Aditya Birla Sun Life AMC appoints Bhatia as Head of passive funds

Aditya Birla Sun Life AMC has appointed Hemen Bhatia as Head – Passives, Aditya Birla Sun Life AMC. With over two decades of experience and a proven track record in building India’s ETF ecosystem, his appointment marks a significant step in ABSL AMC’s ambition to strengthen its leadership in the rapidly growing passive investing space, said the company.

Bhatia’s announcement reinforces ABSLAMC’s deep focus on accelerating growth in passive investing which has been witnessing significant momentum.

In Q4 FY26, ABSL AMC’s passive business registered quarterly average AUM of ₹41,200 crore with 25 per cent year-on-year growth and 68 per cent in ETF growth.

With an expanded base of 16.9 lakh folios supported by a diversified 54 product suite ABSL AMC is well placed to lead the next phase of growth in passive investing, it added.

Bhatia is a seasoned asset management professional with over 20 years of experience in the MF industry, with deep expertise in ETFs and index investing. He joins ABSL AMC from Angel One AMC, where he served as Executive Director & CEO spearheading the build out of the firm’s passive-focused asset management business. Prior to that, as Head of ETF Business at Nippon Life India AMC.

India’s passive investment segment is witnessing rapid expansion, with AUM growing from ₹1.9 lakh crore in 2019 to over ₹14.70 lakh crore in May, driven by rising participation across retail and institutional investors. Passive funds now account for 18 per cent of the mutual fund industry AUM, up from 12 per cent in 2021, giving choice to investors to choose as part of the asset allocation.