The marginal decline is partly due to February being a shorter month.
Santosh Joseph, Founder and Partner at Germinate Investor Services LLP, however, attributed the slowdown to “the overhang of nearly 16-17 months where markets have remained largely sideways,” which has dampened incentives for new SIPs.
He added that the trend remains positive overall, crediting existing SIP investors for maintaining their contributions amid subdued market conditions.
It must be noted that equity fund segments continued to attract flows, with large-cap funds receiving ₹2,111.7 crore, mid-cap funds ₹4,003 crore, and small-cap funds ₹3,881 crore.
Sectoral and thematic funds saw inflows of ₹2,987.3 crore. Meanwhile, hybrid funds recorded ₹11,983.4 crore, and liquid funds continued strong subscriptions at ₹59,077.4 crore.
Gold ETFs saw a sharp decline in inflows to ₹5,255 crore from ₹24,040 crore.
Joseph also noted that multi-asset funds are emerging as a preferred option for investors seeking stability. Unlike volatile gold and silver funds, multi-asset funds have offered consistent returns through diversified allocation, and incremental SIP and lump sum flows are expected to continue into this segment.
Commenting on the numbers, Aakanksha Shukla, AVP of Wealth Management at Master Capital Services, said the trend indicates that investors are taking a long-term view, using periods of market volatility to stay invested rather than reacting with short-term panic.
First Published: Mar 10, 2026 1:17 PM IST