AMFI announces 5 key initiatives to deepen mutual fund participation and strengthen investor awareness

The Association of Mutual Funds in India (AMFI) has announced five key initiatives aimed at deepening mutual fund participation and strengthening investor awareness across the country, on its 31st foundation day under its flagship “Mutual Funds Sahi Hai” umbrella.

The initiatives form part of AMFI’s broader endeavour to take investor education beyond traditional segments and geographies, with a focus on making investing simple, accessible and relevant to everyday financial needs.

The initiatives are aimed at expanding awareness and participation across diverse segments, including women, first-time investors, households in smaller towns and cities, members of Self-Help Groups and microfinance communities, while strengthening professionalism and ethical standards within the mutual fund distribution ecosystem.


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These initiatives were announced in the presence of Tuhin Kanta Pandey, Chairman, SEBI; Amarjeet Singh, Whole-Time Member, SEBI; Manoj Kumar, Executive Director, SEBI; Sundeep Sikka, Chairman, AMFI; and Venkat N. Chalasani, Chief Executive, AMFI, along with members of the AMFI Board, AMC CEOs and senior industry representatives.

AMFI–NISM partnership: AMFI has joined hands with the National Institute of Securities Markets (NISM) to strengthen professionalism and ethical standards across the mutual fund distribution ecosystem. Building on the successful pilot workshops conducted at NISM, Vashi, the programme will conduct approximately 20 workshops across 10–12 major cities, covering around 10,000 mutual fund distributors (MFDs) over the next 12 months.

The workshops will focus on fiduciary responsibility, ethics, compliance, prevention of mis-selling and churning, data privacy and business succession, with the objective of strengthening investor trust and responsible conduct across the distribution ecosystem. The Memorandum of agreement was formalised in the presence of Sashi Krishnan, Director, NISM.

AMFI–Sa-Dhan: AMFI has joined hands with Sa-Dhan, an RBI-recognised Self-Regulatory Organisation (SRO) for the microfinance sector, to provide investor education to Self-Help Group (SHG) members and microfinance borrowers.

The initiative will conduct 500 Investor Awareness Programmes across five states, reaching approximately 25,000 participants, and will create a network of 100 ‘Nivesh Sakhis’ who will serve as trusted first points of interaction for mutual fund awareness and responsible investing.

The initiative seeks to build awareness around systematic savings and informed investing among low-income households, supporting their journey from micro-borrowers to micro-savers and micro-investors.

The Memorandum of Understanding was signed in the presence of Kiran Kumar, Treasurer and Director, Sa-Dhan.

Bharat Nivesh Mela: AMFI announced the Bharat Nivesh Mela, an experiential investor education initiative designed to take financial awareness beyond the major cities and into Tier-II and Tier-III markets.

The initiative will use interactive formats to simplify concepts such as SIPs, the power of compounding, asset allocation, market volatility and fraud prevention. The Mela will feature interactive games, expert consultations, Investor Awareness Programmes, cultural activities, and dedicated family and children’s zones. The programme will be piloted across five cities during World Investor Week, with further expansion based on learnings from the pilot.

Mutual Funds Sahi Hai–Pinkathon: AMFI has joined hands with Pinkathon, India’s biggest women’s run, spearheaded by renowned athlete and fitness advocate Milind Soman, to integrate financial awareness and financial wellbeing into its women-centric community.

The association will cover the Pinkathon City Marathon Series across 15 cities and Pinkathon Day across 52 cities, with financial awareness activities integrated into the events. The initiative seeks to encourage women to take greater ownership of their financial goals and investment decisions and strengthen their participation in the formal investment ecosystem.

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AMFI-Crisil Fact Book 2025-26: AMFI also launched the latest edition of the AMFI-Crisil Fact Book 2025-26, providing a data-led overview of the evolution and growth of the Indian mutual fund industry.

The Fact Book captures key trends shaping the industry, including the changing profile of Indian mutual fund investors, growing participation by women, the expansion of SIPs and the increasing penetration of mutual funds across geographies. It provides a consolidated reference point on the industry’s growing role in household participation in India’s capital markets. The Fact Book was released in the presence of Priti Arora, President – Global Capability Centre, CRISIL.

“Mutual funds perform a dual role - helping households participate in India’s growth and channelling their savings into the productive economy. On fiduciary responsibility, he said, “The mutual fund industry manages public money, which brings with it a special fiduciary responsibility. As the industry grows in scale and complexity, governance and oversight must keep pace,” said Tuhin Kanta Pandey, Chairman, SEBI.

Emphasising deeper participation, he stated, “The next generation of investors will increasingly come from smaller towns, first-time investors and under-represented segments. Products, distribution and communication must adapt accordingly.”

He also commended AMFI’s ‘Mutual Funds Sahi Hai’ campaign and its support for Project Jagrook, SEBI’s nationwide investor awareness campaign.”

As household participation in capital markets continues to grow, AMFI remains focused on enabling more Indians to participate in India’s growth story with greater knowledge, confidence and trust.

“The growth of the mutual fund industry has been supported by a growing culture of disciplined and long-term investing. The opportunity now is to take this progress to a wider section of the country by strengthening investor awareness, expanding access and building greater confidence among first-time and underserved investors. The initiatives announced today are designed to take investor education closer to communities, smaller cities, women and young investors, while also strengthening the standards that underpin trust in the mutual fund ecosystem,” said Sundeep Sikka, Chairman, AMFI.

“These initiatives share a common objective expanding access, deepening understanding and strengthening confidence in mutual funds across India. For mutual funds to become truly relevant to every household, investing must be simple, accessible, trustworthy and aligned with everyday financial needs. Our partnerships with institutions across communities, cities and the distribution ecosystem are aimed at taking investor education closer to where people live, work and make financial decisions,” said Venkat N. Chalasani, Chief Executive, AMFI.

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He further added, “Distributors remain central to taking mutual funds deeper into India. Growth without trust is neither sustainable nor desirable. Strengthening professionalism, ethics and responsible conduct across the distribution ecosystem is therefore as important as expanding investor participation.”

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