Bengaluru, Jan 28— Franklin Templeton India’s ‘Change the Soch – Kanyakumari to Kashmir Drive’ – a first of its kind nationwide campaign reaches the city of Bengaluru aimed at promoting financial empowerment, especially among women. Commemorating Franklin Templeton’s 30 years in India, this 30-day journey kicked off in the southern tip of the country in Kanyakumari covering 21 cities, and conclude in Srinagar, Jammu & Kashmir. Through interactive financial education sessions, expert insights, and community engagement, the drive aims to demystify mutual fund investing and inspire confidence among thousands of Indians to take charge of their financial future.
Avinash Satwalekar, President – Franklin Templeton India, will lead the drive, championing financial inclusion through this journey across the country. He will stop every other day in a new town or village to host investor education workshops for diverse groups of women, emphasising the importance of saving, investing, and building long-term wealth to achieve life goals. The initiative will engage a wide spectrum of participants, majority being women including farmers (from fishing communities to those involved in varied crop cultivation), academia (students, parents, school and university teachers), self-help groups (women engaged in the food and handloom sectors), entrepreneurs, private and government sector employees, and army, navy and police personnel.
Speaking on the launch initiative, Avinash Satwalekar, President, Franklin Templeton–India, said, “Financial literacy among women is fundamental to India’s long-term socio-economic progress. While urban centres have made meaningful advances, lakhs of women across Bharat, especially in Tier 2 and Tier 3 regions remain underserved in terms of access to financial knowledge and tools. Through this initiative, we will engage with women from diverse walks of life and empower them with the knowledge and confidence to save, invest and adopt digital finance.”
He added, “When women make informed financial decisions, households could become resilient, communities could thrive and the country moves closer to inclusive growth. Bridging this gap is more than education – it is a vital step towards India’s ambition of Viksit Bharat (developed nation status) by 2047 and building a more inclusive and sustainable financial ecosystem.”
Mutual funds are some of the most efficient methods to achieve a variety of investment objectives such as building long-term wealth and beating inflation. In addition, mutual funds help investors diversify their investments, benefit from professional investment expertise, economies of scale, liquidity, tax efficiencies and lower ticket sizes. Franklin Templeton brings its unique initiative to the city of Bengaluru, Karnataka, which is among the top 50 markets in terms of industry assets under management to spread awareness about mutual funds.
Franklin Templeton sees strong growth potential for mutual funds in Karnataka as new investors look to participate in the India growth story. The fund house is committed to expanding its distribution network in the state and aims to reach out to more investors, to educate them about the advantages of mutual fund investing. Currently, the AAUM of the mutual fund industry in Karnataka stands at over Rs.564,488 growing over 17% in the previous year distributed across key cities like Bengaluru, Mangaluru, Hubli, Raichur and Mysuru signaling a promising growth trajectory in the medium to long term1. The Indian mutual fund industry’s assets under management (AUM) have grown by over six times in a decade, from Rs. 12.75 trillion as on December 31, 2015 to Rs. 80.23 trillion as on December 31, 2025, reflecting an annualized growth rate of 20%2. With 77 years of expertise in global investing, Franklin Templeton boasts an extensive international presence and a wide array of products supported by a dedicated team of over 1600 investment professionals. The company manages assets worth US$ 1.68 trillion (~Rs. 150 lakh crores) world wide, as on December 31, 2025. Franklin Templeton has a 30-year legacy in India with average assets under management of over Rs. 1.27 lakh crores across 37 mutual fund schemes. Three of its flagship funds – Franklin India Large Cap Fund (erstwhile Franklin India Bluechip Fund), Franklin India Mid Cap Fund (erstwhile Franklin India Prima Fund) and Franklin India Flexi Cap Fund have a track record of over 30 years, while 18 Franklin Templeton funds have completed more than 20 years since their inception.
