SIP inflows hit ₹29,361 crore record in Sep 2025

Record SIP collections in September 2025

Systematic Investment Plans (SIPs) continued to strengthen their role in India’s mutual fund ecosystem through 2025. According to AMFI India, SIP collections in September 2025 touched a record high of ₹29,361 crore. The figure was up 3.9% compared to August, signalling that investors kept up regular investing despite market fluctuations. AMFI’s monthly notes also indicate that the number of contributing SIP accounts crossed the 9 crore mark during mid-2025. Together, these data points show that SIPs have become a mainstream route for retail participation in mutual funds.

SIP AUM expands from ₹13 lakh crore to over ₹15 lakh crore

AMFI data also points to a steady rise in SIP-linked assets. At the start of 2025, SIP AUM was estimated at around ₹13 lakh crore, or about ₹1,300,000 crore. By September 2025, it had crossed ₹15 lakh crore, or more than ₹1,500,000 crore. That implies an increase of roughly ₹1.5 lakh crore, or about ₹150,000 crore, over nine months. The rise in AUM alongside strong monthly inflows suggests investors largely stayed invested through periodic contributions even during volatile phases.

Monthly inflows climb steadily from May to September

AMFI’s month-wise SIP contribution trend shows incremental growth through mid-2025. SIP collections rose every month from around ₹26,688 crore in May 2025 to ₹29,361 crore in September 2025. This pattern indicates that fresh money kept entering SIP portfolios rather than being restricted to legacy contributions. The same period also saw active participation broaden, with contributing accounts crossing 9 crore during mid-2025. The combination of increasing inflows and account growth is a key indicator of sustained retail engagement.

August 2025 shows SIP resilience even as overall flows ease

AMFI data for August 2025 showed inflows into equity mutual funds declining 22% month-on-month to ₹33,403 crore. Even in that month, SIP inflows remained strong at ₹28,265 crore, only marginally lower than July’s ₹28,464 crore. SIP AUM in August was reported at ₹15.18 lakh crore, or ₹1,518,000 crore. Active SIP accounts were reported at 8.99 crore in August versus 9.11 crore a month earlier, a decline that was described as routine churn, with the broader trend still showing growing adoption.

October 2025: new peak of ₹29,529 crore and SIP AUM at ₹16.25 lakh crore

The momentum extended into October 2025. Monthly SIP inflows hit ₹29,529 crore, and SIP AUM climbed to ₹16.25 lakh crore, or ₹1,625,000 crore. One dataset also cited nearly 9.88 crore SIP accounts active across the country around this milestone. The same section of the provided material also flagged a behavioural contrast: headline SIP numbers were strong, but some investors were also trying to “time” the market through lump-sum bets.

Early 2026: SIP inflows remain near ₹30,000 crore

Data points from early 2026 reinforced the view that SIPs had become a structural source of domestic flows. SIP contributions in February 2026 were ₹29,845 crore, a slight dip from January’s ₹31,002 crore, with February being a shorter month. In the same period, equity mutual fund inflows rose 8% in February to ₹25,978 crore. AMFI-linked reporting also cited the mutual fund industry’s total AUM hitting a record ₹82.03 lakh crore, or ₹8,203,000 crore.

Thematic rotation: 187% surge in sectoral and thematic inflows

Alongside steady SIPs, the material highlighted sharper risk-taking in parts of the market. Sectoral and thematic fund inflows surged 187% in a single month, reflecting rotation toward high-narrative areas such as AI and defence. One commentary in the provided text noted that defence stocks were trading at P/E ratios of 30-80x, and that AI and tech themes were at elevated multiples. Another point cited thematic funds comprising 15-20% of equity inflows, up from 8% last year, indicating a noticeable portfolio skew in how some retail money is being deployed.

Stoppages and folio mix: warning signals under the surface

The content also pointed to changing retail behaviour around SIP persistence. Incremental SIP folios fell from 60% of overall incremental folios in October 2025 to 54% in November 2025. More notably, the SIP stoppage ratio, defined as SIPs stopped in a month divided by fresh SIPs started, was described as consistently above 75% since May 2025, after a clean-up of inactive SIP folios completed in April 2025. Historically, the stoppage ratio was described as 45%-50% in normal months and above 60% during the pandemic period.

Market impact: steady SIPs, shifting activity elsewhere

The provided data also showed how investor activity can move across channels. A Motilal Oswal note cited total equity Average Daily Turnover (ADTO) for December 2025 as flat month-on-month at ₹473.1 trillion, or about ₹47,310,000 crore, even as cash and F&O activity declined sequentially. In the same month, SIP flows touched ₹31,000 crore versus ₹29,400 crore in November, while the mutual fund industry’s monthly average AUM was stable at ₹82 trillion, or ₹8,200,000 crore, marking an 18% year-on-year rise. Equity MAAUM was also cited as steady at ₹35.5 trillion, or ₹3,550,000 crore.

Oil shock risk and the “retail wall” debate

A separate thread in the material linked domestic flow resilience to global stress events. It referenced Brent crude volatility and a closure of the Strait of Hormuz, alongside oil price discrepancies including Oman crude at $152 per barrel and Qatar oil near $130 per barrel. It also noted that DIIs bought over ₹7,700 crore in a single day on March 13. The commentary suggested retail behaviour is not typically a hair-trigger response to single events, but also argued that sustained crude above $110 could feed into inflation and household cash flows, potentially slowing SIP flows at the margin.

Key data points at a glance

Why the story matters

The AMFI numbers show SIPs have delivered both scale and consistency, with monthly inflows hovering near ₹30,000 crore across multiple months and periods in the provided material. At the same time, the same dataset bundle highlights that investor behaviour is not uniform: SIP persistence concerns (via high stoppage ratios) can coexist with record inflows driven by a large base of continuing investors. The 187% surge in thematic inflows is another reminder that parts of retail participation can rotate quickly toward high-risk narratives even when core SIP behaviour looks stable.

Conclusion

Across 2025 and into early 2026, SIP inflows remained strong, SIP AUM rose materially, and the SIP account base was reported above 9 crore during mid-2025. The same period also showed signs of changing behaviour, including a high SIP stoppage ratio since May 2025 and a tilt toward thematic funds. Future AMFI monthly notes and market updates will remain key to tracking whether record inflows continue alongside these participation shifts.