Sunil Singhania

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Sunil Singhania is the founder and Managing Partner of Abakkus Asset Manager LLP, a SEBI-registered Portfolio Management Service (PMS) and Alternative Investment Fund (AIF) provider established in 2018. Before founding Abakkus, he served as Chief Investment Officer for Equities at Reliance Capital Asset Management, subsequently renamed Nippon India Mutual Fund following Nippon Life Insurance’s acquisition of a controlling stake from the Anil Ambani Group. Singhania is widely regarded as one of India’s most accomplished mid-cap equity investors, with a career spanning more than two decades in institutional fund management and a track record at Reliance AMC that placed several of its equity schemes among the best performers in their categories.

Early life and education

Sunil Singhania completed his chartered accountancy qualification (CA) and is an associate of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI). He also holds a CFA charter from the CFA Institute. He is based in Mumbai.

Career history

Early career

Singhania began his career in equity research and financial services in India in the early 1990s, building expertise in fundamental equity analysis, sector coverage, and portfolio construction. His early analytical work focused on understanding Indian businesses at an operational and competitive level, visiting factories, meeting managements, and understanding supply chains, an approach he has maintained throughout his career.

Reliance Capital Asset Management / Nippon India AMC

Singhania joined Reliance Capital Asset Management and became one of its senior equity fund managers, eventually rising to the position of Chief Investment Officer for Equities. At Reliance AMC, he managed or co-managed several of the fund house’s equity schemes, with a particular focus on the mid-cap and small-cap universe where he built a reputation for identifying fast-growing companies before they became widely recognised.

His flagship scheme, Reliance Mid and Small Cap Fund (one of several names used at various points), delivered strong long-term returns during his management tenure, reflecting his ability to identify quality emerging businesses at reasonable valuations in the less-covered part of the Indian equity market.

Following Nippon Life’s gradual acquisition of Reliance AMC’s controlling stake (a process that completed with full Nippon ownership and the rebranding to Nippon India AMC), Singhania departed in 2018 to establish his own independent investment management firm.

Abakkus Asset Manager (2018–present)

Singhania founded Abakkus Asset Manager in 2018 as a concentrated equity investment firm. The name “Abakkus” is described as inspired by the abacus, a symbol of calculation and precision. Abakkus operates PMS strategies focused on mid-cap and emerging businesses, applying Singhania’s deep research-driven approach within a more concentrated and flexible portfolio structure than a large mutual fund allows.

Abakkus grew its AUM steadily through the 2018-2024 period, benefiting from Singhania’s established reputation and the strong interest among high-net-worth investors in India’s mid-cap and small-cap equity universe. The PMS strategy delivered strong returns during the 2020-2023 bull market in Indian mid and small cap equities.

Investment philosophy

Singhania’s investment philosophy is articulated across his public media commentary:

Emerging businesses and transformational opportunities. His core interest is in identifying companies that are at the beginning of a multi-year transformation, either through a product or service that is opening a new market, an operational improvement that is significantly improving unit economics, or a sectoral tailwind that the market has not yet fully priced.

Grassroots research. Singhania has consistently emphasised the importance of visiting companies, meeting promoters and management teams, understanding competitive dynamics at the ground level, and building investment convictions from primary research rather than secondary data alone.

Long-term orientation with selective trading. While Singhania is a long-term investor in orientation, he has discussed the importance of managing position sizes actively as valuations change and taking profits when prices fully reflect fundamental value, before reinvesting in new opportunities.

Public engagement

Singhania is active in Indian financial media, contributing commentary on mid-cap markets, economic trends, and investing philosophy to Mint, Economic Times, Moneycontrol, and television channels. He is a sought-after speaker at investment conferences and industry events. He has given long-form interviews to Outlook Business, BQ Prime, and various financial podcasts.

See also

References

  1. Abakkus Asset Manager, official website and regulatory disclosures.
  2. Mint, “Why Sunil Singhania started Abakkus,” 2018.
  3. Economic Times, interview with Sunil Singhania on mid-cap investing, 2022.
  4. Outlook Business, profile of Sunil Singhania, 2020.
  5. Moneycontrol, commentary and market views, Sunil Singhania.
  6. SEBI, PMS and AIF regulatory disclosures, Abakkus Asset Manager.

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