MFs garnered Rs 54,000 crore in 2013-14

Investors pumped in nearly Rs 54,000 crore in various mutual fund schemes in 2013-14, 30 per cent lower than the amount infused by them in the preceding fiscal.

However, industry experts believe that fund mobilisation in mutual fund schemes is expected to grow in the coming months.

This is in view of Sebi recently clearing its first ever long-term policy for the sector, proposing a number of tax benefits and measures for growth of MF business.

The policy is aimed at channelising household savings into equities and mutual funds.

As per the latest data available with Sebi, there was a net inflow of Rs 53,782 crore during the 2013-14 financial year as against over Rs 76,539 crore in the preceding fiscal.

Prior to that, a net amount of more than Rs 22,000 crore and over Rs 49,000 crore moved out of the mutual funds' kitty during 2011-12 and 2010-11, respectively.

Mutual funds pool together money from many investors and invest it on their behalf, in accordance with a stated set of objectives.

At a gross level, mutual funds mobilised over Rs 97.68 lakh crore during 2013-14, while there were redemptions worth Rs 97.14 lakh crore as well during the period. This resulted in a net inflow of Rs 53,782 crore.

Of the total net investment made in the past fiscal, a huge part of inflows in the mutual fund schemes came during April 2013 and January 2014.

In April, mutual funds mobilised around Rs 1.08 lakh crore in various schemes. This was the highest net inflow by investors in such schemes in a single month since April 2011, when investors had put in a whopping Rs 1.84 lakh crore.

The fund houses mobilised Rs 83,533 crore in various schemes in January.

The significant level of fund mobilisation has also helped the total asset under management of mutual funds to grow to Rs 8.25 lakh crore at the end of March 31, 2014 from Rs 7.01 lakh crore during fiscal 2012-13.