Aditya Birla SL ESG Integration Strategy Fund Direct Growth Review 2026: NAV, Returns, Portfolio & Should You Invest?

Aditya Birla SL ESG Integration Strategy Fund Direct Growth Plan has a NAV of ₹19.7 as of 28 Aug 2026 and a scheme AUM of ₹583 Cr. Its 1-year, 3-year and 5-year returns are 5.86%, 12.75% and 9.37%, and the scheme carries a High Risk profile.

Our view is that this is a fund for investors who can stay patient through uneven stretches and still judge it over a full market cycle. The portfolio is dominated by large-cap exposure, but it also carries meaningful mid-cap and small-cap positions, so the ride can be less stable than a plain large-cap core fund.

Quick facts

The fund is managed by Jonas Bhutta.

Source data date: as of 28 Aug 2026

Performance

The fund has been ahead of the benchmark in every period shown, and the margin has been strongest in the 1-year and 3-year windows. That matters because the benchmark was weak over the last year, while this fund still held a positive 1-year return.

The shorter-term pattern looks steadier than the benchmark, with the last three months also stronger on a return basis. That said, the fund has not delivered a smooth path; the 1-year trajectory shows swings before the final improvement, so we would still read the recent outperformance as uneven rather than linear.

Over 3 years, the compounding picture is healthier than the 5-year number alone suggests. The 5-year return is still better than the benchmark, but it is more modest than the 3-year pace, which tells us the fund has had phases of stronger momentum and slower stretches within the longer holding period.

Overall, the performance profile looks more resilient than the Nifty 50 across the full set of periods, but not in a way that removes equity-market volatility. The fund has shown it can hold up better than the benchmark, though the return path still depends on timing and market conditions.

Source data date: as of 28 Aug 2026

Peer comparison

This assessment is prepared by Uniapps Investment Adviser Pvt. Ltd. under SEBI Registered Investment Adviser registration INA000017639.

Against the peer set, the fund’s 1-year return is far below the faster-moving thematic funds, but that gap is not unusual when those peers are concentrated in narrower themes. The comparison also shows that the fund’s longer-term numbers are steadier than several peers that do not have complete 3-year or 5-year records.

Where the fund stands out is consistency across all three time horizons rather than raw short-term upside. Its 3-year and 5-year returns are lower than the strongest available peer figures, but they remain positive and usable for a longer-horizon comparison, which is not the case for every peer in this set.

Short-term and longer-term comparisons tell different stories here. The short-term peer gap is wide, while the longer-term record is more measured and more comparable, so we would read this fund as a steadier equity option rather than an aggressive peer-chaser.

Source data date: as of 28 Aug 2026

Portfolio: where your money goes

The market-cap mix is 72.87% large-cap, 14.85% mid-cap, 10.22% small-cap and 2.06% other holdings. That keeps the portfolio anchored in larger businesses, but the mid-cap and small-cap sleeves are still large enough to matter for volatility.

The bank sector is materially larger than every other sector in the portfolio, so it is likely to have the greatest influence on fund behaviour. Within that bucket, Kotak Mahindra Bank alone is the largest single holding listed, which reinforces the sector’s importance.

Healthcare, automobile and IT form a second layer of exposure, but none comes close to the bank allocation. That makes the fund less diversified at the sector level than the raw market-cap split might suggest, even though the presence of large-cap names still offers some stability.

Our view is that the mix leans toward a large-cap core with selective mid-cap and small-cap participation. Because the banking weight is so dominant, the portfolio may respond more strongly to financials than to the rest of the market, while the smaller sector sleeves can add extra movement around that core.

Source data date: as of 28 Aug 2026

Who should invest

This fund suits investors who are comfortable with High Risk equity exposure and can hold for several years. The 1-year result is modest, but the 3-year and 5-year returns are clearly stronger, which suggests that patience matters more here than short-term entry timing.

It may fit investors who want an equity fund that has outpaced the Nifty 50 across the periods shown without relying on a pure benchmark-like style. The trade-off is that the portfolio is still equity-heavy and sector-skewed, so returns can vary when banking or other major holdings move unevenly.

Tax and exit load

Exit load: 1% if units are sold on or before 30 days; nil after 30 days.

Source data date: as of 28 Aug 2026

Frequently asked questions

What is the current NAV of Aditya Birla SL ESG Integration Strategy Fund Direct Growth Plan?
Its NAV is ₹19.7 as of 28 Aug 2026.

What are the fund’s 1-year, 3-year and 5-year returns?
The fund’s returns are 5.86% for 1 year, 12.75% for 3 years and 9.37% for 5 years.

How has it done against the benchmark?
It has outpaced the Nifty 50 across 1M, 3M, 1Y, 3Y and 5Y. The gap is especially noticeable over 1 year and 3 years.

How does it compare with the peer funds listed here?
Its returns are lower than the fastest-moving thematic peers on 1-year numbers, but it has a complete and positive longer-term record that is easier to compare across horizons.

What is the minimum SIP amount?
The minimum SIP is ₹100.

Who manages the fund and what is the exit load?
Jonas Bhutta manages the fund. The exit load is 1% if units are sold on or before 30 days, and nil after 30 days.

Bottom line

This fund has a more measured long-term profile than its short-term numbers alone suggest. It has stayed ahead of the Nifty 50 across the periods shown, but its return path has been uneven, and its peer set includes funds with much sharper recent gains. The portfolio is heavily tilted to banks, which means financials are likely to matter most for its behaviour. For investors who want equity exposure, can accept High Risk, and are comfortable with sector concentration, it looks better suited to a patient horizon than to a quick-return expectation.

Published on 31 August 2026 at 2:51 PM IST