Onboarding investors in Indian-based funds in the 21st century investment environment should not be a passive check-the-box fund administrative procedure but rather an operational strength. And that change is evident should 40 percent of the professional investors in India be subjected to fund administrative hurdles that make the subscription process time consuming. It can be said that the contemporary Indian fund manager is faced with the rare task of managing a rapid onboarding process and a balanced approach of being more aggressive in terms of regulations as required by the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) and International Financial Services Centre Authority (IFSCA) and a smooth digital first investor experience. 

Under the fund administration prism, the investor onboarding process in India has experienced a radical and significant transformation during the last two years. What previously was a tedious paperwork has now become the make-or-break point for the fund managers and the investors. The first impression is no longer established face to face in the conference room it is now shaped primarily during the onboarding process. When onboarding goes smoothly, everyone starts on the right note, otherwise investors move on. Also, in today’s environment, there is no shortage of alternatives for investors, which is quite the routine in fund administration in 2025. 

Regulators like SEBI and IFSCA constantly revise compliance and onboarding standards, making traditional approaches increasingly unviable.  It is observed that teams rush to meet compliance requirements, and when onboarding is not managed effectively, investors do not hesitate to move their funds elsewhere. 

Common Bottlenecks

Dependency of the legacy system and manual processes 

Many fund administration desks still use outdated technology like some share email with contents on a spreadsheet. It is understandable that mistakes occur, timelines slip and onboarding processes get prolonged. Many companies confess that their systems have become outdated, but the inertia often delays progress. 

PMLA Compliance Complexity, IFSCA 

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The number of regulations is significantly higher as far as documentation is concerned. When the investor base is international, it takes hours to comply with the regulations of IFSCA and the international rules of compliance including the Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (FATCA) and Common Reporting Standards (CRS). Fund administration is not just about ticking boxes, every jurisdiction has its own paperwork in varying formats. 

KYC and Multi-Jurisdictional Check 

In case one believes that the Anti-Money Laundering/Know Your Customer (AML/KYC) compliance is a cakewalk, it is time to open their eyes. Even a single document missing can take days to be obtained, only to discover it has not been certified properly. Each of these regions have its norm, and in most cases, investors do not need to create urgency.  Nothing at fund administration level can move forward until the required or administrators are in place. 

Human Factor and Auditing issues 

Records are often poorly maintained due to data entry errors and ineffective document management. In the absence of an automated audit trail, it becomes hard to show compliance when auditing the IFSCA or the FIU-IND, particularly about AML/KYC legal and regulatory framework, which puts the entities at reputational risk as well as at regulatory risk. 

Delay in Bank and Custodian Establishment 

It is not easy to open accounts or establish fiduciaries by just filling out some forms. The procedure of signing resolutions and getting the consent of the legal department is a time-consuming process. Such delays may be inherently harmless, but that has an impact on all the subsequent stages in the fund administration process. 

Streamline Onboarding structure

Automation Integration/Digital Transformation 

Life has become very easy with automation. The onboarding has been redefined by digital forms, e-signatures (DSC /Aadhar based e-sign), and verification based on the Aadhaar number which has brought this down to weeks in most instances. The teams can now spend more time servicing investors /clients and not on the fulfilling legalities.  

Integrated Compliance Architecture 

The shift towards an Integrated Compliance Architecture has radically changed the way fund administrators react to investor and regulatory expectations. A fully automated and digitalized system that puts all investor information, documentation, and holdings in one digital ecosystem makes the whole workflow quicker, clearer, and more efficient. 

Probably the most crucial aspect is that audit-ready reports can be produced in a few seconds, avoiding manual preparation and minimizing the threat of errors. It is the age of intelligent automation of funds administration, not the out-of-date way. 

Risk-Based Automation of Compliances to the IFSCA (AML/CFT/KYC) Guidelines, 2022 

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Any person scorns canned answers. Nowadays, most effective onboarding platforms possess various compliance checks depending on the types of investors and numerous destinations. It provides a solution that will assist with the low-risk profile in regard to speed to onboard with ease, checkpointing high-risk profiles to additional diligence without retarding the line in flagging compliance. 

Digital Filing and Compliance Infrastructure IFSCA

Registration and reporting online systems established by IFSCA, allow Fund Management Entities to file and register as well as report with minimal effort.  

Tech & Governance Tools

Conformist Digital Frontiers 

Secure digital platforms aligned with SEBI and IFSCA standards are now essential to fund administration. Encrypted document storage and compliant e-signatures help the fund administrator reduce data security risks while improving governance across fund administration operations. 

Artificial Intelligence-based screening software 

Slowly but certainly, compliance began to adopt artificial intelligence not only since it is the most discussed technology and cany replace the manual task of analyzing sanction lists and media data, which was also a very time-consuming activity. The role of AI is to identify deviations and, therefore, enable the human staff to allocate their resources and attention to more risky cases. 

CKYC and Digital Integration 

At this point, a connection with the CERSAI repository of the 14-digit KIN number is an indispensable option; it offers all the advantages of the increased validation of the data and decreased cost. 

Key Takeaways

One clear takeaway is that smart onboarding means smart fund administration. The organizations now using digital platforms will not only be able to catch up with regulators quickly but also gain the trust of the market while cutting the paperwork for investors. Efficiency is not just about being quick; it is being correct and keeping everyone in the process confident. To those who don’t go with the trend, the risks will escalate rather fast. 

Conclusion

In Indian fund administration, speed alone is no longer the differentiator. What truly matters is the combination of technology, strong processes, and transparent compliance managed by the fund administrator. Teams that modernize fund administration, automate intelligently, and provide clear compliance visibility will retain investor confidence. GIFT City has set the benchmark for advanced fund administration, and the industry is watching closely. The future of onboarding and fund administration is not upcoming; it is already here. 

Why Choose InCorp Global?

At InCorp, our dedicated on-ground team is committed to supporting your business journey at every stage. We guide you through the entire process, from incorporation to post-incorporation compliances, ensuring a smooth and efficient experience. Backed by a strong understanding of regulatory frameworks, we provide the necessary support to meet all compliance requirements seamlessly. To learn more about our Fund Services, you can write to us at info@incorpadvisory.in or WhatsApp us on (+91) 77380 66622. 

Authored by:
Mitul Shah | Fund Services

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