New Delhi, February 10 (). The data of mutual funds for the first month of the new year 2026 i.e. January has been released on Tuesday. Gold exchange-traded funds (ETFs) in India recorded a massive 50 per cent growth in January and monthly inflows were the highest across the equity mutual fund segment, according to data from Association of Mutual Funds in India (AMFI).
Investments in gold ETFs doubled to Rs 24,039.96 crore in January, from Rs 11,647 crore in December. This shows that people are giving importance to safe investments like gold along with the stock market.
Meanwhile, investment in active equity mutual funds stood at Rs 24,029 crore in the month of January, which is about 14 percent less than Rs 28,054 crore in December. This means that investor confidence in the mutual fund industry remained strong.
There was an inflow of Rs 29,911 crore in equity funds in November, while before that in October there was an inflow of Rs 24,690 crore. The highest ever inflow into equity funds was Rs 42,702 crore in July 2025.
However, January proved to be a good month for the overall mutual fund industry. During this period, a total net investment of Rs 1.56 lakh crore was recorded, while there was a withdrawal of Rs 66,591 crore in December. It is clear from this that the inclination of investors is now again moving towards mutual funds.
Investments were seen in different categories in active equity funds. Inflows into large-cap funds were recorded at Rs 2,004 crore, which is more than in December (Rs 1,567 crore).
Investments in the mid-cap category stood at Rs 3,185.47 crore, while total investments in the category last month stood at Rs 4,176 crore.
Small-cap funds recorded net inflows of Rs 2,942.11 crore, compared to Rs 3,824 crore in December.
Flexi-cap funds led the way in investment, registering an investment of Rs 7,672.36 crore.
There was also improvement in investment in sectoral and thematic funds. Investment of Rs 1,042 crore came in this category in January, which is about 9.2 percent more than the previous month. This shows that investors are also taking interest in funds related to specific sectors.
January was a great year for debt funds. After huge withdrawals in December, there was an investment of Rs 74,827.13 crore in debt funds in January, while there was an outflow of Rs 1.32 lakh crore in December.
Inflows into funds deposited overnight were recorded at Rs 46,280 crore, compared to Rs 254.25 crore in the previous month. Whereas investment of Rs 30,681.55 crore was recorded in liquid funds. It is clear from this that investors are also expressing confidence in safe options.
Investment in hybrid and passive funds also increased. There was an investment of Rs 17,356.02 crore in hybrid schemes this month, whereas last month the investment was Rs 10,755.57 crore. Investments in arbitrage funds also stood at Rs 3,293.30 crore this month, which was Rs 126.31 crore in December.
Total investment in active equity through NFO in January stood at Rs 806 crore. The highest number of NFOs in this month were in the names of sectoral and thematic funds, out of which 2 were launched.
A total of 12 new mutual funds were launched in various categories in January, from which around Rs 1,939 crore was raised. Although this figure was lower than December, investors remained interested in new funds.
At the same time, monthly investment through SIP (Systematic Investment Plan) remained stable at Rs 31,002 crore, which shows the long-term confidence of investors.
Himanshu Srivastava, Principal Researcher, Morningstar Investment Research India, said that despite market volatility, investment inflows remain positive. This is due to continuous SIP investments and investors’ confidence in the long-term growth prospects of the Indian stock market.
He also said that the main reason for the slight decline in total investment was the slowing growth in the mid and small cap segments. However, good buying was seen in large cap and focused funds in January, which was more than in December.
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DBP/