SEBI Survey Finds KVP, NSC More Widely Known Than PPF, EPF and VPF Among Households
Indian households continue to favour familiar savings instruments, with awareness levels clearly tilted toward traditional, government-backed products, according to SEBI’s Investor Survey 2025. The findings highlight how comfort, visibility and long-standing usage still shape investment awareness across the country.
The survey shows that Post Office savings schemes, Kisan Vikas Patra (KVP) and National Savings Certificate (NSC) enjoy higher household awareness than provident fund options such as Public Provident Fund (PPF), Employees’ Provident Fund (EPF) and Voluntary Provident Fund (VPF). These small savings schemes, often seen as simple and secure, remain deeply ingrained in household financial planning.
“Awareness of non-securities market products remains exceptionally high, with Fixed Deposits and Life Insurance enjoying near-universal recognition across households,” the SEBI report noted. Fixed deposits and insurance products continue to be viewed as safe, dependable choices, especially among risk-averse investors.
The survey also sheds light on awareness beyond pure savings products. Real estate is recognised as an investment avenue by nearly half of Indian households, with 46 percent acknowledging it as an option. Meanwhile, products like the National Pension Scheme (NPS) and Chit Funds record awareness levels of around 30 percent, suggesting moderate but uneven penetration.
However, awareness drops sharply when it comes to certain long-term and emerging options. “In contrast, awareness of Public Provident Fund, Voluntary Provident Fund, Employees’ Provident Fund, and emerging options like Cryptocurrency falls below 30 percent, underscoring the current gap in familiarity with these instruments,” the survey said. This indicates that even widely available retirement-focused products are not as top-of-mind as expected.
On the securities market side, the survey finds that awareness remains concentrated around a few established instruments. “At the product level, awareness of securities market products remains concentrated around established instruments. Mutual funds/ETF (53 percent) and listed equities (49 percent) are the most widely recognized securities market products among households,” the report stated. These products clearly dominate compared to other market-linked options.
Interestingly, awareness tends to overlap. Among households that are aware of either mutual funds/ETFs or stocks, about 67 percent know about both. Among the remaining group, 19 percent are aware only of mutual funds or ETFs, while 14 percent are aware only of stocks, indicating partial exposure rather than complete market understanding.
Awareness of more sophisticated or newer securities products remains limited. Futures and Options are known to just 13 percent of households, while REITs, InvITs and corporate bonds each register around 10 percent awareness. Alternative Investment Funds (AIFs) trail at the bottom, with only 6 percent of households familiar with them.
Overall, SEBI’s Investor Survey 2025 paints a clear picture of India’s investment awareness landscape. Households continue to rely heavily on traditional savings products, while awareness of provident funds beyond EPF and advanced market-linked instruments remains relatively low. The findings underline the growing need for focused financial literacy efforts to help households better understand and access a wider range of investment options.
The survey shows that Post Office savings schemes, Kisan Vikas Patra (KVP) and National Savings Certificate (NSC) enjoy higher household awareness than provident fund options such as Public Provident Fund (PPF), Employees’ Provident Fund (EPF) and Voluntary Provident Fund (VPF). These small savings schemes, often seen as simple and secure, remain deeply ingrained in household financial planning.
“Awareness of non-securities market products remains exceptionally high, with Fixed Deposits and Life Insurance enjoying near-universal recognition across households,” the SEBI report noted. Fixed deposits and insurance products continue to be viewed as safe, dependable choices, especially among risk-averse investors.
The survey also sheds light on awareness beyond pure savings products. Real estate is recognised as an investment avenue by nearly half of Indian households, with 46 percent acknowledging it as an option. Meanwhile, products like the National Pension Scheme (NPS) and Chit Funds record awareness levels of around 30 percent, suggesting moderate but uneven penetration.
However, awareness drops sharply when it comes to certain long-term and emerging options. “In contrast, awareness of Public Provident Fund, Voluntary Provident Fund, Employees’ Provident Fund, and emerging options like Cryptocurrency falls below 30 percent, underscoring the current gap in familiarity with these instruments,” the survey said. This indicates that even widely available retirement-focused products are not as top-of-mind as expected.
On the securities market side, the survey finds that awareness remains concentrated around a few established instruments. “At the product level, awareness of securities market products remains concentrated around established instruments. Mutual funds/ETF (53 percent) and listed equities (49 percent) are the most widely recognized securities market products among households,” the report stated. These products clearly dominate compared to other market-linked options.
Interestingly, awareness tends to overlap. Among households that are aware of either mutual funds/ETFs or stocks, about 67 percent know about both. Among the remaining group, 19 percent are aware only of mutual funds or ETFs, while 14 percent are aware only of stocks, indicating partial exposure rather than complete market understanding.
Awareness of more sophisticated or newer securities products remains limited. Futures and Options are known to just 13 percent of households, while REITs, InvITs and corporate bonds each register around 10 percent awareness. Alternative Investment Funds (AIFs) trail at the bottom, with only 6 percent of households familiar with them.
Overall, SEBI’s Investor Survey 2025 paints a clear picture of India’s investment awareness landscape. Households continue to rely heavily on traditional savings products, while awareness of provident funds beyond EPF and advanced market-linked instruments remains relatively low. The findings underline the growing need for focused financial literacy efforts to help households better understand and access a wider range of investment options.
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