AIF

India's small and midcap profit pools are expanding faster than large-caps, driven by the manufacturing, capital goods, and infrastructure upcycle

Erstwhile Indiabulls Asset Management Company (now known as Groww AMC), its schemes and former officials on Wednesday settled a case with Sebi pertaining to alleged violations of alternative investment fund rules after collectively paying Rs 1.43 crore. Those who settled the case are Indiabulls AIF, Indiabulls Dual Advantage Real Asset Fund (IBDARA), Indiabulls Real Estate Fund (IBREF), Ambar Maheshwari, Amit Jain and Parth Muria, according to a Sebi order. The case pertains to applicants allegedly violating the AIF Regulations way back in 2017. In 2023, Indiabulls AMC was acquired by fintech firm Groww. It had three business verticals -- mutual fund business, alternative investment fund business and portfolio management business. "In view of the acceptance of the settlement terms and the receipt of the settlement amount (Rs 1.43 crore)...by Sebi, the instant adjudication proceedings initiated against the applicants vide SCN (show cause notice) dated September 26, 2024, are dispos

Capital markets regulator Sebi has proposed a separate category of Alternative Investment Fund (AIF) schemes, consisting of accredited investors, which will enjoy a lighter-touch regulatory framework compared to regular AIFs. In a consultation paper issued on Friday, Sebi suggested that such accredited investors (AI-only schemes) could be allowed certain flexibilities, given that accredited investors are deemed to have the knowledge, financial capacity and risk appetite to make informed investment decisions without the same level of regulatory safeguards required for retail participants. The proposal includes exemptions from requirements such as maintaining pari-passu rights among investors, NISM certification for key investment team members, and the current limit of 1,000 investors per scheme, the regulator said. These schemes could also extend their tenure by up to five years, subject to investor approval, and in the case of trust-structured AIFs, managers could take over certain

Sebi's latest consultation paper has proposed gradual transition from the traditional minimum commitment threshold to using only accreditation status as the metric for investor sophistication in AIFs

RBI caps exposure at 20% for banks, NBFCs in AIF schemes, excluding equity investments from provisions, with new guidelines effective from January 2026

Sebi executive director says AIFs must align with global ESG norms as 40 per cent of capital comes from foreign investors expecting high disclosure standards

Capital markets regulator Sebi has imposed penalties totalling Rs 29 lakh on six entities, including India Asset Growth Fund, its manager Essel Finance Advisors and Managers, and trustee Vistra ITCL (India) for multiple violations of AIF rules. The regulator levied a fine of Rs 11 lakh on IAGF, Rs 10 lakh on Arpan Sarkar and Jaykishan Kikani (jointly and severally), Rs 6 lakh on Vistra ITCL (India), and Rs 2 lakh on Essel Finance Advisors and Managers (EFAM), its Chief Executive Officer Vishnu Prakash Rathore (jointly and severally). The regulator, in a 39-page order, found the entities guilty of serious lapses in regulatory compliance during the inspection period from April 2021 to March 2022, Sebi said in the order on Friday. The markets watchdog observed that India Asset Growth Fund (IAGF) failed to disclose disciplinary actions and litigation history of its sponsor, manager, trustee, and key officials in its placement memorandum (PPM), as mandated under the norms. Later, the fu

Market outlook: Amid the ongoing conflict in West Asia, surging crude oil prices could pose risk to India's economic stability, Smallcaps preferred over midcaps: PGIM

Rising volatility and evolving macro trends are driving HNIs to invest more in AIFs, which reached ₹5.38 trillion by March 2025, as they move beyond traditional asset classes

Union Cooperation Minister Amit Shah on Monday called for immediate action to expand the loan facility to Primary Agricultural Credit Societies (PACS), under the Agriculture Infrastructure Fund (AIF), to improve their financial condition. Reviewing the scheme to build the world's largest cooperative food grain storage network, Shah emphasised the extensive involvement of PACS in the food storage scheme. "It is necessary to make PACS an integral part of this scheme so that the financial viability and social effectiveness of PACS can be ensured," he said. Shah directed the Ministry of Food and Public Distribution and Food Corporation of India (FCI) to conduct national-level mapping of warehouses across the country, so that the implementation of the scheme can be done smoothly as per regional requirements, according to an official statement. The minister also instructed FCI, National Cooperative Consumers' Federation (NCCF), National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation (NAFE

IVCA has urged all legacy VCFs, especially those who are holding residual assets, to immediately evaluate their eligibility and apply to SEBI for migration before the due date

The RBI has proposed capping investment by regulated entities in AIF schemes at 15%, with a 10% ceiling per entity, while also allowing exemptions for strategic funds

Operational noise disrupts capital flow; industry demands an inter-regulatory bridge

Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) has sought public comments till May 30 on the proposals.

Sebi observed that Finideas Growth Fund, an AIF, exceeded the permissible investment cap of 10% of its net investable funds in a single company between May 31, 2023, and July 31, 2023

Investcorp Real Estate Yield Fund and six others have settled with markets regulator Sebi a case of flouting Alternate Investment Funds (AIF) rules on payment of Rs 25.5 lakh towards settlement amount. Apart from Investcorp Real Estate Yield Fund, Investcorp India Asset Managers, Ajay Kumar, Niraj Sirsalewal, Ritesh Vohra, Gaurav Sharma and IDBI Trusteeship Services Ltd have settled the case. The order came after the entities filed applications proposing to settle the proceedings that may be initiated against them for the violation of the provisions of the AIF Regulations, through a settlement order and remitted Rs 25.50 lakh. In its settlement order passed on Friday, Sebi said the "specified proceedings, in respect of which the notice was issued, are hereby settled in respect of the applicants". While examining the matter, Sebi observed that the tenure of the Investcorp Real Estate Yield Fund had been extended beyond 2 years and that its investments had not been liquidated within

Proposes allowing creation of special purpose vehicles by fund management entities

Of the total investments by value, 39 per cent in FY24 went into late-stage startups, compared to only 18 per cent in FY14

Alternate investment funds (AIFs) have sought from the government specific funds for investments in new-age, sunrise and deep-tech startups with a view to promote innovation in the country, an official said. They have also urged the government to announce a fresh round of funds under the Fund of Funds for Startups (FFS) scheme. These demands were raised during a meeting between AIFs and the officials of the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) here last week. The department held discussions with AIFs on ways to promote funding for startups in the country, the official said. "In the meeting AIFs demanded more funds under FFS. They demanded an increase in the duration of FFS from the existing 12 years," the official added. At present FFS is sector agnostic. The AIFs have suggested specific funds for the sunrise and new-age sectors. Issues like capital mobilisation and promoting funding for startups in smaller cities were also discussed during the meeting.

The meeting saw the participation of more than 70 AIFs, with discussions focused on capital mobilisation and promoting funding for startups in smaller cities