onlinemutualfundReliance Mutual Fund is changing its strategy of chasing the AAUM, to now focus on increasing its bottomline. The AAUM of Reliance Asset Management Company (Largest Mutual Fund Manager in India) is slowly tapering off. Does this mean it has given up its self-styled race for size to now focus on making its balance sheet stronger?
Reliance the Undisputed Leader in AAUM: Reliance held the No 1 spot in assets under its management for past many years. Its was originally Reliance’s idea to aggressively market various schemes and garner biggest chunk of new assets under its control. It launched innovative products, schemes and offered large incentives to market its funds. It redefined the Indian Assets Management business by taking a sizeable lead ahead of its rivals. With sustained efforts and aggressive posturing it reached indomitable position in the Indian Mutual Fund Industry in a very short time.
Knowledge, Products, Marketing and Timing: Reliance Group has a firm understanding of the Indian Markets. It has always kept pace with the changing demographics of its consumers. In one of the fastest growing market of the world, it is of utmost importance to connect with your investors and stay ahead of the curve. SIP for just 100, ATM Card for Mutual Fund Investors, First SIP in Gold Fund are few recent examples of innovative concepts by Reliance Capital.
Good management, excellent and timely PR, stable fund managers are a few qualities associated with Reliance Mutual Fund. It managed volatility and downtrends in markets with gusto by being in the public eye when it mattered the most. Able Fund Managers were available in public domain(effectively and efficiently doing a Public Relations job) to calm investor’s nerves when their portfolios were bleeding. Such hand holding is often the need of the hour in volatile markets.
Rivals made it easy for Reliance: While Reliance was in race with itself, others like HDFC Mutual Fund had different ideas about the whole concept of increasing the AAUM. It regularly doubted Reliance claims of ever-increasing investors and assets. The measurement of company’s size is a difficult task in a complex Indian financial market. Absence of clear and strict guidelines to calculate various parameters of AAUM made it easier to tweak numbers. Rivals were left with playing the catch-up game to the market leader, Reliance. Many asset management companies, baring few like Quantum AMC and Benchmark AMC failed to offer a different product than the one which Reliance already had in its portfolio.
