Mutual Funds: A Powerhouse for Wealth Creation
Ratin Biswass / 21 Aug 2025/ Categories: DSIJ_Magazine_Web, DSIJMagazine_App, MF - Special Report, Mutual Fund, Special Report

In today's world, where wealth creation is becoming increasingly vital
In today's world, where wealth creation is becoming increasingly vital, mutual funds in India have emerged as a crucial means of transforming savings into investments. Through diversification and professional management, mutual funds have become an integral part of the Indian investor's toolkit, facilitating both short-term financial goals and long-term wealth creation.[EasyDNNnews:PaidContentStart]
A significant development in the mutual fund industry is the rise of Systematic Investment Plans (SIPs). From a modest ₹3,100 crore at the start of FY17, SIP contributions soared to an impressive ₹28,464 crore by July 2025. This remarkable increase, over ninefold, underscores the growing confidence Indian investors have in mutual funds, making them one of the most preferred investment options. Retail investors have played a crucial role in this growth, with mutual fund folios reaching an astounding 24.57 crore by July 2025, the majority held by retail investors. Retail investors now account for approximately 28 per cent of the total assets under management (AUM), which stood at ₹75.36 lakh crore in July 2025. This highlights their pivotal role in democratizing investments and driving the industry's expansion. This retail-driven momentum not only stabilizes markets through disciplined, long-term investments but also empowers everyday Indians to build financial security amid economic uncertainties.
In appreciation of the mutual fund industry's significant contributions, we present the Mutual Fund Special Edition. This edition pays tribute to the funds, managers, and institutions that have tirelessly worked to create wealth for investors across various categories.
Methodology
This section discusses the process we used to pick the award winners in each category, the best equity fund manager, and the best AMC in equity, debt and hybrid.
Equity Mutual Funds — We have awarded mutual funds from the below mentioned categories:
■ Large-Cap
■ Large and Mid-Cap
■ Mid-cap
■ Small-Cap
■ Flexi-cap
■ Equity Linked Saving Scheme (ELSS)
■ Value/Contra
■ Focused
We have ranked the funds based on their performance regarding two major parameters:
1) Returns — The weightage given to this parameter is 70 per cent. Here we measured the funds’ long-term, medium-term and short-term rolling returns and gave equal weightage to them
■ Long-Term Returns — For measuring long-term returns, we calculated five-year rolling returns over 10 years. Then we calculated percentile rank for each rolling period. Finally, we calculated the median of all the percentile ranks.
■ Medium-Term Returns — For measuring medium-term returns, we calculated three-year rolling returns over 10 years. Then we calculated percentile rank for each rolling period. Finally, we calculated the median of all the percentile ranks.
■ Short-Term Returns — For measuring short-term returns, we calculated one-year rolling return over three years. Then we calculated the percentile rank for each rolling period. Finally, we calculated the median of all the percentile ranks.
2) Risk — The weightage given to this parameter is 30 per cent. Here we measured the funds’ maximum drawdown, beta and downside deviation. For gauging this, we rolled each risk factor for every fund over three years for 10 years and then calculated its median.
■ Maximum Drawdown — The weightage given to this parameter is 40 per cent.
■ Standard Deviation — The weightage given to this parameter is 30 per cent.
■ Expected Shortfall —The weightage given to this parameter is 30 per cent.
We then combined the final returns and the risk score to get the final ranking funds in each category.
Fund Manager — Here we have ranked the equity fund managers on various AUM weighted return and risk parameters. Furthermore, we gave equal weights to all the parameters. n Returns — Here we measured the performance of all the equity fund managers based on AUM weighted one-year, three-year and five-year trailing returns. n Risk — Here we gauged how each equity fund manager performed in terms of risk-adjusted return parameters. To understand this, we calculated the AUM weighted Sharpe and Sortino ratios.
Fund House — We came up with the best fund house in three major categories i.e. equity, debt and hybrid. Various risk and return parameters were calculated to come up with a winner in each category. We calculated three-month, six-month and one-year AUM weighted trailing returns and asset weighted standard deviation was used as the risk parameter.
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