Canara Rob Liquid Fund Direct Growth Review 2026: NAV, Returns, Portfolio & Should You Invest?

Canara Rob Liquid Fund Direct Growth Plan is a liquid fund with a NAV of ₹3403.3019 as of 08 Sep 2026 and scheme AUM of ₹6,783 Cr. Its 1-year, 3-year and 5-year returns are 6.50%, 6.98% and 6.34% respectively, and the risk category is Balanced Risk.

Our view is that the fund fits investors who want short-horizon liquidity with relatively steady compounding rather than sharp market-linked upside. The portfolio is built around treasury bills, CDs, commercial paper and cash-like instruments, which supports a conservative-style liquidity profile for a liquid category fund.

Quick facts

Particular	Details
NAV	₹3,403.3019 as of 08 Sep 2026
AUM	₹6,783 Cr
Expense Ratio	0.08%
Launch Date	01 Jan 2013
Min SIP	₹1,000
Risk Category	Balanced Risk
Benchmark	Nifty 50
Fund Category	Liquid
Exit Load	0.007% for Day 1, 0.0065% on Day 2, 0.0060% on Day 3, 0.0055% on Day 4, 0.0050% on Day 5, 0.0045% on Day 6, NIL on or after 7D
Fund Managers	Bhupesh Kalyani, Avnish Jain

The fund is managed by Bhupesh Kalyani and Avnish Jain.

Source data date: as of 08 Sep 2026

Performance

Period	Fund return	Benchmark return
1M	0.54%	-3.86%
3M	1.67%	1.69%
1Y	6.50%	-5.72%
3Y	6.98%	6.30%
5Y	6.34%	6.05%

Recent performance has been stable rather than dramatic. Over 1 month, the fund stayed positive while the benchmark was negative, and over 3 months the two were nearly aligned. That tells us the fund has not been relying on short bursts of volatility to support returns.

The longer pattern is more useful for investors. The fund’s 3-year return of 6.98% is ahead of the benchmark’s 6.30%, and the 5-year return of 6.34% is also ahead of the benchmark’s 6.05%. That spread is not large, but it suggests the fund has kept pace well enough against the comparison index over time.

The 1-year result is especially noticeable because the fund delivered 6.50% while the benchmark was at -5.72%. This gap shows that the fund’s return path has been much more stable than the benchmark’s over the past year. For a liquid fund, that steadier profile is often more relevant than chasing a short-term spike.

Looking across the full set of periods, our view is that the fund has shown consistent compounding with limited deviation from its longer-term pattern. The recent figures do not point to a sudden change in style, and the fund continues to behave like a cash-management solution rather than an aggressive return-seeking strategy.

Source data date: as of 08 Sep 2026

Should you BUY or HOLD Canara Rob Liquid?

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
Canara Rob Liquid Fund Direct Growth Plan	6.50%	6.98%	6.34%
Aditya Birla SL Liquid Fund Direct Growth Plan	6.60%	7.03%	6.40%
Axis Liquid Fund Direct Growth Plan	6.60%	7.02%	6.39%
Sundaram Liquid Fund Direct Growth Plan	6.60%	7.02%	6.37%
JioBlackRock Liquid Fund Direct Growth Plan	6.59%	Data not available	Data not available
Edelweiss Liquid Fund Direct Growth Plan	6.57%	7.03%	6.38%

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

On the latest 1-year figure, the fund sits close to the stronger peer numbers, but a few peers show slightly higher returns at 6.60% and 6.59%. The difference is small, so the main story is not a wide gap in short-term performance; it is that the fund remains in the same return band as the stronger liquid-fund peers.

On 3-year and 5-year figures, the fund is slightly below the best available peer numbers of 7.03% on 3 years and 6.40% on 5 years, but the gap stays narrow. That makes the fund look competitive rather than standout on trailing returns, with its longer track record staying broadly aligned with the stronger names in the group.

Short-term and longer-term comparisons tell a similar story here: the fund is steady, close to the better peer outcomes, and not meaningfully separated from them. The main difference is that one peer has limited longer-term data, so the cleanest comparison comes from the funds with full 3-year and 5-year histories.

Source data date: as of 08 Sep 2026

Portfolio: where your money goes

Holding	Sector	Weight
TREPS	Cash & Cash Equivalents and Net Assets	8.93%
91 DTB (08-Oct-2026)	Treasury Bills	4.40%
REC Ltd (23/11/2026) **	Commercial Paper	4.36%
Ultratech Cement Ltd (17/09/2026) **	Commercial Paper	3.68%
Kotak Securities Ltd (23/11/2026) **	Commercial Paper	3.63%
Punjab National Bank (15/09/2026) #	Certificate of Deposit	3.31%
ICICI Securities Ltd (16/09/2026) **	Commercial Paper	2.94%
Indian Bank (17/09/2026) ** #	Certificate of Deposit	2.94%
REC Ltd (21/09/2026) **	Commercial Paper	2.94%
Small Industries Development Bank of India (21/09/2026) **	Commercial Paper	2.94%

The top 10 holdings account for approximately 40.07% of the portfolio.

To see all holdings, visit the Canara Rob Liquid Fund Direct Growth Plan page

The single largest holding, TREPS, stands at 8.93%, which is meaningful but not dominant for a liquid fund. The tenth holding is 2.94%, so the drop from the largest position to the tenth is fairly measured rather than steep, which suggests the listed portfolio is spread across several short-duration instruments.

Because the top 10 holdings together account for 40.07% of the portfolio and the fund discloses 50 holdings overall, the remaining exposure is likely spread across a wider tail of positions. That structure may reduce reliance on any one instrument, while still leaving the fund anchored in cash-like and short-tenor securities.

The mix of TREPS, treasury bills, commercial paper and certificates of deposit points to a portfolio built for liquidity management. In our view, that kind of structure may suit investors who want a fund that stays close to the conservative end of the liquid-fund spectrum and does not depend on concentrated credit bets.

Source data date: as of 08 Sep 2026

Who should invest

This fund suits investors who are comfortable with low-to-moderate volatility in a liquid-fund framework and who value stability over high upside. The return pattern shows steady compounding across 1-year, 3-year and 5-year periods, while the benchmark comparison shows the fund has held up better than the index over the latest year and slightly ahead over longer horizons.

The main trade-off is that the fund’s return profile is incremental rather than exciting. Investors with a short holding horizon and a need for cash management may find the risk and portfolio structure appropriate, while investors looking for meaningful growth beyond liquid-fund norms may find the return pattern too restrained.

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 is 0.007% for Day 1, 0.0065% on Day 2, 0.0060% on Day 3, 0.0055% on Day 4, 0.0050% on Day 5, 0.0045% on Day 6, and NIL on or after 7D.

Source data date: as of 08 Sep 2026

Frequently asked questions

What is the current NAV of Canara Rob Liquid Fund Direct Growth Plan?
The current NAV is ₹3403.3019 as of 08 Sep 2026.

What are the fund’s 1-year, 3-year and 5-year returns?
Its 1-year return is 6.50%, its 3-year return is 6.98%, and its 5-year return is 6.34%.

How does the fund compare with the benchmark?
The fund is ahead of the benchmark across 1-year, 3-year and 5-year periods in the figures shown here. The widest difference appears over 1 year, where the fund stayed positive while the benchmark was negative.

How does it compare with the peer funds shown here?
Its trailing returns are close to the stronger peer figures, with several peers at 6.60% on 1 year and slightly higher 3-year and 5-year numbers in the available set. The gap is narrow rather than wide.

Is there a minimum SIP amount?
No minimum SIP amount is stated in the fund facts used for this review, so we have not listed one here.

What are the risk profile, holdings style and exit load?
The fund is marked as Balanced Risk. Its largest holdings include TREPS, treasury bills, commercial paper and certificates of deposit, and the exit load falls each day from Day 1 through Day 6 before turning nil on or after 7 days.

Bottom line

Canara Rob Liquid Fund Direct Growth Plan shows a steady return profile that is broadly consistent over 1-year, 3-year and 5-year windows, with the latest year standing out versus the benchmark. Against the peer set, its returns stay close to the stronger names without breaking away from the group. The portfolio is anchored in TREPS, treasury bills and short-term debt instruments, which supports its liquid-fund role. In our view, it suits investors seeking restrained, cash-like portfolio behaviour rather than aggressive return swings.

Published on 9 September 2026 at 2:39 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.