Axis Nifty500 Quality 50 Index Fund Direct Growth Review 2026: NAV, Returns, Portfolio & Should You Invest?

Axis Nifty500 Quality 50 Index Fund Direct Growth Plan has a NAV of ₹9.7825 as of 16 September 2026, with an AUM of ₹80 Cr. Its 1-year, 3-year and 5-year returns are -2.85%, 0% and 0%, and the scheme is tagged as High Risk. Our view is that this is a compact index fund with a quality-focused portfolio, but the very short track record and weak recent returns mean it suits only investors who are comfortable with volatility and want a rules-based equity allocation rather than a smooth return profile.

The combination of a low expense ratio, a 50-stock portfolio and a benchmark-linked structure may appeal to investors who want a disciplined large-cap style exposure. At the same time, the return history is still early and the recent trend has been softer than the benchmark, so expectations need to stay realistic.

Quick facts

Particular	Details
NAV	₹9.7825 as of 16 Sep 2026
AUM	₹80 Cr
Expense Ratio	0.16%
Launch Date	10 Sep 2025
Min SIP	₹100
Risk Category	High Risk
Benchmark	Nifty 50
Fund Category	Index Funds
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 16 Sep 2026

Performance

Period	Fund return	Benchmark return
1M	-5.52%	-4.41%
3M	-4.64%	-3.6%
1Y	-2.85%	-7.76%
3Y	Data not available	Data not available
5Y	Data not available	Data not available

Recent performance has been weak. Over 1 month and 3 months, the fund stayed in negative territory, which suggests that the portfolio has still been moving through a soft patch. The 1-year figure is also negative, but it is less weak than the benchmark, so the fund has held up better than the index over that stretch even though both have delivered poor outcomes.

The longer view is harder to judge because this scheme was launched only in September 2025, so there is no meaningful 3-year or 5-year return history. That matters for interpretation: investors are looking at a young fund where the available record is still dominated by the first year of performance rather than a full market cycle.

The time pattern points to choppy movement rather than steady compounding. The 1-month and 3-month paths were both under pressure, while the 1-year path shows only a mild recovery from earlier weakness. For a passive equity fund, that kind of shape is not unusual, but it does mean the experience so far has been more about drawdown management than strong upside capture.

Against the NIFTY 50, the fund has been less weak over 1 year but a little weaker in the very short term. That mix suggests the fund has not followed a single straight line relative to its benchmark. Instead, the recent stretch has been more uneven, which is worth keeping in mind if the goal is stable near-term outcomes.

Source data date: as of 16 Sep 2026

Should you BUY or HOLD Axis Nifty500 Quality 50 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 Nifty500 Quality 50 Index? Thinking of investing now?

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Peer comparison

Fund	1Y return	3Y return	5Y return
Axis Nifty500 Quality 50 Index Fund Direct Growth Plan	-2.85%	Data not available	Data not available
ICICI Pru NASDAQ 100 Index Fund Direct Growth Plan	29.31%	30.01%	Data not available
Tata Nifty Capital Markets Index Fund Direct Growth Plan	21.45%	Data not available	Data not available
Motilal Oswal Nifty Capital Market Index Fund Direct Growth Plan	21.13%	Data not available	Data not available
Motilal Oswal Nifty MidSmall Financial Services Index Fund Direct Growth Plan	20.68%	Data not available	Data not available
ICICI Pru Nifty Pharma Index Fund Direct Growth Plan	17.57%	18.84%	Data not available

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

On 1-year numbers, this fund trails the stronger peer figures by a wide margin, and that gap is visible even among other index products in the list. Its own 1-year return is negative, while the comparison set shows positive results across all the peer funds listed here.

The 3-year and 5-year comparison is less informative because this scheme does not yet have those histories, whereas some peers do have a 3-year record. That creates a clear divide between a young fund with only a short track record and older products whose return history has had more time to develop.

So the short-term story is clearly weaker for this fund, while the longer-history story remains incomplete rather than conclusively poor. For an investor, that means the peer set highlights how much of the outcome still depends on the fund’s future live track record rather than an established long-run pattern.

Source data date: as of 16 Sep 2026

Portfolio: where your money goes

Holding	Sector	Weight
Tata Consultancy Services Limited	IT	5.62%
Infosys Limited	IT	5.3%
Bharat Electronics Limited	Capital Goods	4.23%
Bajaj Auto Limited	Automobile & Ancillaries	4.09%
Dixon Technologies (India) Limited	Consumer Durables	3.78%
BSE Limited	Finance	3.76%
Britannia Industries Limited	FMCG	3.63%
Coal India Limited	Mining	3.26%
Colgate Palmolive (India) Limited	FMCG	3.12%
Suzlon Energy Limited	Capital Goods	2.84%

The largest holding, Tata Consultancy Services Limited, accounts for 5.62% of the portfolio, so no single stock dominates the disclosed top holdings. The fall from the first position to the tenth is not extreme, but it is still meaningful: the top names cluster between 2.84% and 5.62%, which suggests a fairly even spread among the leading positions rather than a heavy concentration in one or two stocks.

The top 10 holdings account for approximately 39.63% of the portfolio, while the scheme has 50 disclosed holdings in total. That combination points to a portfolio that is diversified across many names, yet still allows the larger holdings to matter. The top positions may therefore have a greater influence on short-term behaviour, especially when sector leadership shifts.

At the same time, the remaining holdings likely make up a substantial tail beyond the top 10, so the full portfolio should not be read as a narrow theme fund. The mix across IT, capital goods, consumer durables, finance, FMCG, mining and automobile exposure also suggests that the fund’s outcome may depend on a broad set of large listed companies rather than one sector alone.

To see all holdings, visit the Axis Nifty500 Quality 50 Index Fund Direct Growth Plan page

Source data date: as of 16 Sep 2026

Who should invest

This fund fits investors who can accept High Risk equity volatility and who want a rules-based index exposure with a quality tilt. The short history and weak near-term returns mean it is better suited to a longer horizon, where the investor can look through stretches of underperformance instead of reacting to every monthly move.

Compared with the benchmark, the fund has not shown a smooth path so far, and the peer set shows that other index strategies have posted much stronger recent returns. The main trade-off is between disciplined exposure to a diversified basket of quality companies and the possibility that near-term results may stay uneven before any clearer long-run pattern emerges.

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 15 days; nil after 15 days.

Source data date: as of 16 Sep 2026

Frequently asked questions

What is the current NAV of Axis Nifty500 Quality 50 Index Fund Direct Growth Plan?

The current NAV is ₹9.7825 as of 16 September 2026.

What are the fund’s 1-year, 3-year and 5-year returns?

The 1-year return is -2.85%, while the 3-year and 5-year returns are 0% in the available record. The scheme is still very young, so the longer-duration history is not yet meaningful.

How has the fund compared with the benchmark?

Over 1 year, the fund has done better than the benchmark, with -2.85% versus -7.76%. In the shorter 1-month and 3-month periods, however, the fund has been a little weaker than the benchmark.

How does it compare with the peer funds listed here?

Its 1-year return is weaker than the peer funds shown here, all of which have positive 1-year results. The comparison is less complete on 3-year and 5-year figures because this fund does not yet have those histories.

Is there a minimum SIP amount?

The minimum SIP amount is ₹100.

What are the risk profile, exit load and fund managers?

The fund is tagged High Risk. The exit load is 0.25% on or before 15 days and nil after 15 days, and the fund is managed by Nandik Mallik and Rohit Gautam.

Bottom line

This fund’s short-term pattern is weaker than its benchmark in the latest month and quarter, while its 1-year result is less weak than the index. The longer-term case is still developing because the scheme is young, so investors are mostly judging an early live record rather than a full cycle. Compared with the peer funds shown here, the available 1-year return is clearly softer. The portfolio is reasonably spread across 50 holdings, which may keep single-stock dependence in check, but the fund still carries High Risk equity behaviour.

Published on 17 September 2026 at 11:23 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.