The cryptocurrency market, still in its early stages, grapples with numerous imperfections, particularly in terms of regulations. Cryptocurrencies are frequently used to circumvent regulatory frameworks, enabling schemes that transform illicitly obtained funds into seemingly legal and “clean” assets. In response to these challenges, regulators have introduced mandatory know-your-customer (KYC) and anti-money laundering (AML) procedures for centralized exchanges, wallet providers, crypto issuers, and financial service providers within the crypto sector. In this article, we will explain the concepts of anti-money laundering and know-your-customer in the crypto space.
What is AML and KYC?
AML basically covers how crypto companies align their customers, processes, and technology to detect and prevent money laundering schemes. For example, AML check BTC online swiftly identifies whether bitcoins from a specific wallet are linked to any illegal schemes or financial crimes. AML includes:
KYC
Monitoring of transactions
Recording
Risk assessment
Due diligence.
Being a part of AML, KYC is a check that a company (crypto exchange) mandatory asks its clients to undergo during onboarding, just to know who their customers are.
AML vs KYC
Here is a comparison to better understand KYC and AML:
Process
Purpose
Verification
Scope
Implementation
KYC
Designed to verify the identity of individuals or entities engaging in financial transactions
Obtaining information such as names, addresses, and official identification documents to confirm the identity of users
Preventive measures, aim to ensure that the individuals or entities involved in transactions are who they claim to be
Employed by financial institutions and crypto exchanges to comply with regulatory requirements and reduce fraud and identity theft risks
AML
Preventing the illegal generation of income through money laundering
Assessing the risk related to financial transactions and implementing measures to detect and deter money laundering activities
Addressing not only the identity of clients but also scrutinizing the financial transactions for suspicious activities
Require financial institutions and crypto exchanges to establish robust frameworks for monitoring and reporting suspicious transactions, and implementing risk-based assessments.
Table: The Difference Between KYC and AML in Crypto
While KYC is an important part of AML, the main difference lies in their broader purposes. KYC is concerned with confirming the identity of users, whereas AML encompasses a wider range of measures aimed at preventing and detecting activities related to money laundering and the financing of illegal activities like terrorism. Both KYC and AML measures are essential to comply with regulations and maintain the security of financial transactions.
Foreign Institutional Investors (FIIs) have been one of the key players in India’s stock market for quite some time now. FII activity tends to drive the performance of the stock market and give signals on how the rest of the world views India’s growth story. However, the year 2026 is witnessing a change in the story, as the FIIs are no longer rushing into the market but rather exiting the market at an unprecedented rate while still holding concentrated bets in certain companies.
This guide will shed light on the 20 most popular FII-owned companies in India, explain which sectors the foreign money is concentrated in, and, most importantly, define “FII favorites.”
FIIs Are Selling, Not Buying, India in 2026
Before we move onto individual stock holdings, it is important to be aware of the landscape in which these investments have been made. During the period from January 2024 to December 2025, foreign institutional investors sold shares amounting to more than $46 billion, bringing down foreign portfolio investment in companies listed at NSE to 16.9%, the lowest since more than 15 years ago. The sales have not stopped there; during the first five months of 2026, the FIIs were able to withdraw more money than they did all through 2025.
This marks another record: it is for the first time that the Domestic Institutional Investors (DIIs), who include the Indian mutual funds, insurers, and pension funds, are owning a greater stake in Indian equities than the FIIs.
The reason for this shift in preference can be attributed to global institutions pulling out their investments in favor of the hardware supply chain of AI in Northeast Asia and even South Korea and Brazil.
Why does this matter? It affects your understanding of “FII favorites” list. Actually there are two types of such lists, both of which are interesting:
Companies in which FIIs have the maximum rupee investment – mostly big cap companies of India as their shares are held significantly by foreign funds due to them being index components.
Companies in which FIIs have the highest proportionate equity share – smaller and new economy companies in which foreign holding is disproportionately high as compared to the size of the company.
Both are important but as we will talk about the core holdings list of FIIs, so here we go…
What FIIs Look for in Indian Stocks
In various market cycles, certain factors always draw foreign investment into Indian stocks:
Leading presence in a large and growing industry segment
Better and clearer corporate governance practices
Consistent earnings growth with visibility about the future
Sufficient trading liquidity, where the large fund can trade in and out of the stock without any price effect
Globe or export revenue, which makes them less reliant on the domestic market cycle
Higher ROE compared to their competitors
Lower debt levels and good free cash flows
Companies with multiple such factors are regularly found in the list of institutional ownership despite the general condition of the FII inflows.
The 20 Favorite FII Stocks in India
Banking & Financial Services
HDFC Bank – This largest private sector bank in India continues to be a consistent favorite for the FII’s due to its consistent track record in earning profits, prudent underwriting, and scale advantages in retail and corporate banking.
ICICI Bank – This bank with its strong loan growth and profit margins, and a diversified portfolio of loans, has been a top performer among foreign institutional investors’ favorites as seen with GQG Partners.
Axis Bank – With its continued asset quality improvements and growing retail franchise, the bank continues to feature on the radar screens of institutional investors despite being relatively cheap compared to other banks.
Kotak Mahindra Bank – This bank is valued highly for its premium valuation owing to good governance standards and conservative risk-taking practices.
State Bank of India (SBI) – Being the largest public sector bank in India, this bank gives FIIs access to the wider Indian economy, in addition to their improved performance metrics in recent times.
Bajaj Finance – This non-banking financial company has established itself through its high return on equity ratio and an aggressive yet prudent lending practices into retail and consumer finance segments.
Information Technology
Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) – The biggest Indian software services export business is highly valued among FIIs due to its excellent ability to generate cash flow, high levels of dividend payments, and consistent long-term customer relations.
Infosys – The number two player in the IT hierarchy has much to offer foreign investment capital with its exposure to global technology spend and consulting revenues.
Energy & Conglomerates
Reliance Industries — As India’s most diversified conglomerate, spanning energy, retail, telecom, and digital services, Reliance is often a default large-cap holding for any fund with meaningful India exposure.
Telecom
Bharti Airtel — Rising average revenue per user (ARPU), a strengthening digital and enterprise business, and improving balance sheet metrics have made Airtel one of the more consistently held telecom names among FIIs, including GQG Partners.
Infrastructure & Industrials
Larsen & Toubro (L&T) – The capital expenditure cycle and increasing defense manufacturing activities in India make L&T stand for the story of infrastructure development in the nation.
UltraTech Cement – As India’s largest cement company, UltraTech is affected directly by the trends in infrastructure and housing capex that attract FIIs into L&T.
Adani Ports & SEZ – India’s largest privately-owned port company, Adani Ports provides foreign investors with access to logistics infrastructure, although the shares of other Adani group companies have attracted less stable institutional interest recently.
Automobiles
Tata Motors – The revival story at JLR coupled with an active strategy to tap into electric vehicles locally has helped Tata Motors remain in focus for institutions seeking cycle stories.
Mahindra & Mahindra – With dominance in the SUV category and a robust tractor business, M&M has a growth plus defensive story that catches the fancy of institutions.
Maruti Suzuki – Being the biggest passenger vehicle manufacturer in the country makes Maruti a pure play for foreign institutions looking for exposure to growing car ownership among the middle class.
Pharmaceuticals
Sun Pharma — India’s largest pharmaceutical company by market capitalization has built a genuinely global specialty pharma business, reducing its dependence on any single market’s regulatory or pricing risk.
Consumer & FMCG
Hindustan Unilever — A classic “defensive consumption” holding, HUL offers stability during volatile markets thanks to its portfolio of everyday household and personal care brands.
Asian Paints — Strong brand equity and industry-leading margins have historically made Asian Paints a favorite quality-consumer pick, though intensifying competition has made this position less uniform among funds recently.
Titan Company — India’s leading branded jewellery and watches player benefits from the formalization of the gems and jewellery sector, a theme that continues to attract foreign capital.
Where FII Ownership Is Actually Highest Right Now
It should be stated that the stocks that have the largest FII ownership as percentages in 2026 seem to be quite different from the list of large-cap stocks above. According to the latest stock holdings disclosure for the quarter ending March 2026, stocks such as ixigo (Le Travenues Technology), 360 One WAM, Redington, Paytm, and Urban Company seem to be among the stocks that had the largest percentages of FII ownership in the market – several with more than 50%, and ixigo more than 64%. It should be noted that in the list of concentrated ownership, there is not a single PSU bank, commodity producer, or old industry name; almost all of them were relatively new or transformed businesses.
That said, the difference between the two lists is essential to the investor: the first one is the largest FIIs “favorites” as far as rupees invested are concerned, whereas the second one is the most concentrated in percentages of company ownership conviction.
Should You Buy FII Stocks?
The data on foreign investment institutions’ holdings is published quarterly and represents a snapshot which may be already dated at the moment of publication.
Unlike individuals, foreign funds have other investment strategies, time frames and risk profiles – a stock that would fit into GQG Partners’ strategy of five years may be unacceptable for a day trader.
A large foreign investment in a stock may work both ways – if foreign investors decide to sell off, a stock with a high foreign ownership share will fall in price much faster.
The tendency of foreign outflows for 2026 proves that even the traditionally popular blue chips are vulnerable to institutional outflows.
Final Thoughts
While FII investments still prove a good gauge of institutional conviction in Indian equities, 2026 is an instance where the numbers paint a picture that is a little more complex than “the foreign dollars are in love with these stocks.” In general, large, liquid, well-managed companies within the banks, IT, energy, infrastructure, automobiles, pharmaceuticals, and consumer products industries form the backbone of most FII portfolios. On the other hand, record withdrawals by FIIs and the unprecedented move towards domestic institutional dominance indicate that the attitude of FIIs towards India in general has become more wary than at any point in a decade or so.
The best strategy for the investor is to consider FII shareholdings as one of the criteria along with others such as earnings quality and company valuations.
NFO – New Fund Offer is very popular. The financial market always sees mutual fund firms launching new schemes from time to time which promise investors new and exciting themes and low costs, along with the opportunity to buy at ground floor prices. Yet another piece of advice from the financial advisors always remains the same, and that is to go for a mutual fund scheme that boasts of a good track record.
As an investor, if you are wondering whether you should invest in a new scheme or a well-established mutual fund scheme, here is a comparison of the two based on different parameters like track record, cost, risk, liquidity, and suitability.
What are NFO and Old Mutual Funds
Old mutual funds are the ones that have been around, for a while. They have been trading in the market for years. These old mutual funds have a Net Asset Value that shows how they have actually done. You can look at what they own. See what the mutual fund manager has done over time. In good times and bad times.
New Fund Offers are mutual funds that a company starts to get money from people. The company wants to try an idea or invest in something new. When a New Fund Offer starts people can buy units at a price, usually ten rupees. After that the price of the fund will depend on how the things it owns do.
On paper a New Fund Offer seems like a thing because it is new.. In real life new also means that we do not know if it will work because the New Fund Offer is unproven.
Key Differences Between Old Mutual Funds and NFOs
Track Record and Performance History
This is the single biggest differentiator. An established fund gives you years — sometimes decades — of NAV data, rolling returns, and drawdown behavior to study. You can see exactly how it performed during periods of volatility, how consistent the fund manager’s strategy has been, and how it stacks up against its benchmark and category peers.
An NFO has none of this. You’re investing purely on the strength of the fund’s stated objective, the AMC’s reputation, and the fund manager’s past performance on other schemes — which is not a guarantee of how this particular fund will behave.
Portfolio Transparency
When you put money into a fund that is already running you can see what the fund is investing in now how the money is divided among different sectors and what fees you have to pay. This helps you figure out if the fund is really doing what it says it is doing with the money.
When a new fund is just starting out it does not have any investments yet. You are basically trusting the people, in charge of the fund to make investments just like they said they would in the information they gave you. This is a risk and people who have invested before are often not willing to take it with a new fund.
NAV Pricing
People often think that a new fund offer that costs ₹10 per unit is a deal than a fund that is already trading at ₹85 per unit. They think it is cheaper. Has more room to grow.. This is not true. The price of a unit does not determine the value of the fund. The Net Asset Value is the total value of the funds assets divided by the number of units it has. What really matters is how well the investments in the fund do. It does not matter if you buy a unit for ₹10 or ₹500. Buying units at a lower price does not mean you are getting more value. The future performance of the fund depends on its investments, not the price of the unit. A new fund offer priced at ₹10 per unit is not necessarily better than an existing fund trading at ₹85 per unit. The Net Asset Value of a fund is what matters, not the price, per unit.
Cost Structure
Expense ratios for established funds are usually well-documented and, for many equity schemes, have trended lower over time as Assets Under Management (AUM) has grown, thanks to SEBI’s tiered expense-ratio slabs. NFOs, especially actively managed ones, sometimes carry higher initial costs, and in the past, some NFOs have also come with an exit load structure designed to lock investors in during the fund’s early ramp-up phase. Always read the Scheme Information Document (SID) carefully.
Liquidity
Open-ended existing funds offer daily liquidity — you can redeem on any business day at the prevailing NAV. Most NFOs today are also open-ended, so liquidity isn’t necessarily a differentiator anymore. However, some NFOs — particularly close-ended funds like certain fixed-maturity or thematic plans — come with lock-in periods, which reduce flexibility. Always check the fund structure before investing.
Risk Profile
Older funds have weathered actual market cycles, giving you a realistic sense of downside risk. NFOs, particularly thematic or sectoral ones launched to capitalize on a trending narrative (say, a hot sector or emerging technology), often carry concentrated, higher risk. If the theme goes out of favor, an NFO with no track record and no diversification cushion can underperform sharply — and you won’t have historical data to fall back on for context.
Why AMCs Keep Launching NFOs
It’s worth understanding the business incentive here. NFOs generate fresh inflows and AUM for the AMC, and marketing around a “new” theme is often easier to sell than explaining the merits of a fund that’s simply been quietly compounding for ten years. That doesn’t automatically make NFOs bad investments — but it does mean the enthusiasm around a launch is not the same as evidence of quality.
When an NFO Might Actually Make Sense
NFOs aren’t inherently inferior — there are legitimate scenarios where a new fund deserves consideration:
Genuine white-space strategies: If the NFO offers real access to an asset class, geography, or investment strategy that no existing fund in your portfolio currently covers (for example, a fund targeting a specific international market or a novel factor-based strategy), it may fill a genuine gap.
Index and passive funds: For passive/index NFOs (tracking a well-defined benchmark), the “track record” argument matters less, since performance is designed to mirror the index rather than depend on active stock-picking skill. Here, cost (expense ratio) and tracking error become the more relevant factors once the fund has been running for a while.
Strong parent AMC pedigree: A new fund launched by an AMC with a long, consistent history of managing similar strategies well carries somewhat lower “unknown” risk than one from a newer or less disciplined fund house — though this still isn’t the same as the specific fund having its own track record.
When Sticking with an Established Fund Makes More Sense
For most retail investors, especially those investing for long-term goals like retirement, children’s education, or wealth creation, established funds are usually the more prudent choice because:
You can evaluate actual risk-adjusted returns (Sharpe ratio, alpha, downside capture) rather than projections.
You know exactly what you’re buying — the portfolio is visible today, not promised for tomorrow.
Fund manager consistency and process discipline can be verified across multiple market cycles, not just a pitch deck.
SIP (Systematic Investment Plan) performance data is available, which is far more relevant for most investors than lump-sum NFO entries.
Comparison Table
Factor
Old Mutual Funds
NFOs
Track record
Available (years of data)
None
Portfolio visibility
Transparent, checkable
Unknown until deployed
NAV pricing logic
Reflects real performance
Fixed offer price (often ₹10) — no inherent discount
Risk assessment
Backed by historical drawdown data
Largely theoretical
Liquidity
Daily (for open-ended funds)
Varies; some carry lock-ins
Best suited for
Most long-term, goal-based investors
Investors filling a specific strategy gap, or index-fund seekers
Conclusion
For the vast majority of investors, established mutual funds with a consistent, verifiable track record remain the safer and more rational choice in 2026. The predictability of data — how a fund manager has actually navigated market ups and downs — is simply more valuable than the promise of a new theme.
NFOs deserve consideration only in narrow, specific situations: when they offer genuine access to an asset class or strategy missing from your portfolio, when they’re passive/index funds where track record matters less, or when they come from AMCs with a strong, consistent history in similar strategies.
The golden rule doesn’t change with the calendar year: don’t invest in a fund just because it’s new, and don’t avoid a fund just because it’s old. Evaluate every scheme — new or established — against your own financial goals, risk appetite, and investment horizon, and read the Scheme Information Document carefully before committing your money.
Aadhaar is one of the most important documents for identity verification in India. You will need Aadhaar card for most of financial transactions such as opening bank account, KYC, SIM card application and lot others. As Aadhaar is used extensively, the biometric associated with Aadhaar such as iris scan, fingerprints and facial data can be misused. To prevent misuse of these data, the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) offers a Biometric Lock/Unlock feature that lets Aadhaar holders’ control exactly when their biometric data can be used for authentication. It is called as Aadhaar Biometric Lock Unlock Facility.
If you have locked the biometric data of your Aadhaar card for safety reasons and now require its usage, for example, at a bank or while connecting a new SIM card, then this article is a perfect help manual for unlocking your biometric data of your Aadhaar card.
What Is Aadhaar Biometric Lock/Unlock?
Aadhaar Biometric Lock facility comes at zero cost to you from the UIDAI and allows you to block the usage of fingerprint, iris, or facial recognition authentication against your Aadhaar number. With biometric lock:
Anyone – including yourself – will not be able to authenticate using fingerprints or iris against your Aadhaar
The OTP authentication method and demographic authentication will still function as usual
Your Aadhaar number and other demographic information will be absolutely unaffected
Biometrics can always be unlocked when needed
Consider it to be like an automatic safety lock. UIDAI suggests that one should keep one’s biometrics locked by default, but unlocks them only during the period when biometric authentication is needed; afterwards, they get locked automatically.
The significance of such a feature has increased in light of numerous incidents of fraud committed through Aadhaar. These include AEPS transactions where stolen or duplicated fingerprints are used to commit the fraud. With crores of Aadhaar numbers being scrutinized and blocked to avoid misuse, UIDAI now encourages biometric locking.
Why You Need to Unlock Aadhaar Biometrics
Unlocking of your biometric data is required in cases like:
Opening a new bank account or performing biometric based e-KYC
Performing AEPS transactions through the banking correspondent
Buying a new SIM card through biometric verification
Application for LPG, PDS ration, pension scheme
Services which verify your identity through fingerprint/iris scan services
Biometric authentication of your data for any other purpose requested by the agency.
As biometric authentication can only be done after unlocking your data, it is a prerequisite process.
Here’s what you should have ready for unlocking or locking your Aadhaar biometrics:
Your 12 digit Aadhaar Number or 16 digit Virtual ID – It is suggested that you use your virtual ID rather than your Aadhaar Number for more security because your Aadhaar Number is not exposed using VID.
A registered mobile number – This is compulsory, because OTP will be required for any request to unlock your Aadhaar biometrics and you cannot proceed until you register a mobile number with your Aadhaar Number. If you do not have a mobile number linked with your Aadhaar, then you will have to go to the nearest Enrolment Center/Aadhaar Seva Kendra (ASK).
Internet access – It will be mandatory for unlocking your Aadhaar biometrics through either UIDAI website or mAadhaar application.
Unlock Aadhaar Biometrics via the myAadhaar Portal (UIDAI Website)
The website myAadhaar (myaadhaar.uidai.gov.in) is the most commonly used portal to unlock biometrics online. The following is how one should go about unlocking biometrics online:
Step 1: Log on to UIDAI’s official website myaadhaar.uidai.gov.in.
Step 2: On the homepage, locate the “Aadhaar Services” category and click on “Lock/Unlock Biometrics” or go to the website for Aadhaar Lock and Unlock Service directly.
Step 3: Insert your Virtual ID (VID) and not your Aadhaar number as this specific service requires the use of the VID for unlocking biometrics, along with your full name, as per your Aadhaar document, and the captcha/security code.
Step 4: Click on “Send OTP.” A One Time Password will be received by your Aadhaar registered mobile number.
Step 5: Enter the OTP to validate yourself and choose the “Unlock” option to unlock biometrics.
Step 6: Upon verification, your biometrics will be unlocked temporarily for around 10 minutes before the system locks it again automatically for your own safety.
This feature of automatic re-locking of biometric information is intentionally included for security purposes.
Unlock Aadhaar Biometrics via the mAadhaar App
mAadhaar – the official app provided by UIDAI, gives an easy way to lock/unlock biometrics on the move – most useful when you are already at a bank or service center.
Step 1: Install and launch mAadhaar app (available both on Google Play Store and Apple App Store) and login to the app using your 4-digit/6-digit app PIN.
Step 2: Select “My Aadhaar” tab from the bottom toolbar.
Step 3: Find out “Biometric Settings” option – which is mostly located by pressing a menu button (three dots) on the top-right corner of the profile page.
Step 4: Choose “Unlock Biometrics” option and confirm the action. In some versions of the app, you might need one more OTP verification.
Step 5: Your biometrics will stay unlocked for a while (usually about 10 minutes), after that they will lock automatically.
Latest versions of mAadhaar app give the possibility to use a “One-Click Unlock” button placed on the dashboard for registered profiles. This feature is quite helpful for those, who need to unlock biometrics frequently (for example, for AEPS transactions).
Unlock Aadhaar Biometrics via SMS
If you live in an area where the internet’s not very good the Unique Identification Authority of India also known as UIDAI has a service that lets you lock and unlock your biometrics by sending a message to the toll-free number 1947. To use this service you need to have your Virtual ID, which is also known as VID.
If you do not have your Virtual ID you need to get it. Here is what you have to do:
Send a message to 1947 with the following words:
GETOTP and the last 4 digits of your Aadhaar number.
You will get a code, known as OTP on your phone. Then you have to send another message that says:
RVID and the last 4 digits of your Aadhaar number and the special code you just got.
You will get your ID or VID on your phone through a message.
Now that you have your Virtual ID you can unlock your biometrics.
To do this you have to follow these steps:
Step 1 is to send a message to 1947 that says GETOTP so you can get a code.
Step 2 is to send another message to 1947 with the following words:
UNLOCKUID and the last 6 digits of your ID and the special 6-digit code you got.
Step 3 is when you get a message, from the Unique Identification Authority of India or UIDAI telling you that your biometrics are now unlocked.
Conclusion
Using Aadhaar unlock is really easy and it does not cost you anything. It is also a secure process. This process is made so that you have control over your biometric data. You get to decide when and how your biometric data is used to verify who you are.
You can use the myAadhaar website, the mAadhaar app or the service that uses SMS messages for places where the internet is not very strong. The people, at UIDAI have made all these ways available so that you can unlock your Aadhaar biometrics quickly when you really need to. Then they automatically lock again so your identity is safe.
There are a lot of cases where people are cheating others using Aadhaar. So it is an idea to keep your Aadhaar biometrics locked all the time and only unlock them when you really need to use them. This is an effective way to keep your digital identity safe.
