SBI Mutual Fund on September 10 launched Aarambh, an assisted digital onboarding service aimed at helping first-time investors complete their mutual fund onboarding and make their first investment through a single digital session. Aarambh allows an SBI branch official or authorised representative, SBI MF relationship manager or mutual fund distribution partner to assist a prospective investor through the onboarding process, from the initial interaction to completing the first investment. The process is paperless and is designed to make investors investment-ready within a few minutes.
The OTP-based route will continue to be available for investors who prefer it. Aarambh also enables a fully digital onboarding process for individuals who do not have a PAN. Such investors have traditionally had to rely on physical, paper-based processes to invest in mutual funds.
The platform also allows first-time investors to start with Jan Nivesh, which offers SIPs starting at Rs 250 a month, through the assisted digital onboarding process.
Debasish Mishra, MD & CEO, SBI Funds Management, said the initiative was aimed at addressing the complexity that can prevent individuals from making their first investment.
“At SBI Mutual Fund, we recognise that for many individuals, the barrier to investing is not interest but the perceived complexity of taking the first step. Aarambh brings together assisted guidance, secure biometric authentication, and digital onboarding to make that beginning more accessible,” Mishra said.