Locked out of global markets, new AMCs struggle to level the playing field
This persistent stalemate stems from caps on overseas investments imposed by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) and the Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi). Once these $8 billion aggregate ceilings were breached in 2022 and 2024, fresh allocations were halted. This effectively locked the market in favour of first-movers.
AMCs that joined the race early still hold individual investment limits and can use available headroom from redemptions to launch new products. Newer players, meanwhile, are left with zero allocation.The divide has created what industry officials call an "unfair" structure. While Sebi a year back acknowledged that 20 of India's 44 AMCs are in a "comparably disadvantageous position”, a formal representation made by the Association of Mutual Funds in India (Amfi) in March 2025 has yet to produce a plan to rationalize these unutilized limits.Currently, the RBI allows the mutual fund industry to invest up to $7 billion in overseas non-exchange traded funds (ETF) and $1 billion in global ETFs.
Simultaneously, Sebi permits $1 billion for non-ETF investments and $300 million for ETFs per AMC, with a $50 million carve-out created for new AMCs intending to launch global funds. There are 51 AMCs in the country.Meanwhile, the US-Iran war has brought the Indian rupee down to several all-time lows and foreign investors continue to sell Indian equities, making it unlikely that the RBI will raise its limits anytime soon. Sandeep Bagla, CEO of Trust Mutual Fund, said, "Indian capital markets are undergoing a volatile time paired with FPI outflows.
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