The Bengal Chamber organised the “Loan for All” Conclave on 21st of March 2016. The Indian mutual fund industry is one of the fastest growing segments of the financial sector. Buoyed by robust capital inflows and strong participation of retail investors, the asset base of the mutual fund industry reached all-time highs during 2014-15.The cumulative net assets of all mutual funds as on March 31, 2015 was Rs. 10,82,757 crore as against Rs. 8,25,240 crore on March 31, 2014, representing an increase of 31.2 percent. There had been a steady growth in the recent years too. Over the past years, mutual fund investments in equity had been outweighed by investments in debt. However, the gross market borrowing in the recent Union Budget was put at Rs 6 lakh crore. The move will lead to more supply of government bonds to the market leading a spike in government bonds yields and lowering of bond prices. There are other important asset classes too which needs penetration and more importantly participation from the investors like the commodity market. The objective of the seminar was to create a platform to understand the mechanism of “Wealth creation through Financial Assets” – Mutual Funds as conduit and Alternate Asset class as an Investment strategy.

Mr. Prithipal Singh, Head- Pan India Sales, BNP Paribas Asset Management India Pvt. Ltd. graced the occasion as the Guest of Honour. There was an exclusive session on Commodity market Chaired by Mr. Vibhor Tandon, MCX Ind. Ltd. (AVP (East)). The Session on Commodity Market also witnessed the presence of other eminent speakers such as Mr. Arunava Chattopadhyay, MCX Ind. Ltd. Executive- BD/ PKMT; and Mr. Kunal Shah, Research Head, Nirmal Bang Commodities Pvt. Ltd. There was an Exclusive Session with the Guest of Honour, Deputy CEO of Reliance Mutual Fund, Mr. Himanshu Vyapak. Mr. Vyapak touched upon the perspectives and various opportunities in the Mutual Fund industry. Mr. Sanjay Dongre, Senior Fund Manager, UTI Mutual Fund addressed the audience focusing the various details of the Equity Market. The Summit also witnessed the participation of a large audience from corporates and banks.