international mutual funds
ICICI Prudential Mutual Fund has announced the resumption of fresh investments in three of its international schemes, offering investors renewed access to overseas markets. The revised investment rules will apply from January 27.
Fresh and additional investments will now be allowed in the following funds:
ICICI Prudential US Bluechip Equity Fund
ICICI Prudential NASDAQ 100 Index Fund
ICICI Prudential Strategic Metal and Energy Equity Fund of Fund
Investors can invest up to Rs 2 lakh per PAN per month in a scheme. The cap applies across all investment routes, including lump-sum purchases, switch-ins, SIPs and STPs.
The three schemes provide exposure to different global themes. The US Bluechip Equity Fund focuses on large, established American companies, the NASDAQ 100 Index Fund tracks leading technology and growth-oriented firms listed on the Nasdaq exchange, while the Strategic Metal and Energy Equity Fund of Fund offers exposure to global commodity-linked sectors.
Why access to international funds remains limited
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The reopening of these schemes is significant, as international mutual funds in India continue to operate under strict regulatory limits on overseas investments.
International markets delivered strong returns in 2025, though performance varied across regions. While the Nifty50 delivered a return of around 10 percent, the US Nasdaq 100 gained approximately 22 percent. South Korea’s Kospi emerged as a standout performer, rising 72 percent, while Japan’s Nikkei advanced about 26 percent during the year.
Despite strong global market performance, several international mutual fund schemes in recent years have either paused fresh inflows or imposed investment limits after nearing their overseas allocation thresholds. Only a limited international funds are open for new investments, making such reopenings relatively infrequent.
The Indian mutual fund industry operates under an overall overseas investment limit of $7 billion, while each asset management company is subject to a separate cap of $1 billion.
Recent moves by other fund houses
ICICI Prudential’s decision follows a similar move by Aditya Birla Sun Life Mutual Fund, which recently reopened fresh investments in select international equity schemes. The fund house from January 12 allowed investments in the Aditya Birla Sun Life International Equity Fund, Aditya Birla Sun Life Global Emerging Opportunities Fund, and Aditya Birla Sun Life Global Excellence Equity Fund of Fund, with a daily cap of Rs 1 crore per PAN.
The renewed interest in global funds comes after a strong run in 2025, when international equity funds delivered average returns of around 27 percent, bringing global markets firmly back on investors’ radar.
More than 20 international mutual fund schemes continue to accept fresh lump-sum investments and SIPs. However, the availability of these schemes remains contingent on the remaining overseas investment headroom available with their respective asset management companies.