Overview

• The SEBI-led study surveyed nearly 92,000 households across 400 cities and 1,000 villages with AMFI, market infrastructure institutions and research firm Kantar.
• Participation is concentrated in urban areas at 15% and reaches 23% in the top nine metros, compared with 6% in rural India.
• Product penetration remains thin, with 6.7% of households in mutual funds, 5.3% in stocks and less than 1% in futures and options or corporate bonds.
• About 80% of households report low risk tolerance and a preference for capital preservation, yet 22% of aware non‑investors intend to start investing within a year.
• Complexity, information gaps and trust or loss fears deter entry, while preferred education channels lean toward social media and mobile apps with strong demand for short‑form and regional‑language content; awareness of SEBI’s grievance system is low but user satisfaction is near 90%.