Following smart money: Where are India’s top investors betting next?

For today’s investors, the question of where to deploy capital goes well beyond traditional assets such as equities, bonds and real estate. There is an increasing pool of sophisticated capital looking beyond traditional markets for opportunities, particularly where specialised strategies can provide access to different return drivers and risk profiles.

This is visible in the growing interest in private credit, venture debt, co-investments and alternative investment strategies. These avenues have existed for years, but their role in wealth creation is changing as family offices and institutional investors look for greater diversification and opportunities that are less closely correlated with public market cycles.

Why private markets are gaining ground

Private credit is one of the clearest examples of this shift. Private lenders have opportunities across different points of the business cycle as companies seek funding beyond traditional bank loans. Investors are drawn to the potential for structured returns, negotiated terms and access to businesses not available through public markets.

Venture debt is another option, particularly for investors looking to participate in India’s growing startup ecosystem without taking on the same level of equity exposure as venture capital. Co-investments, meanwhile, give sophisticated investors a more direct opportunity to participate in specific deals alongside experienced investment managers.

The appeal of these strategies, however, comes with a more demanding investment process. Private market opportunities require deeper due diligence, an understanding of liquidity constraints and careful assessment of the underlying business, structure and risk. The question, therefore, is not simply whether these assets can generate alpha, but how they fit within a broader portfolio.

Follow smart money. Understand the strategy
This is where the investment behaviour of family offices and institutional investors offers an important perspective. With larger pools of capital and longer investment horizons, these investors can evaluate opportunities across multiple asset classes and consider how different strategies fit together within a portfolio, rather than viewing them in isolation.

At The Economic Times Alpha Wealth Summit 2.0, Harendra Kumar, MD, Institutional Equities, Elara Capital, and Sandeep Das, MD & CEO, Centrum Wealth, will examine this changing allocation landscape in the panel Following Smart Money. The discussion will explore how India’s leading family offices and institutional investors are deploying capital across private credit, venture debt, co-investments and alternative strategies, and what these moves reveal about the search for differentiated sources of alpha.

Their discussion is part of a wider agenda examining the forces reshaping wealth creation, from global capital flows and GIFT City to structured debt, alternative assets and evolving portfolio strategies. The roundtable offers a glimpse into how sophisticated investors are responding to a market where the lines between asset classes are becoming increasingly blurred.

For investors, following smart money is not about simply copying where others invest. It is about understanding why capital is moving, the risks behind each opportunity and how those decisions fit into a broader investment thesis.

Join leading investment and wealth experts at Alpha Wealth Summit 2.0 on October 8, 2026, in Mumbai. Register now!