



Sebi steps up checks on portfolio overlap in mutual fund schemes
Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. MUMBAI : India’s market regulator is closely scrutinizing new fund offers (NFOs) for portfolio overlap with existing schemes, even though its draft proposals on overlapping stocks in mutual fund schemes are yet to be notified.
In an 18 July consultation paper, the Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) proposed that mutual funds ensure that no more than 50% of the stocks held in a sectoral or thematic scheme are the same as those held in other equity schemes, with the exception of large-cap schemes, in the same fund house. “Now, whenever a mutual fund files for a thematic NFO, Sebi is asking for a model portfolio and the extent of overlap with the fund house’s existing equity strategies," said a person aware of the matter, on the condition of anonymity.
If the overlap with existing schemes is much higher while filing the NFO, Sebi is "asking for the rationale behind launching another one", said a mutual fund executive who was asked the same, on the condition of anonymity. While thematic NFOs help asset management companies (AMCs) expand their asset base, limited differentiation among schemes offers little value to investors, with the growing number of such funds ultimately complicating choices rather than simplifying them.
Fund houses are allowed to launch one scheme in each category, while there is no cap on sectoral and thematic funds under current regulations. As a result, in the past year, there were 37 sectoral and thematic fund NFOs, compared with only 19 NFOs across the entire equity category, according to the Association of Mutual Funds in India (Amfi).
To assess the extent of portfolio overlap, Mint examined the top five thematic funds by assets. The data from the
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