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India's service economy powers over 55% of GDP, and it's just getting started. Are you invested in this next wave of wealth creation?

India's service economy powers over 55% of GDP, and it's just getting started. Are you invested in this next wave of wealth creation?

Time of India20 hours ago
In FY24 alone, UPI clocked over 14 billion transactions monthly, illustrating just how deeply services are embedded in daily life. These aren't just conveniences; they signal a structural shift 1 .
. Today, services contribute over 55% of India's GDP and employ more than 40% of its workforce, making the sector the backbone of India's growth narrative2.
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Financial services
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Investors looking to build a portfolio focused on India's services growth story
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In recent times, life is flowing through services. Whether it's tapping an app to book a cab or order food, manage finances through UPI, or seek healthcare via teleconsultation, our everyday experiences are increasingly driven by service-led innovations.For investors looking to be part of this shift, it presents a timely investment opportunity. Before we dive into it, let's take a look at the bigger picture.India's consumers are now digital-first, convenience-led, and value-focused. Behind this shift lies a robust services ecosystem spanning banking, healthcare, entertainment, education, logistics, telecom, and beyond. What was once confined to metros and high-income users is now mainstream across tier-2 and tier-3 cities.From real-time payments to cloud-powered startups, from digital classrooms to doorstep diagnostics, services are now deeply woven into everyday essentials, creating demand, generating jobs, and unlocking new markets.Traditionally, India's economy moved from agriculture to manufacturing. But services have taken the lead, now accounting for more than half of the NSE 500's total profits. Post-pandemic, this momentum has accelerated.Telemedicine, remote work, digital payments, and e-commerce saw rapid adoption, permanently altering consumer behaviour. Government-led digital public infrastructure like UPI, CoWIN, ONDC, and DigiLocker has further catalysed service-led growth at scale.This is no longer a trend. It's a megashift.To help investors tap into the full potential of this transformation, Axis Mutual Fund has launched the Axis Services Opportunities Fund, a diversified, open-ended equity scheme focused exclusively on service-led businesses. The fund is designed to capture high-growth opportunities across a wide set of sectors, including:Its flexicap approach allows the fund to invest across large, mid, and small caps, ensuring agility and depth in stock selection. The strategy is actively managed, with a high active share, enabling meaningful differentiation from the benchmark to seek alpha. By following a bottom-up, quality-focused approach, the fund seeks out scalable companies with sustainable competitive advantages, strong financials, and sound governance.Unlike broader equity funds or narrowly focused sectoral funds, the Axis Services Opportunities Fund offers a diversified thematic approach, allowing investors to capture the breadth of India's expanding service economy while managing risk through sectoral spread. Its core proposition is that it will invest at least 80% of its assets in companies aligned with the services theme spanning 48 basic industries, including Capital Markets, Finance, Power, IT, Healthcare, Banks, and more. The remaining up to 20% can be invested outside these sectors at the fund manager's discretion, providing flexibility to adapt to evolving opportunities.*(Data as of 31st March 2025)India's services sector is not just growing, it's evolving. Today's businesses in this space boast stronger Return on Equity (ROE) and Return on Capital Employed (ROCE), reflecting improved fundamentals.Even with such momentum, valuations remain relatively attractive, especially when compared to their non-services counterparts. Meanwhile, the sector is expected to see higher earnings growth, with two of the top three PAT (Profit After Tax) growth sectors coming from services.In short, strong fundamentals, rising profitability, and compelling valuations make this a ripe moment for investors to consider thematic exposure to services.Just as India's IT boom of the early 2000s created wealth for long-term investors, the rise of the broader service economy can pave the way for the next wave of value creation. The Axis Services Opportunities Fund offers a smart way to participate in this megatrend with a thoughtfully constructed, actively managed, and future-ready portfolio that mirrors India's changing economic fabric.As services quietly reshape how we live, work, and transact, investors now have a way to grow with this transformation.The future is being served. The question is - are you invested in it? Learn more about the Axis Services Opportunities Fund here 1. Link 2. Link
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Bond market awakening in 2025: India catching up with global capital flows
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Time of India

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  • Time of India

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Advertorial (This article is generated and published by ET Spotlight team. You can get in touch with them on etspotlight@ India's financial journey has undergone significant evolution over the past decade. Indian households, once heavily focused on fixed deposits, gold, and real estate, are now exploring a wider range of investment options. In recent years, equity markets have experienced growing acceptance, particularly with the rise of digital investment platforms and a corresponding increase in financial bonds are stepping into the spotlight as Indian investors begin to appreciate the benefits of fixed-income products in a well-rounded portfolio. India's bond market is massive, valued at over $2.6 trillion, and plays a vital role in supporting government and corporate funding. Yet, the market has remained heavily dominated by institutions such as banks, insurance firms, and mutual funds. 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India, Ghana ink key pacts during PM Modi's visit, aim to double trade in 5 years
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  • India Today

India, Ghana ink key pacts during PM Modi's visit, aim to double trade in 5 years

India and Ghana on Wednesday elevated their relationship to a comprehensive partnership during a historic visit by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. This is the first prime ministerial visit from India to Ghana in 30 the visit, PM Modi reaffirmed that India is a co-traveller in Ghana;s development journey. PM Modi met with Ghana's President John Dramani Mahama and held wide-ranging two leaders agreed to double trade in the next five years, strengthen defence ties and boost cooperation in areas like digital payments, healthcare, culture and critical minerals. "Indian companies have invested nearly two billion dollars in about 900 projects. Today, we have set a target to double our mutual trade in the next five years," PM Modi said in a media statement."In the field of FinTech, India is ready to share its experience of UPI digital payments with Ghana," he the PM Modi's historic visit, the nations signed four key Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs):The first was a Cultural Exchange Programme, which will help both countries share and learn more about each other's art, music, dance, literature and second agreement was between the Bureau of Indian Standards and the Ghana Standards Authority to work together on improving product standards, quality checks and third deal focused on traditional medicine, where India and Ghana will work together on education, training and research in this fourth agreement set up a Joint Commission Meeting, which will allow both countries to hold regular high-level talks to review and improve their two leaders also discussed a wide range of global and regional challenges, including terrorism. The leaders agreed to strengthen cooperation in the fight against terrorism, while recognising it as a common threat to the area of defence and security, India is committed to supporting Ghana through training programs and the provision of defence equipment. During the visit, PM Modi also assured India's assistance on the economic front and pledged to help Ghana boost its agriculture sector in order to achieve food India pledged support for Ghana's ambition to become a regional hub for vaccine production. Modi also reaffirmed India's strong backing for the Global South and welcomed the African Union's inclusion in the G20 during India's the prime minister was also conferred with 'The Officer of the Order of the Star of Ghana', the country's national honour, for his "distinguished statesmanship and influential global leadership". PM Narendra Modi received the honour from the Ghanaian President John Dramani Mahama.- Ends

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