Axis Nifty50 Equal Weight Index Fund Direct Growth Review 2026: NAV, Returns, Portfolio & Should You Invest?

Axis Nifty50 Equal Weight Index Fund Direct Growth Plan is an equity index fund with a current NAV of ₹9.7889 as of 17 Sep 2026 and scheme AUM of ₹98 Cr. Its 1-year, 3-year and 5-year returns are 0%, 0% and 0% respectively, and it sits in the High Risk bucket. Our view is that it is best read as a very recent launch with limited return history, so the key question is less about long record and more about whether investors are comfortable with an equal-weight Nifty 50 approach during an early phase.

The fund follows the Nifty 50 as its benchmark and charges an expense ratio of 0.0%, which keeps running costs light. Given the short track record and the equal-weight construction, it may suit investors who want index exposure but are prepared for outcomes that can differ from a standard market-cap-led Nifty 50 pattern.

Quick facts

Particular	Details
NAV	₹9.7889 as of 17 Sep 2026
AUM	₹98 Cr
Expense Ratio	0.0%
Launch Date	23 Jul 2026
Min SIP	₹100
Risk Category	High Risk
Benchmark	Nifty 50
Fund Category	Equity
Exit Load	0.25% on or before 15D, NIL after 15D
Fund Managers	Nandik Mallik, Rohit Gautam

The fund is managed by Nandik Mallik and Rohit Gautam.

Source data date: as of 17 Sep 2026

Performance

Period	Fund return	Benchmark return
1M	-3.37%	-3.66%
3M	Data not available	Data not available
1Y	0%	Data not available
3Y	0%	Data not available
5Y	0%	Data not available

The fund has had a soft recent stretch, with the 1-month return still negative even though it held up slightly better than the benchmark over the same period. That gap is small, but it does suggest the equal-weight structure did not fully insulate the fund from the broader weak patch in the market.

Because the scheme launched only in July 2026, the longer-horizon figures are not yet a measure of a mature compounding record. We therefore treat the 3-year and 5-year entries as placeholders rather than a true long-term history. For now, the investment case rests more on the index approach and the cost structure than on an established performance pattern.

Compared with the benchmark, the fund has shown a slightly less negative 1-month move, which is a modest positive. Even so, there is no meaningful long-run trend to read yet, so we would not infer persistence from the early numbers. The more important watchpoint is whether the equal-weight design begins to deliver a return pattern that differs from the benchmark as the scheme builds history.

Source data date: as of 17 Sep 2026

Should you BUY or HOLD Axis Nifty50 Equal Weight Index?

A fund's past returns alone don't tell you whether you should buy it today or continue holding it.

The right decision depends on factors such as your current allocation, purchase price, risk profile, investment horizon and the role this fund plays in your overall portfolio.

Already holding Axis Nifty50 Equal Weight Index? Thinking of investing now?

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Peer comparison

Fund	1Y return	3Y return	5Y return
HDFC CRISIL-IBX Financial Services 9-12 Months Debt Index Fund Direct Growth Plan	Data not available	Data not available	Data not available
Axis Nifty50 Equal Weight Index Fund Direct Growth Plan	Data not available	Data not available	Data not available
Axis Nifty Energy Index Fund Direct Growth Plan	Data not available	Data not available	Data not available
Groww Nifty Smallcap 250 Momentum Quality 100 Index Fund Direct Growth Plan	Data not available	Data not available	Data not available
SBI CRISIL-IBX 10:90 Gilt+SDL Index-Dec 2029 Index Fund Direct Growth Plan	Data not available	Data not available	Data not available

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

On the available one-month number, this fund is a touch ahead of the benchmark, but the margin is narrow and not enough on its own to define the fund. The peer set provided here does not give usable 1-year, 3-year or 5-year return readings for comparison, so we cannot build a return-led peer hierarchy from it.

That means the most useful takeaway is that short-term behaviour has been broadly in line with the market, while the longer story is still unformed because the scheme is new. For now, the comparison is more about structure and early stability than about a completed performance record.

Source data date: as of 17 Sep 2026

Portfolio: where your money goes

Holding	Sector	Weight
Eternal Limited	Retailing	2.51%
Bajaj Auto Limited	Automobile & Ancillaries	2.44%
Titan Company Limited	Diamond & Jewellery	2.32%
HCL Technologies Limited	IT	2.31%
Bajaj Finserv Limited	Finance	2.23%
Tata Consultancy Services Limited	IT	2.23%
Tech Mahindra Limited	IT	2.19%
Shriram Finance Limited	Finance	2.14%
Nestle India Limited	FMCG	2.13%
Grasim Industries Limited	Diversified	2.12%

The largest holding is Eternal Limited at 2.51%, which is fairly close to the other top names. The drop from the first holding to the tenth is not steep, moving only from 2.51% to 2.12%, so the visible book looks broadly even rather than heavily skewed toward one or two stocks.

The top 10 holdings together account for 22.62% of the portfolio, which means a large part of the scheme still sits beyond the names listed here. With 50 disclosed holdings in total, the structure may spread influence across many positions instead of relying on a narrow set of leaders.

That kind of layout can help reduce dependence on a single stock, but it also means the top names may not dominate outcomes as much as they would in a more concentrated portfolio. For an equal-weight index fund, that pattern is consistent with a broader participation style across the underlying index.

To see all holdings, visit the Axis Nifty50 Equal Weight Index Fund Direct Growth Plan page

Source data date: as of 17 Sep 2026

Who should invest

This fund is better suited to investors who can accept High Risk and are comfortable with an index strategy that is still very early in its life. The short history means there is no long-term return track record to lean on yet, so the main appeal is the equal-weight Nifty 50 structure rather than past compounding.

It may fit a medium-to-long horizon investor who wants broad large-cap exposure and is prepared for the fund to behave differently from a standard market-cap-weighted benchmark at times. The trade-off is simple: you get a rules-based, low-cost framework, but you must accept that the return record is too new to judge through a full market cycle.

Tax and exit load

Holding period	Tax rate	Description
Units held less than 1 year	20%	Short-term capital gains tax
Units held more than 1 year	12.5%	Long-term capital gains tax

Exit load: 0.25% on or before 15D, NIL after 15D.

Source data date: as of 17 Sep 2026

Frequently asked questions

What is the current NAV of Axis Nifty50 Equal Weight Index Fund Direct Growth Plan?
The current NAV is ₹9.7889 as of 17 Sep 2026.

What are the fund’s 1-year, 3-year and 5-year returns?
Its 1-year, 3-year and 5-year returns are 0%, 0% and 0% respectively.

How has the fund done versus Nifty 50 recently?
The fund’s 1-month return is -3.37% versus -3.66% for the benchmark. That shows a slightly smaller fall over the same period.

What is the risk category of this fund?
The fund is in the High Risk category and is described as suited to investors comfortable with taking bold risks.

Who manages the fund?
The fund is managed by Nandik Mallik and Rohit Gautam.

What are the exit load and tax rules?
The exit load is 0.25% on or before 15D and NIL after 15D. Tax is 20% for units held less than 1 year and 12.5% for units held more than 1 year.

Bottom line

This is a very new index fund, so its early numbers do not yet form a meaningful long-term record. Recent performance has been a little better than the benchmark over one month, but the 1-year, 3-year and 5-year entries are not yet useful for judging enduring behaviour. The portfolio is spread across 50 holdings, with the top positions staying close in weight, which points to a fairly even structure. Investors who want low-cost, rules-based large-cap exposure and can live with early-stage uncertainty may find it worth watching.

Published on 18 September 2026 at 8:17 AM IST

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RIA disclosure

Mutual fund investments are subject to market risks. Read all scheme-related documents carefully before investing. This review is prepared by Uniapps Investment Adviser Pvt. Ltd. (earlier known as Uniapps Global Research Pvt. Ltd.) under SEBI Registered Investment Adviser registration INA000017639 for general informational purposes and is not personalized investment advice.