SEBI Mandates Information Ratio Disclosure for Mutual Fund Schemes: A New Risk-Adjusted Return Yardstick
SEBI's 17 January 2025 circular makes Information Ratio disclosure mandatory for mutual fund schemes, giving investors a standardised risk-adjusted yardstick to compare funds beyond raw returns.
The mutual fund desk opens today not on an index print but on a rule change. SEBI circular SEBI/HO/IMD/IMD-PoD-2/P/CIR/2025/6, dated 17 January 2025, requires every asset management company (AMC) to disclose the Information Ratio (IR) for its schemes - a shift that changes how millions of investors will read scheme performance from this year on.
Market Snapshot
For mutual fund investors, the single most consequential development on the desk this week is not a Nifty or Sensex level but a disclosure standard. SEBI circular number SEBI/HO/IMD/IMD-PoD-2/P/CIR/2025/6, dated 17 January 2025, mandates that AMCs publish the Information Ratio - a risk-adjusted return measure - for their schemes, elevating a metric that until now lived mostly in fact-sheet footnotes into a standardised, comparable figure.
The circular's subject line is unambiguous: "Disclosure of Risk adjusted Return - Information Ratio (IR) for Mutual Fund Schemes." Its stated purpose, per the SEBI text published on 17 January 2025, is to let investors judge a scheme on more than the raw trailing return printed on a one-page factsheet, so that two funds with similar headline returns can be told apart by the consistency of the value they add over their benchmark.
Why this belongs in a pre-open note: India's fund industry channels household savings into equity and debt at a scale that dwarfs most single-session index moves, so a rule reshaping how open-ended schemes report performance changes the questions investors bring to every SIP and lumpsum decision. The table below sets out the fixed-income backdrop those fund choices are measured against, drawn from Oquilia's rate ledger and verifiable against each scheme's official notification.
| Benchmark / scheme | Rate (% p.a.) | Vintage |
|---|---|---|
| RBI repo rate | 5.25 | MPC 5 Aug 2026 (neutral) |
| EPF | 8.25 | FY 2025-26 (EPFO) |
| SCSS | 8.20 | Q2 FY 2026-27 |
| NSC | 7.70 | Q2 FY 2026-27 |
| PPF | 7.10 | Q2 FY 2026-27 |
Against a repo rate held at 5.25% since the RBI Monetary Policy Committee meeting of 5 August 2026, and small-savings returns clustered between 7.10% and 8.25%, an equity scheme has to justify its higher risk with returns that are not just larger but reliably earned - which is precisely the judgement the Information Ratio is designed to sharpen from 17 January 2025 onward.
What Moved Yesterday
The "move" that matters for fund investors this cycle is regulatory rather than price-driven: SEBI's 17 January 2025 circular converts the Information Ratio from an optional talking point into a disclosed number. The IR expresses a scheme's excess return over its benchmark relative to the volatility of that excess return - in plain terms, how much consistent outperformance a fund manager delivers for each unit of active risk taken.
Mechanically, the ratio has two moving parts, both of which have long-standing definitions in the Oquilia glossary. The numerator is active return - the scheme's return minus its benchmark index return. The denominator is tracking error, the standard deviation of that excess return. A higher ratio therefore signals outperformance that is repeatable rather than lucky, which is the distinction raw returns conceal.
| IR component | What it captures | Related concept |
|---|---|---|
| Active return (numerator) | Scheme return minus benchmark return | Alpha |
| Tracking error (denominator) | Volatility of the excess return | Tracking error |
| The ratio itself | Consistency of value added per unit of active risk | Risk-adjusted return |
This is a meaningful upgrade on the metrics most retail investors already recognise. Alpha tells you how much a scheme beat its benchmark, but says nothing about how bumpy that outperformance was; beta measures sensitivity to the market, not skill. By pairing excess return with tracking error, the IR that SEBI made mandatory on 17 January 2025 folds both magnitude and consistency into one comparable figure - the reason the regulator chose it as the standard yardstick.
The change also puts fresh weight on costs. A scheme carrying a high expense ratio must generate enough gross active return to keep its net IR respectable, because fees are deducted before the return investors actually see. After 17 January 2025, that trade-off is far easier to spot side by side, and closet index funds that charge active fees for benchmark-hugging returns have fewer places to hide.
What to Watch Today
Watch AMC factsheets and scheme pages for the standardised IR line item, which follows from the 17 January 2025 mandate. The Association of Mutual Funds in India (AMFI), the industry body that publishes daily NAVs and scheme data at amfiindia.com, is the practical place to cross-check scheme-level disclosures as AMCs roll them out under the circular.
Read the IR as a comparison tool, not a ranking oracle. Because tracking error naturally differs across categories - a tightly benchmarked large-cap fund and a go-anywhere flexi-cap fund carry very different active-risk profiles - the metric is most reliable when comparing schemes within the same category, a caveat implicit in SEBI's 17 January 2025 framework. Comparing a large-cap IR against a mid-cap IR is an apples-to-oranges exercise.
Tax treatment remains a decisive input for anyone acting on a better-informed fund choice, and the Budget 2024 rules that took effect on 23 July 2024 still govern equity scheme redemptions. The table below summarises the two rates that most affect switching between schemes.
| Equity MF gain | Rate | Threshold / note |
|---|---|---|
| Long-term capital gains | 12.5% | On gains above Rs 1.25 lakh a year |
| Short-term capital gains | 20% | Holding period up to 12 months |
The practical implication: an investor tempted to switch schemes on the strength of a superior IR should weigh the 20% short-term capital gains rate on any units held for 12 months or less, because a churn triggered purely by a disclosure metric can hand back more in tax than the better fund adds. Running the maths through a step-up SIP plan, which lets contributions rise over time, is usually a lower-friction way to raise exposure to a stronger scheme than redeeming and re-buying. For context on the macro backdrop, the RBI's policy stance and repo rate of 5.25% - held at the 5 August 2026 MPC meeting and published at rbi.org.in - continue to anchor debt-fund expectations that sit alongside these equity decisions.
Finally, treat the Information Ratio as one lens among several. A single number, however well standardised on 17 January 2025, cannot replace an assessment of a scheme's mandate, its expense ratio, the manager's tenure, and your own holding horizon. The circular's value is that it makes one important dimension - consistency of active performance - visible and comparable, not that it settles the choice on its own.
FAQ
What is the Information Ratio that SEBI made mandatory?
The Information Ratio (IR) is a risk-adjusted return measure that divides a scheme's excess return over its benchmark by the volatility of that excess return (the tracking error). SEBI's circular SEBI/HO/IMD/IMD-PoD-2/P/CIR/2025/6, dated 17 January 2025, requires AMCs to disclose it so investors can compare schemes on consistency of value added, not just raw returns.
When did the disclosure requirement take effect?
The circular is dated 17 January 2025 and carries the number SEBI/HO/IMD/IMD-PoD-2/P/CIR/2025/6. The precise applicable scheme categories and disclosure locations are set out in the circular body published on sebi.gov.in, which is the authoritative source to check for the exact scope.
How is the Information Ratio different from alpha?
Alpha measures how much a scheme beat its benchmark; it does not describe how consistent that outperformance was. The IR divides that same excess return by tracking error, so it rewards steady value added over lucky one-off gains. Both concepts are defined in Oquilia's glossary, and the IR effectively packages alpha and its variability into a single comparable figure.
Does a higher Information Ratio always mean a better fund?
Not automatically. A higher IR signals more consistent outperformance per unit of active risk, but it is most meaningful when comparing schemes within the same category, because tracking error varies widely across fund types. It should be read alongside the expense ratio, the fund mandate and your holding horizon rather than in isolation.
Will switching schemes on the basis of IR trigger tax?
Yes, if you redeem units. Under the Budget 2024 rules effective 23 July 2024, equity scheme gains attract 20% short-term capital gains tax if held for 12 months or less, and 12.5% long-term capital gains tax on gains above Rs 1.25 lakh a year. Weigh that cost before churning a portfolio for a marginally better disclosed ratio.
Where can I verify a scheme's disclosed figures?
AMC factsheets and scheme pages carry the standardised IR under the 17 January 2025 mandate, and AMFI publishes daily NAVs and scheme data at amfiindia.com. The SEBI circular itself, at sebi.gov.in, defines what must be disclosed and where.
How should a regular SIP investor use this?
For most investors running a monthly SIP, the IR is a periodic review tool, not a reason to trade frequently. Use it at your annual portfolio review to check whether a scheme is adding value consistently, and prefer raising exposure through a step-up SIP over redeeming and re-buying, which can trigger the 20% short-term capital gains rate.