Innovations & Technology Based Initiatives in Mutual Fund Distribution Intermediation in India

Abstract

The world of financial services is changing in ways that are more dramatic than we would have foreseen even five years ago. Taking a leaf from evolving ecosystem around mobile telephony, many financial institutions are using smart technology to remodel their branches into smarter point of sale. This has given a genesis to a terminology of “emerging distribution intermediaries” in financial services. Mutual funds (MF) being the combiner of various savings instruments are regarded as the ideal investment vehicle for today’s complex and modern financial scenario. But its penetration is poor. One of the major levers to increase penetration is innovations in distributing MF products. Considering this, Indian government & regulator have taken many policies reforms & IT initiatives towards increasing retail participation in Mutual Funds and equity markets in recent past. Through this paper, researcher has attempted to critically analyze these initiatives. Apart from highlighting various innovations in MF distributions, this paper will also highlight the present state of online Mutual Fund trading platforms. Further, the paper attempts to highlight the areas of concern, augmentation and intervention in this space.