After a weak September, money returned to India's mutual fund industry in October. Data released by the Association of Mutual Funds in India (AMFI) on Wednesday showed net inflows of Rs 1,73,839.91 crore for the month, close to Rs 1.74 lakh crore. In September, the industry had seen net outflows of Rs 1.33 lakh crore.

Assets under management (AUM) also went up. The industry's total AUM stood at Rs 83.39 lakh crore as of October 30, 2026, against Rs 82.64 lakh crore at the end of September. That is an increase of about Rs 75,000 crore in a month, even though markets stayed volatile.

Large & midcap funds lead equity flows

Equity mutual funds received Rs 32,993.64 crore in net inflows in October. Investors put the most money into large-and-midcap funds, at Rs 8,484.23 crore. Small-cap funds came next with Rs 6,407.50 crore.

Pure large-cap funds drew only Rs 1,032.39 crore. That is the smallest figure among the major equity categories, and it suggests investors are still choosing broader portfolios with exposure to mid and small companies.

ETFs pull in over Rs 20,000 crore

Exchange-traded funds (ETFs) received net inflows of Rs 20,303.98 crore. Equity ETFs made up the largest share at Rs 12,973.78 crore. Precious-metal ETFs also did well: gold ETFs drew Rs 3,474.03 crore and silver ETFs Rs 3,092.22 crore, so silver came close to gold. Debt ETFs received Rs 751.11 crore and other ETFs Rs 10.92 crore.

Index funds stay steady

Index funds recorded net inflows of Rs 3,090.51 crore. Equity index funds received Rs 1,947.81 crore, debt index funds Rs 1,134.42 crore and hybrid index funds Rs 8.27 crore.

Overseas funds see continued exits

International fund-of-funds and other schemes that invest in overseas markets saw money go out again. They recorded a net outflow of Rs 370.11 crore during the month.

With inputs from IANS