Bengaluru: Mahindra Manulife Mutual Fund today announced the launch of MSIF Equity Long-Short Fund, an open-ended equity investment strategy under its Specialized Investment Fund platform. The New Fund Offer will open on 30 September 2026 and close on 14 October 2026. The investment strategy will reopen for continuous sale and repurchase from 26 October 2026.
The MSIF Equity Long-Short Fund will invest predominantly in listed equity and equity-related instruments while selectively employing short positions through derivatives. The investment strategy aims to generate long-term capital appreciation by identifying opportunities across different market environments and seeking risk-adjusted returns across market cycles.
The strategy is designed around a flexible approach to equity investing, combining long positions with selective short exposure. This allows the investment team to assess opportunities across both rising and falling market environments, while maintaining defined parameters for portfolio construction and risk management. The investment process combines macro analysis, fundamental stock selection and a structured risk management framework.
The investment approach uses a combination of top-down and bottom-up analysis. The macro assessment considers factors including interest rates and inflation, economic growth, liquidity, market flows and geopolitical risks, while stock selection incorporates fundamental research and quantitative inputs. The risk management framework includes stock-level hedges, sector deviation limits, portfolio hedges, position limits and drawdown triggers.
On the short side, the strategy follows a research-driven framework that evaluates factors across policy and ownership, business and governance, and earnings and valuations. Short positions are considered based on identified catalysts and supporting evidence, rather than being taken solely on a directional view of the market.
Commenting on the launch, Anthony Heredia, MD & CEO, Mahindra Manulife Investment Management Private Limited, said: “The launch of the MSIF Equity Long-Short Fund marks our entry into the Specialized Investment Fund space and reflects our commitment to offering differentiated investment solutions aligned with evolving investor needs. As markets become increasingly dynamic, investors are looking for strategies that can navigate opportunities across market cycles. This offering combines the flexibility of a long-short approach with the transparency, governance and discipline of the mutual fund framework.”
Krishna Sanghavi, CIO – Equity, Mahindra Manulife Investment Management Private Limited, added: “As Indian economy grows so does per capita income & investible surpluses for Indian investors. The sophisticated investors look for market opportunities beyond the traditional long-only approach as they seek to participate in newer asset class. The MSIF Equity Long-Short Fund aims to identify high-conviction long ideas while selectively taking short exposure where either the fundamentals or valuations appear less favourable. Backed by rigorous research and a disciplined risk management framework, the Investment Strategy seeks to generate risk-adjusted returns across varying market environments.”
The Fund will be managed by Abhishek Jaiswal and Aalap Shah, who bring extensive experience across Indian equity, derivatives and long-short investment strategies. Abhishek Jaiswal has over 18 years of investment management experience across long, long-short and sector-focused equity strategies, with more than a decade of experience specialising in long-short portfolios. Aalap Shah is a seasoned investment professional with over 20 years of experience in Indian equity and derivatives markets and has contributed to the management of investment strategies overseeing more than US$5 billion in assets.
The MSIF Equity Long-Short Fund will offer Regular and Direct Plans, with Growth and Income Distribution cum Capital Withdrawal options. The minimum application amount is ₹10 lakh and in multiples of ₹1 thereafter, while the minimum application amount for accredited investors is ₹1 lakh and in multiples of ₹1 thereafter. The strategy will be benchmarked against the Nifty 500 TRI.
The investment strategy carries a Risk Band Level 5 classification. It is intended for investors seeking long-term capital appreciation through investments predominantly in listed equity and equity-related instruments, including limited short exposure in equity through derivatives.
About Mahindra Manulife Investment Management Private Limited and Mahindra Manulife Trustee Private Limited
Mahindra Manulife Investment Management Private Limited (MMIMPL) acts as the Investment Manager of Mahindra Manulife Mutual Fund. On 29th April 2020 MMFSL divested 49% stake in MMIMPL to Manulife Investment Management (Singapore) Pte. Ltd. to form a 51:49 joint venture. Mahindra Manulife Trustee Private Limited (MMTPL), acts as a Trustee to Mahindra Manulife Mutual Fund (formerly known as Mahindra Mutual Fund). On 29th April 2020 MMFSL divested 49% stake in MMTPL to Manulife Investment Management (Singapore) Pte. Ltd. to form a 51:49 joint venture.
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