The mutual‑fund industry registered total assets of ₹87.08 lakh crore in August 2026, a 15.8 % jump from ₹75.19 lakh crore a year earlier. That figure represents the largest single‑month addition since the sector’s inception, with a 19 % compound growth over the last five years.
Equity funds still command the lion’s share, holding ₹39.25 lakh crore—an 18.5 % rise from ₹33.13 lakh crore—while hybrid products grew 17.3 % to ₹12.47 lakh crore. Fixed‑income assets ticked up 2.8 % to ₹19.45 lakh crore, and passive strategies saw a 27.2 % jump to ₹15.90 lakh crore, underscoring a shift toward index‑style investments.
Investor count climbed to 6.14 crore by March 2026, adding 4.71 lakh new accounts that month. Over the past year, 71 lakh fresh investors joined, outpacing the 69 lakh in the previous 12‑month period, and unique accounts rose 14 % to 6.28 crore.
SIP sales hit ₹32.3 lakh crore in August, up 14 % from ₹28.26 lakh crore a year earlier, while SIP accounts grew 12.1 % to 10.75 crore, with average monthly tickets rising to ₹3,003. The share of long‑term SIP holdings—over five years—grew to 32 % from 30 %.
The surge in small‑cap inflows—₹7.97 lakh crore—outpaced mid‑cap and flexi‑cap, yet large‑cap funds recorded a net outflow of ₹1.15 lakh crore. In a city like Bhopal, a 45‑year‑old farmer turned investor now manages a ₹1.2 lakh crore SIP, illustrating how mass participation is reshaping the market.