Distributors gain as direct mutual fund investment platforms lose steam

Just 4% growth in registration of direct plan SIPs last year after 115% growth in 2021

After growing exponentially for a few years, direct mutual fund investment platforms entered the slow lane in 2022.

The year-on-year growth in new systematic investment plan (SIP) registrations through direct plans came in at just 4.5 per cent in 2022 compared to 115 per cent in 2021 and 505 per cent in 2020. In comparison, SIP registrations via regular plans rose 19 per cent last year. It was the first year since 2020 when the growth in direct plan SIP registrations trailed that of the regular plans.

MFs’ direct plans are a low-cost option where investors do not have to