Nascent Category, High Risk

The fund will suit investors who have an investment horizon of at least 5 years

- Parvatha Vardhini C

Axis Mutual Fund’s new fund offer (NFO) — Axis ESG Equity Fund — is open for subscription until February 5. Being an open-ended fund, the scheme will also reopen for ongoing purchase, shortly after the NFO closes.

Investment strategy

The fund will invest in companies that are environmentally (E) and socially (S) conscious, as well as governed (G) ethically. Sectors and companies will be ranked on ESG parameters according to preset criteria, and the companies with high ESG scores will be considered.

The fund will be benchmarked against the Nifty100 ESG TRI. Apart from Indian equities, it will also invest up to 30 percent in global ESG companies. Sectors such as consumer, consumer discretionary, IT, e-commerce, healthcare, and financials will play a larger role in the portfolio, while the scheme will avoid stocks in segments such as alcohol, tobacco, and gambling, as these are not in sync with ESG principles.