Nippon India Mutual Fund (Formerly known as Reliance Small Cap Fund) and SBI Small Cap Fund both belong to the small-cap category of Mutual Funds. Small cap funds form the bottom of the pyramid when Equity Funds are classified on the Basis of Market capitalization. These schemes invest their corpus in shares of companies having a market capitalization of less than INR 500 crores. Small cap stocks are defined as stocks whose market capitalization is below top 250 companies in terms of full market capitalization.
Small cap companies are generally in the nascent stages and have good potential to grow. Though small-cap funds have a higher level of risk yet; they earn high returns. Also, these schemes help individuals to diversify their Portfolio. Though both Nippon India/Reliance Small Cap Fund and SBI Small Cap Fund belong to the same category, nevertheless; there still exists a difference between them. So, let us understand the differences between both the schemes based on numerous parameters.
Nippon India Mutual Fund (Reliance Small Cap Fund) was launched in the year 2010 with an aim to generate long-term Capital appreciation by Investing predominantly in equity and related instruments of small cap companies. The fund also invests a portion of the portfolio in debt and money market securities in order to generate consistent returns. Nippon India Small Cap Fund is currently managed by Samir Rachh and Dhrumil Shah. Some of the top holdings of the scheme as on 30th June 2018 are Zydus Wellness Ltd, VIP Industries Ltd, Cyient Ltd, etc.
SBI Small Cap Fund (earlier known as SBI Small & Midcap Fund) was launched in the year 2013. The fund seeks to provide investors with a long-term capital growth along with the liquidity of an open-ended scheme by investing in a well-diversified basket of equity stocks of small cap companies. As an investment strategy, the SBI Small Cap Fund follows a blend of growth and value style of investing. The current fund manager of the scheme is R Srinivasan. Some of the top holdings of the scheme as on 31/05/2018 are CCIL-Clearing Corporation of India Ltd (CBLO), Westlife Development LTD, Kirloskar Oil Engines Ltd, Hawkins Cookers Ltd, etc.
Though these schemes belong to the same category, yet these schemes differ on various parameters. So, let us understand the parameters which are divided into four sections, namely, Basics Section, Performance Report, Yearly Performance Report, and Other Details Section.
This section compares the various elements such as Current NAV, Scheme Category, and Fincash Rating. To begin with the scheme category, it can be said that both the schemes Nippon India Small Cap Fund and SBI Small Cap Fund belong to the same category Equity Mutual Fund. With respect to the next parameter, that is, Fincash Rating, it can be said that Nippon India Small Cap Fund is rated as 4-Star and SBI Small Cap Fund is rated as 5-Star. In case of Net Asset Value, Nippon India Small Cap Fund's NAV as on 16th July 2018 is INR 40.1166, whereas the NAV of SBI Small Cap Fund is INR 50.6851. The table given below summarizes the details of basics section.
Parameters Basics NAV Net Assets (Cr) Launch Date Rating Category Sub Cat. Category Rank Risk Expense Ratio Sharpe Ratio Information Ratio Alpha Ratio Benchmark Exit Load Nippon India Small Cap Fund
Growth
Fund Details ₹167.432 ↑ 1.21 (0.73 %) ₹68,572 on 30 Nov 25 16 Sep 10 ☆☆☆☆ Equity Small Cap 6 Moderately High 1.44 -0.4 0.05 -1.19 Not Available 0-1 Years (1%),1 Years and above(NIL) SBI Small Cap Fund
Growth
Fund Details ₹169.386 ↑ 0.81 (0.48 %) ₹36,272 on 30 Nov 25 9 Sep 09 ☆☆☆☆☆ Equity Small Cap 4 Moderately High 1.58 -0.54 0 0 Not Available 0-1 Years (1%),1 Years and above(NIL)
The performance section compares the Compounded Annual Growth Rate or CAGR returns between both the schemes at different time periods. With respect to performance, it can be said there is not much difference in the performance of both the schemes. However, in many instances, SBI Small Cap Fund leads the race. The performance of both the schemes at different time periods is shown below as follows.
Parameters Performance 1 Month 3 Month 6 Month 1 Year 3 Year 5 Year Since launch Nippon India Small Cap Fund
Growth
Fund Details -0.3% 0.2% -3.1% -5.4% 21.4% 27.1% 20.2% SBI Small Cap Fund
Growth
Fund Details 0% -0.5% -2.8% -5.9% 14% 18.6% 18.9%
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This section deals with the absolute returns generated by both the funds in each year. In this case, we can see that there is a difference in the performance of both the schemes. In certain situations, Nippon India Small Cap Fund has performed better than SBI Small Cap Fund. While in some situations, the other scheme has performed better. The yearly performance of both the funds is tabulated as follows.
Parameters Yearly Performance 2024 2023 2022 2021 2020 Nippon India Small Cap Fund
Growth
Fund Details -4.7% 26.1% 48.9% 6.5% 74.3% SBI Small Cap Fund
Growth
Fund Details -4.9% 24.1% 25.3% 8.1% 47.6%
This is the last section in the comparison of both the funds. In this section, the parameters such as AUM, Minimum SIP and Lumpsum Investment, and Exit Load are compared. To begin with the minimum SIP investment, both the schemes have different monthly SIP amounts. In case of Nippon India Small Cap Fund it is INR 100 while in case of SBI Small Cap Fund it is INR 500. But, in case of Minimum Lumpsum Investment, the amount is same for both the funds, i.e., INR 5,000. The AUM of both the schemes are also different. As on 31st May, 2018, the AUM of Nippon India Small Cap Fund was INR 6,944 crores, while of SBI Small Cap Fund it was INR 809 crores. The table given below summarizes the other details for both the schemes.
Parameters Other Details Min SIP Investment Min Investment Fund Manager Nippon India Small Cap Fund
Growth
Fund Details ₹100 ₹5,000 Samir Rachh - 8.92 Yr. SBI Small Cap Fund
Growth
Fund Details ₹500 ₹5,000 R. Srinivasan - 12.05 Yr.
Nippon India Small Cap Fund
Growth
Fund Details Growth of 10,000 investment over the years.
Date Value 31 Dec 20 ₹10,000 31 Dec 21 ₹17,434 31 Dec 22 ₹18,574 31 Dec 23 ₹27,661 31 Dec 24 ₹34,872 31 Dec 25 ₹33,217 SBI Small Cap Fund
Growth
Fund Details Growth of 10,000 investment over the years.
Date Value 31 Dec 20 ₹10,000 31 Dec 21 ₹14,756 31 Dec 22 ₹15,958 31 Dec 23 ₹19,996 31 Dec 24 ₹24,823 31 Dec 25 ₹23,610
Nippon India Small Cap Fund
Growth
Fund Details Asset Allocation
Asset Class Value Cash 4.15% Equity 95.85% Equity Sector Allocation
Sector Value Industrials 20.06% Financial Services 16.18% Consumer Cyclical 15.33% Basic Materials 11.01% Consumer Defensive 10.83% Health Care 8.81% Technology 7.25% Utility 2.37% Energy 1.83% Communication Services 1.23% Real Estate 0.95% Top Securities Holdings / Portfolio
Name Holding Value Quantity Multi Commodity Exchange of India Ltd (Financial Services)
Equity, Since 28 Feb 21 | MCX3% ₹1,865 Cr 1,851,010 HDFC Bank Ltd (Financial Services)
Equity, Since 30 Apr 22 | HDFCBANK2% ₹1,340 Cr 13,300,000 State Bank of India (Financial Services)
Equity, Since 31 Oct 19 | SBIN1% ₹1,013 Cr 10,347,848 Karur Vysya Bank Ltd (Financial Services)
Equity, Since 28 Feb 17 | KARURVYSYA1% ₹946 Cr 38,140,874 Bharat Heavy Electricals Ltd (Industrials)
Equity, Since 30 Sep 22 | BHEL1% ₹858 Cr 29,507,422
↑ 969,190 Apar Industries Ltd (Industrials)
Equity, Since 31 Mar 17 | APARINDS1% ₹824 Cr 899,271 TD Power Systems Ltd (Industrials)
Equity, Since 31 Dec 15 | TDPOWERSYS1% ₹799 Cr 10,278,244 eClerx Services Ltd (Technology)
Equity, Since 31 Jul 20 | ECLERX1% ₹779 Cr 1,712,794 Reliance Industries Ltd (Energy)
Equity, Since 30 Nov 24 | RELIANCE1% ₹778 Cr 4,964,128 Axis Bank Ltd (Financial Services)
Equity, Since 31 Jul 24 | AXISBANK1% ₹765 Cr 5,977,976 SBI Small Cap Fund
Growth
Fund Details Asset Allocation
Asset Class Value Cash 5.57% Equity 91.84% Debt 2.59% Equity Sector Allocation
Sector Value Industrials 25.37% Consumer Cyclical 21.74% Financial Services 14.82% Basic Materials 12.49% Consumer Defensive 3.86% Technology 2.35% Health Care 2.33% Communication Services 1.33% Real Estate 1.09% Utility 0.19% Top Securities Holdings / Portfolio
Name Holding Value Quantity Nifty Index 30-Dec-25
Derivatives, Since 30 Nov 25 | -6% ₹2,273 Cr 861,450
↑ 861,450 Ather Energy Ltd (Consumer Cyclical)
Equity, Since 30 Apr 25 | ATHERENERG4% ₹1,443 Cr 20,096,960 City Union Bank Ltd (Financial Services)
Equity, Since 30 Jun 20 | CUB3% ₹1,129 Cr 41,665,000 SBFC Finance Ltd (Financial Services)
Equity, Since 31 Aug 23 | SBFC3% ₹968 Cr 89,318,180 E I D Parry India Ltd (Basic Materials)
Equity, Since 31 Jan 24 | EIDPARRY3% ₹961 Cr 9,324,049 Kalpataru Projects International Ltd (Industrials)
Equity, Since 31 May 20 | 5222873% ₹948 Cr 7,900,000 India (Republic of)
- | -2% ₹889 Cr 90,000,000 Chalet Hotels Ltd (Consumer Cyclical)
Equity, Since 31 Jan 19 | CHALET2% ₹861 Cr 9,716,991 Navin Fluorine International Ltd (Basic Materials)
Equity, Since 31 Mar 20 | NAVINFLUOR2% ₹860 Cr 1,500,000 Krishna Institute of Medical Sciences Ltd (Healthcare)
Equity, Since 30 Jun 23 | 5433082% ₹844 Cr 12,323,990
Therefore, from the above pointers, it can be said that both the schemes exhibit different attributes with respect to different parameters. However, when it comes to investing, it is always advisable that people should go through the scheme’s modalities completely before doing the actual investment. Additionally, they should also check whether the scheme’s approach is in-line with your investment objective. To get further clarification, you can even consult a financial advisor. This will help you ensure that your investment is safe as well as it paves way for wealth creation.