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Unclaimed dividend amounts lying with mutual funds increased by 15.7 per cent to Rs 2,689 crore at the end of 2025-26, even as unclaimed redemption proceeds declined marginally during the year, according to the Securities and Exchange Board of India's (SEBI) Annual Report 2025-26.
The amount of unclaimed mutual fund dividends rose by Rs 365 crore from Rs 2,324 crore at the end of 2024-25, the report showed. In contrast, unclaimed redemption amounts declined 0.5 per cent to Rs 1,122 crore from Rs 1,128 crore a year earlier. "Meanwhile, the unclaimed dividend amount registered an increase of 15.7 per cent reaching 2,689 crore in 2025-26 from Rs 2,324 crore in 2024-25," SEBI said in the report. Taken together, unclaimed dividend and redemption amounts in mutual funds stood at Rs 3,811 crore as of March 31, 2026, compared with Rs 3,452 crore at the end of the preceding financial year, according to figures in the report. The increase comes as SEBI has stepped up measures aimed at reducing the volume of financial assets that remain unclaimed and making it easier for investors and their nominees to access their holdings. In its annual report, SEBI said it has enabled the integration of holdings with DigiLocker, allowing investors to access demat and mutual fund information at a single location. It has also introduced a centralised mechanism under which nominees can report the death of an investor once with a KYC Registration Agency, following which the information can be updated across intermediaries. Separately, SEBI and the Investor Education and Protection Fund Authority (IEPFA) have launched the "Niveshak Shivir" initiative to raise awareness about unclaimed shares and dividends with listed companies and assist investors in reclaiming them. The initiative provides assistance in filing Form IEPF-5, dematerialisation of securities, and updating KYC and nomination details. Six Niveshak Shivirs were organised during 2025-26 in Pune, Hyderabad, Amritsar, Jaipur, Bengaluru and Bhubaneswar, while dedicated seva kendras were made operational across six states. The Rs 2,689 crore figure reported by SEBI relates specifically to unclaimed dividend amounts in mutual funds, and not to the total unclaimed dividends of listed companies. (ANI)
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