India’s mutual fund industry is grappling with an increasing pool of unclaimed investments, reaching ₹3,811 crore, but the launch of SEBI’s MITRA tool aims to help investors recover forgotten funds more easily.
India’s mutual fund industry is sitting on a growing pool of forgotten money, with the Securities and Exchange Board of India’s annual report showing unclaimed redemptions and dividends in mutual funds reached ₹3,811 crore by the end of financial year 2025-26. That was up from ₹3,452 crore a year earlier, underscoring how easily investments can slip out of sight when bank details, KYC records or contact information are not kept current.
Investors can check for unclaimed amounts through the asset management company’s website, the relevant registrar and transfer agent, MF Central or the consolidated account statement, which may show unpaid or unclaimed sums. SEBI has also backed a tracing tool called MITRA, short for Mutual Fund Investment Tracing and Retrieval Assistant, to help investors find inactive or forgotten folios across fund houses.
MITRA is available through links on the websites of MF Central, asset management companies, AMFI, the two qualified registrar and transfer agents, CAMS and KFin Technologies, and SEBI. The platform is designed to help match investor details with inactive folios and retrieve dormant investments, making it easier to identify money that may otherwise remain unclaimed.
Once an investor identifies the fund house or AMC where the money is held, the claim process generally starts with downloading and signing the relevant form from the AMC’s website and submitting it to the AMC or RTA. The records and signature are then verified before the claim is processed under the usual redemption framework, with payment typically credited within 2 to 5 working days. If there is no payout or rejection notice within 7 working days, investors can follow up with the AMC or RTA and, if needed, escalate the matter on SEBI’s SCORES platform. Keeping PAN, KYC, bank account, mobile number, email address and postal details updated is the simplest way to avoid unclaimed amounts building up in the first place.
Disclaimer: This article is intended to inform and educate, not to recommend or endorse any financial product, investment or strategy. Please consider your own financial circumstances and seek professional advice where appropriate before making financial decisions.
