs 69.73 lakh crore in April, a healthy 7% growth from Rs 65.47 lakh crore in March.
In April 2025, the Indian mutual fund industry saw the launch of seven new open-end schemes, mobilizing a total of Rs 350 crore, with no close-end schemes introduced during the month. Among the new offerings, debt-oriented schemes included the Zerodha Overnight Fund, which raised Rs 53 crore. The equity category saw the launch of the Kotak Energy Opportunities Fund, a sectoral/thematic fund, which mobilized Rs 171 crore. The hybrid space featured the quant Arbitrage Fund, bringing in Rs 48 crore. In the 'Other Schemes' category, two index funds'Kotak Nifty Top 10 Equal Weight Index Fund and Tata BSE Quality Index'were launched, collecting Rs 65 crore. Additionally, two ETFs'Groww Nifty 500 Momentum 50 ETF and ICICI Prudential Nifty EV & New Age Automotive ETF'were introduced, raising Rs 13 crore. The combined mobilisation by index funds and ETFs stood at Rs 78 crore, reflecting a notable interest in passive investment avenues.