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Financial services company Choice International on Friday said its arm Choice AMC has received final approval from Sebi to commence operations as an Asset Management Company (AMC), marking its foray into the mutual fund business. The regulatory clearance enables the Mumbai-headquartered Choice group to formally roll out its mutual fund operations, expand its offerings across the financial services spectrum, the company said in a statement. Choice will now initiate operations of its AMC, with a strategic and phased rollout beginning with passive investment products such as index funds and exchange traded funds (ETFs), it added. "This approval marks a significant milestone in the expansion of our financial services portfolio and reinforces our long-term commitment to delivering comprehensive and accessible investment solutions. "The mutual fund platform will initially focus on passive products, in line with our objective to build a stable, scalable, and professionally managed asset .
Mutual fund assets surged 23 per cent or over Rs 12 lakh crore year-on-year to reach a record of Rs 65.74 lakh crore in FY25, propelled by robust net inflows and mark-to-market gains amid buoyant equity and debt markets. In comparison, the assets under management of the industry stood at Rs 53.40 lakh crore in March 2024. "The asset base expanded partly owing to mark-to-market (MTM) gains, spurred by equity markets clocking positive returns, as reflected in the Nifty 50 TRI and Sensex TRI rising 6 per cent and 5.9 per cent, respectively. Debt markets also contributed positively through MTM gains, supported by favourable yield movements," according to the Association of Mutual Funds in India's (Amfi) annual report released on Monday. Also, the increase in AUM was attributed to net inflows summing up to Rs 8.15 lakh crore during fiscal 2025. The sharp surge in asset base was also reflected in the growing numbers of investors, mutual funds, with the number of folios reaching an all-ti
Markets regulator Sebi on Friday extended the timeline for implementing the framework regarding tightening of rules on issuance of offshore derivative instruments (ODIs) by FPIs to November 17. Sebi, in December, came out with the framework, which was to become effective from May 17. The framework provides for additional disclosures to be made by ODI subscribers and FPIs (Foreign Portfolio Investors) with segregated portfolios. "Based on representations received from market participants and in order to ensure smooth implementation of the said circular (issued in December), it has been decided to extend the timeline, ...to November 17, 2025," Sebi said in a circular. The circular proposed to prohibit FPIs from issuing ODIs with derivatives as the underlying or using derivatives to hedge their ODIs in India. This was aimed at addressing regulatory arbitrage for ODIs and FPIs with segregated portfolios. Further, FPIs cannot hedge ODIs with derivatives on Indian stock exchanges. ODIs