A year after their launch, Specialised Investment Funds (SIFs) are beginning to find a place in investor portfolios. Sitting between traditional mutual funds and high-ticket offerings such as PMSs and AIFs, they offer fund managers more freedom in managing money without requiring the large investment amounts associated with those products.
WHY HAVE SIFs BECOME POPULAR?
The appeal of SIFs lies in the space they occupy between mutual funds and PMSs. Investors looking for something beyond traditional equity and debt schemes can access strategies that are not available in regular mutual funds, without committing the much larger sums typically required by PMSs and AIFs.
Another factor is flexibility. SIFs give fund managers more room to manage money and adjust portfolios as market conditions change, which has attracted investors looking for alternatives to conventional mutual fund strategies.
HOW ARE SIFS DIFFERENT FROM MUTUAL FUNDS, PMSs AND AIFs?
The biggest difference is the freedom available to the fund manager. A mutual fund largely benefits when the stocks it owns rise in value. A SIF can also take limited positions that benefit when stocks fall. However, such positions cannot exceed 25% of the scheme’s assets.
SIFs also allow managers to change allocations more actively than traditional mutual funds.
In terms of investment size, they sit between mutual funds and PMSs/AIFs. Investors can start investing in mutual funds with a few hundred rupees, while SIFs require a minimum investment of Rs 10 lakh. By comparison, PMSs and AIFs typically require investments of Rs 50 lakh and Rs 1 crore, respectively.
HOW FAR HAVE SIFs COME IN THEIR FIRST YEAR?
The category has grown quickly. Assets under management stood at Rs 38,224 crore as of September 30, 2026, according to SIF360.com.
Seventeen AMCs now offer SIFs. As of August 2026, the category had 33 live schemes and nearly 1.26 lakh folios. The growth, however, has been concentrated among a small number of players. The top five platforms account for 83% of industry assets, while the top three manage nearly two-thirds of the total money invested.
WHICH SIFs STRATEGIES HAVE BECOME POPULAR?
Investors have gravitated towards hybrid strategies, which accounted for 60% of net inflows in August 2026.
Among equity-oriented offerings, strategies focused on companies outside the top 100 by market capitalisation have drawn interest. Investors have also shown appetite for multi-asset strategies where fund managers can move money across equity, debt and other asset classes depending on market conditions.
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WHO SHOULD INVEST AND WHO SHOULD NOT IN SIFs?
SIFs are primarily aimed at investors who already have some experience with market-linked products and want to go beyond traditional mutual funds. Wealth managers typically view them as an addition to an existing portfolio rather than a substitute for mutual fund investments.
They may not be suitable for first-time investors, people looking for assured returns or those uncomfortable with the possibility of losses. Retirees who depend on their investments for regular income should also evaluate such products carefully before investing.