Sebi, Amfi weigh easing SIF exam amid low distributor count
Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. The Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) and the Association of Mutual Funds in India (Amfi) are in talks to make the Specialized Investment Fund (SIF) exam easier and more relevant, said three people aware of the discussions. The discussions are centred around easing the National Institute of Securities Markets’ NISM XIII (derivatives) exam, which is mandatory for obtaining a license to distribute SIFs.
Some of the options considered so far are to remove a portion of currency derivatives from the exam or to introduce levels within the exam structure, to ensure that mutual fund (MF) distributors are tested on topics relevant to the SIFs they sell. The exam consists of three sections: currency derivatives, equity derivatives, and interest rate derivatives. Distributors stated that currency derivatives are not relevant to SIFs at present, as Sebi does not permit AMCs (asset management companies) to launch SIF products related to this segment.
The market regulator has allowed AMCs to launch SIFs in seven strategies, none of which use currency derivatives. The strategies are Equity Long Short Fund, Equity Ex-Top 100 Long-Short Fund, Sector Rotation Long-Short Fund, Debt Long-Short Fund, Sectoral Debt Long-Short Fund, Active Asset Allocator Long-Short Fund, and Hybrid Long-Short Fund. “There is no use case for currency derivatives.
AMCs have built only equity derivatives products for now," said Kartik Sankaran, a Mumbai-based mutual fund distributor. The options considered so far are expected to ensure that MFDs do not face additional hurdles in passing the exam due to topics they do not deal with in day-to-day business. “Anyone marketing this product needs to explain the risk.
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