Bajaj Finserv Gilt Fund Direct Growth Review 2026: NAV, Returns, Portfolio & Should You Invest?

Bajaj Finserv Gilt Fund Direct Growth Plan has a NAV of ₹1,075.8125 as of 28 August 2026 and an AUM of ₹25 Cr. Its 1-year, 3-year and 5-year returns are 5.17%, 0% and 0%, and the scheme is tagged as Medium Risk. Our view is that this is a relatively new gilt strategy with a modest live track record, so the current fit is better for investors who want sovereign-debt exposure and can accept that the longer history is still limited.

With a benchmark of Nifty 50, the fund has not been built for equity-like behaviour, and its portfolio is concentrated in government securities and treasury bills. That makes the return pattern more relevant than headline yield alone: the fund has shown positive recent progress, but the longer-run dataset is still short, so expectations should stay measured.

Quick facts

Metric	Value
NAV	₹1,075.8125
AUM	₹25 Cr
Expense Ratio	0.39%
Launch Date	15 January 2025
Min SIP	₹1,000
Risk Category	Medium Risk
Benchmark	Nifty 50
Fund Category	Debt
Exit Load	No exit load
Fund Managers	Siddharth Chaudhary, Nimesh Chandan, Sourish Chatterjee

The fund is managed by Siddharth Chaudhary, Nimesh Chandan and Sourish Chatterjee.

Source data date: as of 28 Aug 2026

Performance

Period	Fund return	Benchmark return
1M	0.31%	-0.85%
3M	3.07%	3.39%
1Y	5.17%	-2.29%
3Y	Data not available	Data not available
5Y	Data not available	Data not available

The recent pattern is constructive rather than dramatic. Over one month, the fund has stayed in positive territory while the benchmark has been weaker, which suggests steadier short-term behaviour than the index in that window. Over three months, both the fund and the benchmark have moved higher, but the fund’s gain is slightly below the benchmark’s, so the short-term edge is not consistent across every period.

The one-year figure is the clearest strength in the current record. The fund’s 1-year return is positive, while the benchmark is negative over the same period, so the fund has held up better through a broader stretch of market movement. That supports the view that the strategy has offered a steadier defensive profile than an equity benchmark over the past year.

The larger caution is the limited history. The 3-year and 5-year return fields are not yet available in a meaningful way because the fund launched only in January 2025, so the record does not yet show how this portfolio behaves through a full debt cycle. For now, the evidence points to a fund that has made a stable start, but investors should treat the absence of long-term history as an important part of the assessment.

Source data date: as of 28 Aug 2026

Should you BUY or HOLD Bajaj Finserv Gilt?

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.

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Peer comparison

Fund	1Y return	3Y return	5Y return
Bajaj Finserv Gilt Fund Direct Growth Plan	5.17%	Data not available	Data not available
Bandhan Gilt Fund Direct Growth Plan	8.725%	8.0136%	6.4795%
Franklin India Gilt Fund Direct Growth Plan	7.2868%	6.6383%	5.584%
UTI Gilt Fund Direct Growth Plan	6.2894%	6.8361%	5.8546%
Bandhan 10 year Constant Maturity Gilt Fund Direct Growth Plan	6.1771%	7.9126%	6.0865%
ICICI Pru Gilt Fund Direct Growth Plan	6.1045%	7.4461%	6.9532%

The current fund’s 1-year return trails the stronger peer figures in this set, though it still remains positive. The gap is more visible when we compare it with funds that have longer track records, where several peers show firmer 3-year and 5-year numbers. That said, the comparison is not fully symmetrical because this fund is much newer and does not yet have a mature 3-year or 5-year history.

So the peer picture tells two different stories. On recent performance, the fund has been acceptable but not standout versus the higher 1-year figures in the group. On longer-term history, the newer launch prevents a like-for-like comparison, which means the available peer data is more useful for understanding the fund’s starting pace than for judging its cycle-tested consistency. This assessment is prepared by Uniapps Investment Adviser Pvt. Ltd. under SEBI Registered Investment Adviser registration INA000017639.

Source data date: as of 28 Aug 2026

Portfolio: where your money goes

Market-cap bucket	Exposure
Large cap	0%
Mid cap	0%
Small cap	0%
Other	100%

Sector	Weight	Key holdings
Government securities	73.01%	6.68% Government of India (07/07/2040) – 18.53%; 6.9% Government of India (15/04/2065) – 15.98%
Treasury bills	16.74%	91 Days Tbill (MD 29/10/2026) – 3.91%; 91 Days Tbill (MD 04/06/2026) – 3.09%
Cash & cash equivalents and net assets	10.25%	Clearing Corporation of India Ltd – 16.12%

The portfolio is entirely in the “other” bucket, which is what we expect from a gilt fund that does not hold equity-style market-cap exposure. The largest allocation is to government securities at 73.01%, and that is materially larger than the treasury-bill sleeve at 16.74% and cash and equivalents at 10.25%. In practical terms, sovereign bonds are likely to have the greatest influence on how the fund behaves.

The holdings also show a clear bias toward central-government instruments rather than a broad mix of risk assets. The two largest holdings within government securities are both Government of India bonds, and the treasury-bill sleeve adds short-dated stability. That combination may help keep the fund anchored to interest-rate movements rather than equity-market swings.

Because the government-securities bucket is so dominant, changes in duration or yields on that part of the portfolio could matter more than movements in the smaller residual sleeves. At the same time, the meaningful cash-and-equivalent allocation may provide some liquidity support. Overall, the structure looks conservative within debt allocation, with the sovereign bond book likely carrying the most influence on returns.

Source data date: as of 28 Aug 2026

Who should invest

This fund suits investors who are comfortable with a Medium Risk debt strategy and who want government-securities exposure rather than equity participation. The recent return pattern is positive, but the absence of long-term history means the case rests more on the portfolio structure and the first year of outcomes than on a full market cycle.

It fits better with a medium- to longer-term horizon, especially for investors who can tolerate periods when benchmark comparison looks mixed. The main trade-off is between the relative stability of sovereign debt holdings and the fact that returns are still early in the fund’s life, so the track record has not yet been tested across several rate environments.

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: No exit load.

Source data date: as of 28 Aug 2026

Frequently asked questions

What is the current NAV of Bajaj Finserv Gilt Fund Direct Growth Plan?
The current NAV is ₹1,075.8125 as of 28 August 2026. That gives a live price point for the scheme at the stated date.

What are the fund’s 1-year, 3-year and 5-year returns?
Its 1-year return is 5.17%, while the 3-year and 5-year figures are Data not available. The scheme launched in January 2025, so the longer windows are not yet established.

How has it performed versus the benchmark?
The fund has beaten the benchmark over 1 year and 1 month, but it has trailed the benchmark over 3 months. That makes the recent picture mixed rather than uniformly ahead.

How does it compare with peer gilt funds on available returns?
Its 1-year return is below several peer figures in the comparison set. The longer-term comparison is limited because this fund does not yet have meaningful 3-year or 5-year history.

What is the minimum SIP amount?
The minimum SIP is ₹1,000. That keeps the entry ticket accessible for systematic investing.

Who manages the fund and what is its exit load?
The fund is managed by Siddharth Chaudhary, Nimesh Chandan and Sourish Chatterjee. It has no exit load.

Bottom line

Bajaj Finserv Gilt Fund Direct Growth Plan has started with a positive one-year record, but its longer-term picture is still limited because the scheme is new. Compared with available peer return data, the fund’s recent performance is more modest, while its portfolio remains heavily tilted toward government securities and treasury bills. That structure supports a debt-oriented, sovereign-backed profile, which may appeal to investors seeking measured exposure rather than aggressive return chasing.

Published on 31 August 2026 at 4:40 PM 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.