Latest news with #AshwiniKumar


Hans India
4 days ago
- Business
- Hans India
226% rise in retirement MFs' AUM in 5 yrs: Report
Mumbai: The assets under management (AUM) of retirement mutual funds have increased by 226.25 per cent in the last five years to touch Rs 31,973 crore in June 2025, up from Rs 9,800 crore in the same in June 2020, a report said on Monday. 'Enhanced transparency and investor protection regulations have helped boost investor confidence in mutual funds as a retirement vehicle,' credit rating agency ICRA Analytics said in its report. Increasing awareness about the importance of financial planning among people and the need to build a corpus for retirement, coupled with higher life expectancy and the surge in healthcare costs, seems to be encouraging the ageing populations in India to increasingly look for retirement-focused investment products, including mutual funds, the report noted. A retirement mutual fund is a specialised solution-oriented mutual fund whose objective is to ensure that the investor has a comfortable and secure post-retirement life. 'Equity mutual funds have captured significant inflows due to optimism about market recovery and growth, which is appealing for long-term retirement portfolios,' said Ashwini Kumar, Senior Vice President and Head Market Data, ICRA Analytics. This apart, enhanced transparency and investor protection regulations have boosted investor confidence in mutual funds as a retirement vehicle, he added. According to the report, the total number of folios under such schemes has increased by 18.21 per cent at 30.09 lakh in June 2025, up from 25.46 lakh in June 2020. The number of schemes, which stood at 24 in June 2020, has increased to 29 in June 2025. The average compound annualised returns on these funds stood at 6.79 per cent, 15.72 per cent and 14.64 per cent for a 1-year, 3-year and 5-year period, respectively, the report stated. The retirement funds are exposed to both debt and equity; the debt segment guarantees stability and wealth preservation, while the equity segment promotes wealth appreciation. According to the report, these funds have a five-year lock-in period or until retirement and help provide a consistent stream of income when one retires and there is no regular monthly income. The rise of user-friendly digital platforms and robo-advisors has made retirement investing more accessible, the report highlighted.
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Business Standard
4 days ago
- Business
- Business Standard
Want to retire rich? These mutual funds are delivering up to 30% returns
As life expectancy rises and traditional family support systems evolve, Indians are waking up to the critical importance of retirement planning—and mutual funds are emerging as a preferred vehicle. According to ICRA Analytics, the Assets Under Management (AUM) of retirement mutual funds have surged by 226.25% in just five years, reaching ₹31,973 crore in June 2025 from ₹9,800 crore in June 2020. This remarkable growth has been powered by increased investor awareness, enhanced digital access, and greater transparency in financial products. Why Retirement Mutual Funds Are Gaining Traction A retirement mutual fund is a specialised solution-oriented mutual fund whose objective is to ensure that the investor has a comfortable and secured post-retirement life. Such funds have exposure to both equity and debt where the equity segment fosters wealth appreciation while the debt segment ensures wealth preservation and stability. A retirement mutual fund helps provide a regular stream of income when one retires and there is no regular monthly income and come with a lock in period of 5 years or till retirement. 'Enhanced transparency and investor protection regulations have boosted investor confidence in mutual funds as a retirement vehicle,' said Ashwini Kumar, Senior VP, ICRA Analytics. From just 25.46 lakh folios in June 2020, the number of retirement fund investors has gone up to 30.09 lakh in June 2025—a clear sign of increasing retail interest. Additionally, the number of such schemes has risen from 24 to 29 over the same period. These funds have delivered robust returns despite market volatility: 1-Year CAGR: 6.79% 3-Year CAGR: 15.72% 5-Year CAGR: 14.64% Top performers include ICICI Prudential Retirement Fund – Pure Equity Plan (30.32% over 5 years) and HDFC Retirement Savings Fund – Equity Plan (27.46%) Source: MFI360Explorer What Should Investors Do? Planning for retirement shouldn't be delayed. The earlier one starts, the better the power of compounding works in their favour. With inflation, healthcare expenses, and lifestyle costs on the rise, a thoughtfully chosen retirement mutual fund can provide both growth and peace of mind.


Time of India
4 days ago
- Business
- Time of India
Enhanced transparency and investor protection regulations boosts investor confidence in mutual funds as retirement vehicle: ICRA Analytics
Enhanced transparency and investor protection regulations have helped boost investor confidence in mutual funds as a retirement vehicle, according to a press release by ICRA Analytics . The Assets under Management ( AUM ) of Retirement Mutual Funds increased by 226.25% over the last five years, reaching Rs 31,973 crore in June 2025, up from Rs 9,800 crore in June 2020. Rising awareness about the importance of financial planning, the need to build a retirement corpus, higher life expectancy, and surging healthcare costs appear to be encouraging India's aging population to increasingly consider retirement-focused investment products, including mutual funds, the release added. Explore courses from Top Institutes in Please select course: Select a Course Category Artificial Intelligence PGDM Healthcare MCA Digital Marketing Product Management Data Science CXO Finance Data Analytics MBA others Degree Cybersecurity Management Leadership Project Management Public Policy Others Design Thinking Operations Management healthcare Technology Data Science Skills you'll gain: Duration: 7 Months S P Jain Institute of Management and Research CERT-SPJIMR Exec Cert Prog in AI for Biz India Starts on undefined Get Details Also Read | Smallcap mutual funds dominate return charts in 5 & 10 years. What's driving the surge? Best MF to invest Looking for the best mutual funds to invest? Here are our recommendations. View Details » by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Free P2,000 GCash eGift UnionBank Credit Card Apply Now Undo A retirement mutual fund is a specialised, solution-oriented mutual fund designed to ensure that the investor enjoys a comfortable and secure post-retirement life. These funds typically have exposure to both equity and debt—where the equity segment fosters wealth appreciation, while the debt segment ensures wealth preservation and stability. A retirement mutual fund provides a regular stream of income after retirement, when a steady monthly income may no longer exist. These funds come with a lock-in period of five years or until retirement, whichever is earlier. Live Events 'Equity mutual funds have captured significant inflows due to optimism about market recovery and growth, which is appealing for long-term retirement portfolios. Additionally, enhanced transparency and investor protection regulations have boosted investor confidence in mutual funds as a retirement vehicle,' said Ashwini Kumar, Senior Vice President and Head – Market Data, ICRA Analytics. The total number of folios under such schemes has increased by 18.21% to 30.09 lakh in June 2025, up from 25.46 lakh in June 2020. The number of schemes, which stood at 24 in June 2020, has increased to 29 in June 2025. The average compound annualized returns on these funds stood at 6.79%, 15.72% and 14.64% for a 1-year, 3-years and 5-years period respectively. The rise of user-friendly digital platforms and robo-advisors has made retirement investing more accessible. 'These tools offer personalized portfolio recommendations based on age, risk tolerance, and retirement goals, encouraging more participation,' Kumar added. Also Read | Best medium duration mutual funds to invest in July 2025 It is important that one has a well-thought-out retirement plan which is in sync with his risk tolerance, investment horizon and investment objective as regular income will cease to exist post-retirement. Taking into account the higher price levels, increasing healthcare costs, increasing trend of nuclear families and higher life expectancy, retirement funds are expected to gain traction in the coming years. ( Disclaimer : Recommendations, suggestions, views and opinions given by the experts are their own. These do not represent the views of the Economic Times)


Time of India
6 days ago
- Business
- Time of India
Govt working on modalities to mandate green steel public procurement
The government is working on modalities to mandate public procurement of green steel , a move towards smoother transition from the traditional carbon steel, a senior official said. Green steel refers to steel produced with significantly reduced carbon emissions compared to traditional methods. "Green steel will be in the market and will be competing with not so green steel," Ashwini Kumar, Economic Adviser in the steel ministry said adding that "there is need to mandate some kind of public procurement of green steel. We are working on that also." He was addressing the India Steel Conclave 2025 organised by Assocham. "It is a tricky business. I don't know when we will see green steel public procurement coming into force but still modalities are being worked out," he said adding that the government is also working on Green Steel Mission . He further said that European Union's Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) is against the spirit of free trade agreement. CBAM is the EU's proposed tax on energy-intensive products, such as iron, steel, cement, fertilizers and aluminium imported from countries like India and China. Ministry of Steel is preparing Green Steel Mission with an estimated cost of ₹15,000 crore for helping the steel industry reduce carbon emission and progress towards the net-zero target . The mission includes PLI scheme for green steel, incentives for use of renewable energy and mandates for government agencies to buy green steel.
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Business Standard
7 days ago
- Business
- Business Standard
Govt may mandate public procurement of 25% sustainable green steel
Ashwini Kumar, economic advisor to the Ministry of Steel, confirmed that public procurement would play a key role in creating a market for low-emission steel premium Saket Kumar New Delhi Listen to This Article The government is finalising a green steel procurement mandate, with a potential 25 per cent target, even as it criticises the European Union's Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) as a trade barrier that undermines ongoing India-EU free-trade agreement (FTA) talks. Ashwini Kumar, economic advisor to the Ministry of Steel, confirmed that public procurement would play a key role in creating a market for low-emission steel. He said the government was considering a mandate to ensure green steel is not edged out by cheaper, high-emission alternatives. 'We are working on that also. It's a tricky business. I don't know when we will