Mumbai, August 21, 2026: The Association of Mutual Funds in India (AMFI), at its 31st Foundation Day held in Mumbai, announced a series of investor education initiatives under its flagship ‘Mutual Funds Sahi Hai’ umbrella. The initiatives aim to expand mutual fund awareness and participation among women, first-time investors, households in smaller towns and cities, Self-Help Groups (SHGs) and microfinance communities, while also strengthening professionalism and ethical standards across the mutual fund distribution ecosystem.
The announcements were made in the presence of Tuhin Kanta Pandey, Chairman, SEBI; Amarjeet Singh, Whole-Time Member, SEBI; Manoj Kumar, Executive Director, SEBI; Sundeep Sikka, Chairman, AMFI; and Venkat N. Chalasani, Chief Executive, AMFI, along with AMFI Board members, AMC CEOs and senior industry representatives.
The initiatives reflect AMFI’s broader effort to take investor education beyond traditional segments and major cities, making investing more simple, accessible, trustworthy and relevant to everyday financial needs.
SEBI Chairman Highlights Mutual Funds’ Role in India’s Growth
Speaking at the event, Tuhin Kanta Pandey, Chairman, SEBI, highlighted the important role played by mutual funds in enabling households to participate in India’s economic growth while channelising savings into the productive economy.
He also stressed the importance of fiduciary responsibility, governance and oversight as the mutual fund industry continues to expand in scale and complexity.
Pandey noted that the next generation of investors is increasingly likely to come from smaller towns, first-time investor groups and traditionally under-represented segments, making it essential for products, distribution and communication to evolve accordingly.
He also appreciated AMFI’s ‘Mutual Funds Sahi Hai’ campaign and its support for Project Jagrook, SEBI’s nationwide investor awareness initiative.
AMFI Chairman: Focus on First-Time and Underserved Investors
Sundeep Sikka, Chairman, AMFI, said the mutual fund industry’s growth has been supported by a rising culture of disciplined and long-term investing.
He said the next opportunity is to take this progress to a much wider section of society by improving investor awareness, expanding access and building confidence among first-time and underserved investors.
According to Sikka, the newly announced initiatives will take investor education closer to communities, smaller cities, women and young investors, while simultaneously strengthening the standards that underpin trust in the mutual fund ecosystem.
AMFI Chief Executive: Trust Must Remain at the Centre
Venkat N. Chalasani, Chief Executive, AMFI, said the initiatives share a common objective of expanding access, improving understanding and strengthening confidence in mutual funds across India.
He emphasised that for mutual funds to become relevant to every household, investing must remain simple, accessible, trustworthy and aligned with everyday financial needs.
Chalasani also highlighted the crucial role of distributors in taking mutual funds deeper into India, stressing that growth must go hand in hand with trust, professionalism, ethics and responsible conduct.
Key Investor Education Initiatives Announced by AMFI
- AMFI–NISM: Strengthening Professional Standards
AMFI has partnered with the National Institute of Securities Markets (NISM) to strengthen professionalism and ethical standards among mutual fund distributors.
Following successful pilot workshops at NISM, Vashi, the programme will conduct around 20 workshops across 10–12 major cities, covering approximately 10,000 mutual fund distributors over the next 12 months.
The workshops will focus on fiduciary responsibility, ethics, compliance, prevention of mis-selling and churning, data privacy and business succession.
- AMFI–Sa-Dhan: From Micro-Borrowers to Micro-Investors
AMFI has partnered with Sa-Dhan, an RBI-recognised Self-Regulatory Organisation for the microfinance sector, to take investor education to SHG members and microfinance borrowers.
The initiative will conduct 500 Investor Awareness Programmes across five states, reaching around 25,000 participants.
It will also create a network of 100 ‘Nivesh Sakhis’, who will act as trusted first points of interaction for mutual fund awareness and responsible investing.
The initiative aims to encourage systematic savings and informed investing among low-income households, supporting their journey from micro-borrowers to micro-savers and ultimately micro-investors.
- Bharat Nivesh Mela: Taking Financial Awareness to Smaller Cities
AMFI also announced the Bharat Nivesh Mela, an experiential investor education initiative aimed at taking financial awareness beyond major cities and into Tier-II and Tier-III markets.
The Mela will use interactive formats to simplify concepts such as SIPs, compounding, asset allocation, market volatility and fraud prevention.
The programme will include interactive games, expert consultations, Investor Awareness Programmes, cultural activities and dedicated family and children’s zones.
It will initially be piloted across five cities during World Investor Week, with further expansion planned based on the learnings.
- Mutual Funds Sahi Hai–Pinkathon: Women’s Financial Awareness
AMFI has joined hands with Pinkathon, India’s women-focused running community spearheaded by athlete and fitness advocate Milind Soman, to integrate financial awareness and financial wellbeing into its women-centric platform.
The association will cover the Pinkathon City Marathon Series across 15 cities and Pinkathon Day across 52 cities, with financial awareness activities integrated into the events.
The initiative seeks to encourage women to take greater ownership of their financial goals and investment decisions and strengthen their participation in the formal investment ecosystem.
- AMFI–CRISIL Fact Book 2025–26
AMFI also launched the latest edition of the AMFI–CRISIL Fact Book 2025–26, offering a data-driven overview of the evolution and growth of India’s mutual fund industry.
The publication highlights key trends, including the changing profile of mutual fund investors, rising participation by women, the expansion of SIPs and increasing mutual fund penetration across different geographies.
The Fact Book is intended to serve as a consolidated reference on the growing role of mutual funds in household participation in India’s capital markets.
The publication was released in the presence of Priti Arora, President – Global Capability Centre, CRISIL.
A Wider Push for Financial Inclusion
With household participation in capital markets continuing to increase, AMFI’s latest initiatives mark a renewed push to make mutual fund investing more accessible across India.
By combining investor education, grassroots outreach, women’s financial awareness, financial inclusion and stronger industry standards, AMFI aims to bring more first-time and underserved investors into the formal investment ecosystem with greater knowledge, confidence and trust.
The initiatives reinforce the industry’s broader vision of enabling more Indians to participate in the country’s growth story through informed and responsible investing.
