Prudent Corporate Advisors is not quite at the top of India’s mutual-fund-distribution pyramid. But it is close. Close enough that, for the first time, the club of bank-led giants might have to make room.

The Ahmedabad-based company has held onto the  fourth place in both commission income and average assets under management (AAUM) for two years in a row—FY24 and FY25, according to data released by the Association of Mutual Funds in India in late August. This time around, though, it’s nipping at  No. 3 incumbent HDFC Bank’s heels.

State Bank of India is still ahead, as is NJ IndiaInvest among the independent, non-bank distributors. (among non-bank distributors, Prudent ranks second, next only to NJ). For context, it ranked 14th in commission income a decade ago.

Another milestone for the company: in August, it touchedThe Wire Prudent Crosses Rs. 1,000 Crore Monthly SIP Milestone  Rs 1,000 crore in monthly systematic investment plans (SIP). Combine this with its network of over 34,000 mutual-fund distributors and a Rs 1.14 lakh crore AUM as of June, and it’s evident Prudent has come a long way.

In some ways, the company is surfing a larger wave: Indian households’ increasing financialisation of their savings. Equity mutual funds, in particular, have grownMintEquity mutual fund AUM jumps 335.31% in 5 years, hits ₹33.32 lakh crore in July 2025: ICRA nearly fourfold in the last five years to reach Rs 33.3 lakh crore in AUM. SIP inflows have been on a roll and hit a record highMoneycontrolAMFI July data: SIP flows increase to all-time high of Rs 28,464 crore; SIP stoppage ratio at 63% of nearly Rs 28,500 crore in July. 

It may seem like a great time to be a mutual-fund distributor, but it’s not all smooth sailing. 

Many retail investors are moving from distributor-facilitated regular plans to direct onesA variant of a mutual fund scheme that allows investors to purchase units directly from the fund house or AMC without going through any intermediary like a distributor.