investinindia

India keeps showing up in global allocation conversations for a simple reason: it offers a rare mix of scale, domestic demand, and capital-market depth. For an allocator, the question is not if there is an investment opportunity India represents. The question is how to access those investment opportunities in a way that stays operationally clean, tax-aware, and governance-ready. Where The Opportunity Tends To Sit Cross-border investors usually look at India through a few repeatable lenses: Consumption and domestic demand, driven by rising incomes and formalisation Infrastructure and transition themes, including the ecosystem around them Financialisation, as participation and capital-market depth expands Public-market breadth, which can express multiple sectors without building an operating footprint This is also why many investors who already invest in market exposures eventually ask how India fits into the “alternatives” sleeve. The intent is often to invest in alternative assets o...

  A private banker hears it first as a throwaway line: “We want some alternatives.” A family office PM phrases it differently: “We need a sleeve that doesn’t behave like our listed book.” Either way, the request is rarely about definitions. The request is about portfolio role, structure, and control. Alternative investments are generally defined as investments other than traditional stocks and bonds, often describing assets and strategies that are not traded on public exchanges and sit in what many people call private markets. The alternative investment market most commonly includes private equity, private credit, real assets, and hedge fund strategies. Why Alternatives Exist in Serious Portfolios (beyond the buzzword) Allocators use alternatives because they can do things public markets struggle to package neatly: Different return drivers: Private credit is not equity beta. Infrastructure is not growth stock momentum. Different time horizon: Many strategies are designed to compou...

Most people assume wealth grows because of great stock ideas. In reality, wealth compounds because decisions are made on time, repeatedly, and without emotion. After working with portfolios across cycles, one pattern becomes clear: execution matters more than intent. That’s where discretionary fund management fits in. At a basic level, discretionary fund management is about handing execution to professionals, within rules you agree on upfront. What Discretionary Fund Management Means When you opt for discretionary fund management, you’re not outsourcing thinking; you’re outsourcing execution. You and the asset management company define risk limits, asset mix, liquidity needs, and objectives Investment managers operate within that framework without asking for trade-by-trade approval Portfolio changes happen when markets move, not after discussions You receive transparent reporting after actions are taken The mandate acts like guardrails. Inside those guardrails, decisions are continuou...

Foreign portfolio investment is often spoken about casually, but in practice, it’s one of the most structured and regulated ways to access Indian markets. This route isn’t designed for individuals testing the waters. It exists for serious capital that wants clarity, liquidity, and institutional discipline. If you’re considering FPI, understanding the mechanics matters far more than picking stocks. FPI Is an Institutional Doorway, Not a Retail Shortcut At its core, the FPI route is built for pooled, professional money. It allows foreign investors to invest in market instruments like equities, debt, REITs, InvITs, and listed derivatives Individual foreigners typically invest through NRI or PIS routes, not FPI FPI exists for funds, family offices, and allocators who want scalable exposure Bottom line: If you’re exploring India as an asset class, not a trade, the FPI route is the right framework. Category Classification Shapes Everything That Follows FPIs are classified mainly into Categor...