Jio BlackRock to disrupt India's fund market with low-cost strategy: Report

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Jio BlackRock Asset Management plans to introduce nearly a dozen equity and debt funds in India by the year-end, focusing on small-ticket investments and bypassing distributors to reduce costs, three people familiar with the firm's strategy said. 

The joint venture between Jio Financial Services, backed by billionaire Mukesh Ambani, and BlackRock, enters India's 72.2 trillion rupee ($844 billion) funds market with a business structure that threatens to shake up the sector, as it leverages its large digital network to bypass traditional distributors used by the rest of the industry. 

Jio BlackRock plans to leverage Jio, India's largest telecom network, and BlackRock's investment management platform Aladdin, to offer differentiated products in the crowded market, two of the three sources said. 

The asset manager has applied to the market regulator to launch eight funds, the two sources said, adding to the first three funds it launched last month. 

The funds will allow for investments as low as 500 rupees ($5.83), the two sources said. 

The asset manager said on Monday that it has raised more than $2.1 billion across three debt mutual fund schemes and that 90 institutional investors and 67,000 retail investors have invested in these funds so far. 

On average, the cost associated across plans will be lower for Jio BlackRock funds compared with the industry average, one of the sources said, declining to specify a level. 

"By being direct only, Jio BlackRock plans to do away with the cost of distribution," this person added. 

Jio BlackRock declined to comment on Reuters' inquiries regarding its fund launches and pricing strategy, which have not been previously reported. 

At present, active funds offered through distribution on an average have a total expense ratio of about 1.78%. They can charge a maximum 2.5% of the investment amount. Direct funds generally reduce costs by 0.5% to 0.6%. 

Jio BlackRock intends to bypass the dominant channel of distributors, offering funds directly to institutional and retail investors, the sources said. That will reduce fee or expense ratios associated with the funds, they said. 

Ambani's Jio has been known to disrupt markets with its pricing and reach. Jio, India's largest telecom carrier by subscriber count, launched in 2016, became the largest by offering mobile phones and voice and data packages at well below prices prevailing in the industry. 

Jio has 475 million subscribers. 

Jio BlackRock will use the distribution reach of its partner and target the existing 8 million active users of financial services on its digital platforms such as MyJio and Jio Finance, a second source familiar with the matter said. 

BlackRock, the world's largest fund manager at $11.6 trillion as of December 2024, is known for its passive funds, which track established indexes. It manages $7.8 trillion through exchange traded and index funds. 

However, Jio BlackRock plans to offer a mix of active and passive funds in India, where active funds still dominate.

"Passive funds are growing in India every year and there is a potential for BlackRock to further build this segment," said the first source. 

Passive funds accounted for 12.11 trillion rupees, or 16.78% of total assets in India as of May, marking a 25% growth from a year earlier. 

The fund house plans to leverage Aladdin, an investment and risk management system, to deliver consistent returns, said the first source. 

Aladdin is an end-to-end investment management system that collates all analytics in one place to enable portfolio managers to take investment calls. 

"Relevant portions of Aladdin will be made available to Jio BlackRock's investors as well," the first source said.