India transformed from a nation of savers to investors

We must avoid market bubbles through policy, regulation and education. Companies should raise equity at lower cost of capital for productive use - Uday Kotak, former MD, Kotak Mahindra Bank

Shifting Sands

• In 80s, Indian savers preferred gold, land over financial assets
• The shift began with bank deposits, UTI, and LIC
• Equities considered speculative until the early 2000s
• The global financial crisis improved Indian savers’ interest in markets

New Delhi: India has transformed from being a nation of savers to investors with more and more people parking their surplus fund in mutual fund and equity market, leading banker and former MD of Kotak Mahindra Bank Uday Kotak said on Friday.

In the early 80s, the Indian saver had low confidence in financial assets versus gold and land. Slowly the saver moved some part to bank deposits, UTI and LIC, Kotak said in a post on X. Even in the 90s, he said, investing in equities was considered ‘speculative’. “Hence companies looking for capital went to the foreign institutional investor (FII). FIIs saw potential and bought into companies while the Indian saver stayed away,” he said.

Companies raised capital through the less known Luxembourg stock exchange, he said, adding, India’s capital market was being exported. “Some of us highlighted this phenomenon to SEBI. That began the private placement market (QIP) in early 2000s. Hence FIIs could also buy on Indian markets. The Indian saver’s interest in markets improved after the global financial crisis,” he said.

That saver is now savouring the joys of investing as mutual fund platforms, cash equities and derivatives markets, insurance funds, global private equity in India, other platforms like AIFs, lower tax regime for equity, have all converted from a saver to an investor, he said. Thus, India has transformed from being a nation of savers to investors and the tussle between the saver/borrower and issuer/investor model is underway.