Indian Women Triple Gold ETF Holdings as Mutual Fund Assets Reach 15.88 Lakh Crore

Wed Aug 26 2026

Women investors increased gold ETF holdings to 16.4% of passive portfolios in March 2026, up from 6.4% a year prior.  Gold ETF net inflows hit ₹0.69 lakh crore in FY26, surpassing equity ETFs, driven by price rallies and global volatility.

 Watch if gold inflows sustain against monthly domestic equity SIPs exceeding ₹30,000 crore, indicating shifting retail priorities.

Retail News Asia newsroom analysis

Women investors in India expanded their gold exchange-traded fund holdings to 16.4 percent of their passive portfolios in March 2026, up from 6.4 percent a year earlier. The reallocation accompanied a surge in total mutual fund assets managed by women to ₹15.88 lakh crore, up by ₹10.04 lakh crore over five years.

Data from the AMFI-Crisil Factbook 2026 shows women accounted for 1.61 crore of India’s 6.09 crore mutual fund investors by March 2026. Gold ETF net inflows across the industry reached ₹0.69 lakh crore during fiscal 2026, more than double the combined ₹30,213 crore recorded across the preceding five financial years. Precious metal funds drew more fresh capital than equity ETFs during the period, driven by price rallies and global volatility.

How Portfolios Shift Across Age Groups

Asset allocation among female investors showed clear differences by age bracket. Investors under 25 directed 88.3 percent of their capital into equity funds, with 5.4 percent going to hybrid funds and 2.1 percent to debt. In the 25 to 44 age bracket, equity allocations stood at 76.2 percent, while passive funds took 6.6 percent.

Older demographics moved toward income stability. Women aged 45 to 58 allocated 64.8 percent to equities and 20.1 percent to hybrid funds. Investors above 58 lowered equity exposure to 51.2 percent while raising hybrid assets to 29.6 percent and debt holdings to 12.0 percent.

Folio Sizes and Hedging Strategies

The turn toward precious metals reflects a broader shift across Indian retail finance, where digital distribution and systematic investment plans have converted traditional jewellery buyers into paper commodity holders. Retail investors overall saw gold ETF assets rise to 14.9 percent of their passive portfolios in fiscal 2026, up from 4.6 percent in fiscal 2021.

Average folio sizes for women tracked higher than those of men in March 2024 and March 2025 before reaching parity at the end of fiscal 2026. The next indicator will be whether gold inflows sustain their share against monthly domestic equity systematic investment plans running above ₹30,000 crore.

 Questions & Answers

Q. By how much did the total mutual fund assets managed by women in India increase over the last five years?

A. Total mutual fund assets managed by women surged by ₹10.04 lakh crore over five years. This brought their total assets to ₹15.88 lakh crore by March 2026, indicating significant growth in their investment portfolio.

Q. What proportion of Indian mutual fund investors were women by March 2026?

Q. How did asset allocation vary between female investors in the under 25 and 25 to 44 age brackets?

Q. When did the average folio sizes for women and men reach parity?

Source: https://retailnews.asia/