MF industry's exposure to certificates of deposit up sharply since October

The mutual fund (MF) industry’s exposure to bank certificates of deposit (CDs) has surged nearly fourfold since October, from just Rs 48,576 crore to Rs 1.76 trillion at the end of last month. 

Industry players say banks have ramped up mobilisation via CDs in recent months amid pick-up in credit offtake.

Expectations of lower deposit growth and increased credit costs amid inflationary pressures have also driven banks to issue CDs over the past few months.

“The interest-rate cycle is turning. In such a scenario, liquidity is drying up. Also, banks are being opportunistic. They feel interest rates might notch up. Moreover, credit offtake