LN Revathy “While it is heartening to see increased retail participation across financial asset classes such as equity and fixed income, financial literacy is still lacking in our country. People are still reluctant to come out of their safety net and invest in mutual funds. We at Kotak Mutual Fund are trying to create awareness, sensitise people about investing in financial asset classes, said Lakshmi Iyer,” CIO — Debt & Head — Products, Kotak Mahindra AMC.

Conceding that the current times are volatile from an investor stand-point, Iyer said, “We expect this trend to continue in the near- to mid-term. The investor should refrain from looking at the NAV within a day or even a week or month of his investing in a fund. A prudent mix of debt and equity would be appropriate and in line with the investor’s risk appetite,” she said.

Iyer was in the city to spread the message of investing in financial asset classes.

In a brief chat with BusinessLine , she said, “Our endeavour is to grow more than the average industry growth to be able to improve our market share over time. Our primary focus has always been on safety, followed by liquidity and finally on returns, and philosophy — on being moderate.”

“While financialisation of savings is happening, the pace is not at the expected rate. It has increased from what it was five years back. But we need to engage actively with financial advisors to enhance retail investments,” she said. The fund house is looking to increase its retail penetration in Tamil Nadu. It has five branches in TN including the one in Coimbatore.

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