MFs log Rs 1 lakh cr inflow in Jan; push AUM to Rs 22.41 lakh crore

New Delhi: Investors have pumped over Rs 1 lakh crore into mutual funds in January, driving the industry assets base to an all-time high of Rs 22.41 lakh crore, latest update with Amfi showed.

Industry experts attributed the surge in assets under management (AUM) to 'aggressive' investor awareness campaign both at the individual player level as well as at industry level.

In addition, investors are moving towards financial asset class for investment instead of buying traditional asset classes such as real estate and gold, which also helped in increasing the penetration of mutual funds.

According to Association of Mutual Funds in India (Amfi) data, investors have poured in a net Rs 1.06 lakh crore in mutual fund schemes last month as compared to a pullout of Rs 1.75 lakh crore in December.

The latest inflow has been mainly driven by contributions from liquid or money market funds, and equity, equity-linked saving schemes.

Individually, liquid funds - investments in cash assets such as Treasury Bills, certificates of deposit and commercial paper for shorter horizon - witnessed an inflow of Rs 96,552 crore. Besides, equity and equity-linked schemes attracted over Rs 15,000 crore.

In contrast, income funds saw an outflow of over Rs 9,800 crore and gold ETFs continued to see a pullout of Rs 110 crore.

The latest inflow has also helped in pushing the AUM of the country's 42-player mutual fund industry to a historic high of Rs 22.41 lakh crore at the end of January from Rs 21.26 lakh crore at December-end 2017.

Bajaj Capital CEO Rahul Parikh said going ahead, digital investment platforms are going to be a big driver for the industry.

"These platforms are the best bet to attract the young salaried generation of millennials - who otherwise are humongous spenders on gadgets, cars and bikes - and inculcate in them the virtues of saving and investing," he added.