The mutual fund (MF) industry has been living a life in a blender, or so it seems. There has been a steady stream of guidelines and directives over the past 8-9 years, and with no end in sight. The reforms are ostensibly for the purpose of protecting investors. While some of them do, others have been onerous for the industry and its distribution community. Costs have gone up as compliance and documentation requirements have increased. Regulatory activism in MFs is keeping the industry in a perpetually unsettled state. Reforms should be even-handed with investor protection on one hand, and the industry’s well-being on the other. This could contribute to a healthy industry, which would be good for the investors as well.
