Shreya Shivani · CLSA Indiaweak
I have three questions for you. My first question is on the yields for the quarter. Can you share the indicative yields across equity, debt, liquid ETF segments? And also, a commentary on why there has been a yield expansion in this quarter versus the previous quarter on Q-o-Q basis, why has there been an expansion? My second question is on the ESOP and the PSU plan that you announced in June and there was one announced today also, but that was a much smaller one. Can you help us understand what will be the cost implication of that entire plan, how will it be split over the next 3, 4 years? And how should we build our expenses going ahead? And my third question is on the new asset class. Where are we in terms of setting up the team, launching of the product, etcetera? Any update on that will be useful. Thank you so much.
I'll start with the yields. So, the equity yields for the quarter broadly in line with the previous quarter, about 58, 59 basis points for equity, debt is between 27 and 28 basis points and liquid between 12 and 13. I think on an overall blended basis, we are at 46 basis points for the quarter, which is almost in line with what we have been having for the last couple of quarters. So, it's pretty much in line, actually not really any material expansion, I would say. [Shreya pushback]: Somehow, it seems like, okay -- I'll get back, I'll check this offline. But it seems like there's a big expansion, more than 1 bp expansion in the quarter is what I feel, as per my numbers. [Simal Kanuga]: No, I think we can take it offline Shivani. [Naozad on ESOPs and PSUs]: maybe a bit of background. So, in 2020, we had obtained shareholder approval for around 32 lakh shares, of which we had issued 23 lakh shares at various points in time. That scheme provided for equal vesting over 3 years. So, we have done away with that scheme and the balance, 8.7 lakh shares, which were not issued than have been cancelled. So, looking at the dynamics and the long-term orientation of the organization, we came out with a new scheme for ESOP and performance stock units, which have a vesting of 4 years. The new scheme has a back-end vesting of 10%, 20%, 30% and 40% for stock options over the first, second, third and fourth year. Similarly, for vesting of PSUs, it is vesting 30% in the third year and 70% in the fourth period. The NRC, in their meeting on June 20, 2025 had issued 10-odd lakhs ESOP and 2.28 lakhs performing stock units. PSUs are not issued to Navneet and his direct reports who have been designated as HOD. And furthermore, PSUs are linked with performance parameters. So, our estimates as per Black Scholes suggests that the noncash ESOP/PSU related expense would be between INR205 crores to INR210 crores over the vesting period. This, of course, is an estimate based on assumptions around attrition rates, volatility and other relevant inputs. So, the scheme would broadly result in a noncash charge of about INR56 crores in FY '26, around INR63 crores in FY '27, INR51-odd crores in FY '28, INR32 crores in FY '29 and about INR6-odd crores in FY '30. These are again broad estimates as we speak today. There is also a stub of the residual cost of the previous ESOPs scheme. That's around INR14 crores, INR11 crores of which is for FY '26 and INR3 crores in FY '27. Again, I would like to end it by stating that over the last 5 years, we have recognized around INR180 crores as ESOP related expenses in our P&L. And as you know, we continue to manage our overall costs and have also not shied away from investing in our business, hiring people, expanding branch network, establish new verticals, as well as improving our digital infrastructure, etcetera. [Navneet Munot adds]: While Naozad has explained it in detail. I will just add that the HDFC Group has consistently championed employee ownership across its companies. At HDFC AMC, we have no doubt that our people are central to delivering consistent, sustainable long-term value to our clients and shareholders. So, aligning employee interest with those of shareholders, clients and other stakeholders is fundamental to group's way of thinking. This reinforces our ethos while also responding to the evolving expectations of talent and the changing dynamics of industry. So, I view this not as a cost, but as a long-term investment in building and retaining high-quality talent. Also, I would like to add 1 thing that under the new plan, ESOPs and PSU put together have been granted to over 800 people. That is 50% of our workforce across levels. So, we are broadening ownership and deepening alignment. While the accounting charge is noncash in nature that Naozad has explained. So, for FY '26 if I assume an average AUM of let's say INR8.5 trillion. The estimated impact is well below 1 basis point of AUM or to be exact about 0.8 basis points. [Navneet on SIF]: So, on SIF, we have secured the necessary approval from SEBI to set up a Specialized Investment Fund and that opens up an avenue for us to launch this product. Our ability to launch and scale new offerings rest on the strong foundation we have built, a large and diversified investor base and distribution network that enables quick and efficient market reach. Team is currently focused on designing a thoughtful set of offerings within that, that aligns with our investment strength and risk management capabilities, reflect distributor and investors' feedback and offers a balanced risk reward proposition to everyone. So, I think I might have mentioned this earlier that our broader vision is very clear to serve as a comprehensive investment platform offering solutions across mutual funds, which includes both active and passive, portfolio management services and differentiated alternative strategies, which can meet the needs of a wide range of investors and a wide range of our partners. [Shreya follow-up on SIF hiring]: Is the hiring done for this team? [Navneet Munot]: We keep evaluating our investment capability, risk management capability and the product capability. And I'm sure you will give us the credit given our long track record on that. I will also add one line that we don't mind not being the first, but our focus is on being the best and doing what's right for our customers and all stakeholders.
Mohit Mangal · Centrum Brokingweak
My first question is towards the HDFC Bank. I mean HDFC Bank's contribution has kind of declined both in overall and equity. I know I mean in absolute terms, it must have increased. But why percentage terms that it can't increase from the current levels? [Follow-up]: But HDFC Bank sells all the products, right? There is no kind of restriction on that. [Second question]: All right. And secondly, I just wanted to know your outlook on debt and liquid. Debt already had a good growth rate this quarter and even the liquid schemes also had a great kind of a growth rate. So just wanted to understand, are we introducing first of all, new products? And second basically outlook for the entire in terms of the growth rate? [Third question]: Okay. And any pipeline basically, I mean, for the launch of new products in this category?
The pie chart that you're looking at, right, it is basically, if other channels grow faster as compared to a bank, you will automatically see that pie chart shape up in the fashion it has. So, it is not necessary that we are losing a share or anything in HDFC Bank scheme of things. But in terms of overall system, because of the way the fintechs are contributing in terms of SIP flows and others, direct as a proportion of that overall pie has been growing at a faster pace. So, it is more of a realignment rather, it's difficult to kind of decide on increase or decrease based on what you look at in that data point. [Simal on open architecture]: It is an open architecture, yes. [Navneet Munot on debt/liquid outlook]: I think the RBI taking series of measures to improve the liquidity in the system. I think the reduction in interest rates, CRR, all of that had a cumulative impact on debt market also becoming attractive for investors who are looking at yields which have kind of like can be on a downward trajectory. And I think overall favorable backdrop for the debt markets and by extension for debt mutual funds, I think all of these measures have been good for us. We remain constructive on the outlook for debt funds. You might have noticed that even at AMFI, we have relaunched our campaign to promote debt fund. And I think whenever liquidity in the system improves, that also helps when people have positive view on the interest rate trajectory. [Navneet on new product pipeline]: I think we have best-in-class product range there. I think almost all the categories which are allowed by SEBI as per the classification are already available. In fact, in this quarter, if I remember correctly, the flows in the debt and liquid category put together for the mutual fund industry would be the highest ever for the industry.
Gaurav Jani · Prabhudas Lilladherweak
Just taking the point forward on revenue, right? So, my question was related to the yields. So, the yields, of course, have been sort of flattish. But in spite of a strong growth in equity sequentially and also overall yield driven by equity. So what has led to this? [Follow-up]: Yes. So, I get that -- sequentially also are some of the funds would have sort of breached that AUM level, right? So, I just want to understand why is there still a flattish sort of reported yield? [Second question on opex]: Understood, sir. Lastly, on the other opex, right, so there's been a sequential increase. So, can you help us understand the factors that would have led to this and equally quantify the magnitudes please? [Follow-up]: Yes, correct. That's correct. I think INR75 crores -- INR72 crores to INR75 crores is going to go about -- it has increased by about INR9 crores or INR10 crores.
So, Gaurav, the yields have been flattish year-on-year with a similar kind of asset mix and increase the equity AUM, part of that can be attributed to the rationalization exercise we undertook last year. [Simal on flattish yield]: So, it's basically a mix, right, what happens in terms of new asset sales or anything? Honestly, we would request you not to read too much into expansion or anything because that is not what we've been seeing. What tends to happen is certain other products get sold, some outgoing money would have been from a higher yielding or something. So, mix of all of these things would have attributed, but there is no other specified reason for margins to kind of expand or anything. I think it has been exactly in the same line as you pointed out with increased AUM. [Naozad Sirwalla on opex]: So, your question is between March quarter and June quarter? [Naozad]: Yes. So, some of it is the timing of the CSR expenditure actually, depending on how and when we spend our CSR, that moves the number. That's largely the material change.
Madhukar Ladha · Nuvama Wealthdeflection
Congratulations on a great set of numbers. Just I wanted some comments around your net flow market share. See, SIP market share seems to have gone up sequentially, and you've done well there. But if I look at closing equity AUM, that's about 12.8%. Are we seeing slightly higher lump sum redemptions? So, any comments around that? And probably on an overall basis, how are you seeing net inflow sort of market share shape up for you? So that will be helpful. [Follow-up]: And on a quarter-on-quarter basis, are we maintaining our net inflow market share?
Our market share across all channels has been pretty healthy. That includes the national distributors, mutual fund distributors, fintech channel, investors who invest directly with us, RIAs so on and so forth. And we continue to get good share both in lump sum as well as in the SIPs. The way you are computing and we have always mentioned that the change in share that you are noticing would be on account of flows on one side and the mark-to-market impact on other side. And different funds would move differently, like you would see a difference between the way large caps would have moved compared to middle and small caps, hybrid funds may have a different amount of equity within there. So, it's a combination of many things. But if the question is on trend in the flows, yes, I mean, we really see an encouraging trend here. [Simal Kanuga]: I think, Madhukar, we have always stated, right, we don't really necessarily comment on our net inflow share. But I think as Navneet touched upon, I think our overall net flow market share is higher than our book market share.
Lalit Deo · Equirus Securitiesweak
Congratulations on good set of numbers. I have just two questions. Firstly, like in the previous quarter, you mentioned that we have seen some higher disclosures on the STP side of it. We just wanted to check how is the current trend over there? Like, have we seen some stoppage in the closures rate over there or not? Just some comments over there. And secondly, like on the alternative side, we have seen some good jump-up in the overall AUM from around INR5,100 crores to around INR6,000 crores. So, what has led to that sharp increase? And what kind of yields do we make in that segment, currently?
So, first question was on SIP accounts and closures, right? [Lalit]: STP, sir. [Navneet]: STP, Systematic Transfer Plan, yes. So that relatively is more volatile than the SIP flows. SIP flows are like very steady. People commit for much longer and a large part of the SIP book is these days, we are seeing longer and longer tenure getting committed at the beginning of the SIP, when investors sign. On the STP, you may sometimes have investors who are kind of like investing in one debt fund or in liquid fund and transferring money from that over a period of time to equity or hybrid funds. Was that your question? [Lalit follow-up]: Yes, apart from that, there were like, just on a sequential basis actually, probably due to the weakness of the markets also, there were some more closures like in the last particular quarter. [Navneet on SIP data]: So, I mean -- so when it comes to SIP, I would like to suggest to focus on two important data points that AMFI discloses. One is SIP contribution and two is the number of contributing accounts. AMFI has begun disclosing the number of contributing SIP accounts which provides a more meaningful view of actual investor engagement. So, to give you numbers, the contributing accounts increased to INR8.6 crores in June '25 compared to INR6.7 crores in June '24. The contribution amount touches the new peak that you would have seen, INR27,269 crores in June '25, which is up from INR 21,262 crores a year earlier. So, that's a growth of INR6,000 crores. So, while some fluctuations due to account closure or pauses are to be expected month to month, the broader trend remains intact and we continue to see growing interest from investors in overall systemic investing. [Simal Kanuga on alternatives]: On the alternative side, we have two things, right? One is basically, we did a venture capital private equity fund of fund, which we closed last year with INR1,200-odd crores of AUM. We are currently in the raise mode when it comes to credit fund. The increase in AUM has also happened based on some of the inflows that we have seen under our non-discretionary portfolio management services accounts. In terms of yields, not very different as compared to our overall business.
Dipanjan Ghosh · Citiweak
Hi, sir. Actually, going back to one of the participants previous question where you mentioned that your flow market share across most of the channel partners have been healthy. I think a similar question was the equity-oriented market share has broadly been stable over some time now. And if I look at -- and one of the reasons you pointed out is obviously the differential mark-to-market and composition of schemes within the equity-oriented bucket which is fair. But if I look at across schemes, it will probably be some scheme, let's say, some of the schemes where market share has kind of been down a little bit over the last 6, 9 months and maybe some of the categories, the market share is probably a little bit up on an AUM basis. So the question really is if you were to look at flows that you have seen over this past quarter, over the past 9 months, or maybe 12 months, have there been any sort of skew towards the categories, let's say, where your concentration within the portfolio is high, let's say, some of the categories where you are relatively more dominant or the mix of those categories within your portfolio is relatively high. Has there been any sort of skew and ex of that, how are you seeing the flow trend across different scheme categories, or quantifying in terms of the trajectory? [Follow-up]: Got it. But, Navneet, already like fair to assume that, let's say, across most of the large categories within the equity-oriented side, the flow market share has been holding up? If I were to kind of look at each individual category separately, just on a flow basis, sir?
The flow trend has been pretty healthy, Dipanjan, I mentioned there. But on the mark-to-market side, if you look at like last 1-year, different indices would have performed differently. And again, as I said, that within the hybrid funds depending on what the equity share you are running and the impact on the mark-to-market on the fixed income side also can have some impact on the way you look at this year. But otherwise, on the flows, I can tell you that it's been encouraging. [Navneet on category-wise flow]: By and large, yes, it's an asset class. I mean, within that, different funds, in some of the funds we will have exceptionally high share. In some of the funds, we would have slightly lower share. But if you look at equities as an asset class, would be higher, yes. [Simal Kanuga]: And Dipanjan, if you are referring to holding up, definitely, yes, I think we have not seen a loss of share in any large category.