Sebi Eases Foreign Investor Access and Revises Mutual Fund Regulations for 2026

Sebi has introduced measures to simplify foreign investor access and reduce mutual fund costs, effective from 2026. The new SWAGAT-FI framework allows eligible foreign portfolio and venture capital investors to apply through a single process with extended registration validity of 10 years. Additionally, Sebi has overhauled mutual fund regulations by lowering expense ratio caps and introducing a base expense ratio for greater transparency, separating fund management fees from statutory charges.