New Delhi, Oct 8 (IANS): Asset under management (AUM) of mutual funds surged by a record 12.3 per cent to Rs 66.2 lakh crore in the July-September period in the country. This is the largest quarterly increase in mutual fund assets in the last five years in India.

The average assets under management in the April-June period in 2024 was Rs 59 lakh crore.

According to experts, "the latest surge in AUM is due to the rally in the stock market and record investment in equity schemes."

Benchmark indices Nifty and Sensex surged nearly 7 per cent in the September quarter. Amid this rally, investors have invested Rs 75,000 crore in equity schemes in July and August. This also includes investments made under new funds.

With the increase in AUM, SIP also remains at a record high. Investments worth Rs 23,547 crore came through SIP in August, while in July, this figure was Rs 23,332 crore.

According to data from the Association of Mutual Funds in India (AMFI), there has been a record investment of Rs 1.6 lakh crore in debt funds in the period from July to August.

In the second quarter of the financial year 2024-25, the AUM of the country's biggest fund house SBI has increased by Rs 1.1 lakh crore to Rs 11 lakh crore in Q2 compared to the previous quarter.

The AUM of ICICI Prudential Mutual Fund, the country's second largest fund house, has increased by Rs 90,000 crore to Rs 8.4 lakh crore in the July-September period compared to the previous quarter. The AUM of HDFC Mutual Fund, the country's third largest fund house, has increased to Rs 5.5 lakh crore.

Meanwhile, the participation of investors from small cities in the stock market has rapidly increased in recent months as the mutual fund industry has added 2.3 crore investor folios from April till August 2024, out of which more than 50 per cent of them come from such areas.