How to Apply for Mutual Fund New Fund Offer (NFO) through Zerodha Coin

Zerodha Coin | NFO | Mutual Funds New Fund Offer | Mutual Funds NFO

Introduction:

You have probably come to this article wanting to apply for the latest NFO (New Fund Offer) through Zerodha Coin. This NFO, may have been announced by your favourite Mutual Fund House OR your friend/colleague has tipped you in on the latest NFO that is expected to do well. Either way, read on!

So, can you apply for the NFO (New Fund Offer) through Zerodha Coin?

Answer: Yes, you can apply for NFO (New Fund Offer) though Zerodha Coin through a simple six-step process, listed below, that will take a maximum of 20 minutes of your time.

What is a New Fund Offer (NFO)?

Before we start, you might have a basic question. What exactly is a New Fund Offer? To state it simply, a New Fund Offer can be explained as the first subscription opportunity for any new mutual fund announced by any of the Mutual Fund Houses/Asset Management Companies in India. There is a window period, wherein potential investors can apply for the NFO.

New Fund Offerings could be either

  • Close-ended funds (where the mutual fund can be applied for ONLY during the application period, and the mutual fund closes for any fresh cash inflow, and the investment, and redemption rules are carried out as per the scheme document), OR
  • Open-ended funds (where the mutual funds after the initial NFO period opens up for regular investments, whether lump-sum, or Systematic Investment Plan i.e. SIP method).

Think of an NFO like an IPO (Initial Public Offering) for a mutual fund.

Pre-requisites before we start to apply

Before we start, we assume the following points:

  • You have a demat account with Zerodha Broking. The Zerodha demat account number is in a 16-digit format: 12081600 12345678, where the first 8 digits (viz. 12081600) are of Zerodha DP ID, and last 8 digits (viz. 12345678, in this example) are the Customer ID.
  • You have adequate balance in your bank account (mapped with Zerodha) to ensure that the NFO amount can be deducted at the pre-decided timelines, and
  • You gone through the Scheme Offer Document, to ensure that the objectives of the offered mutual fund scheme are aligned with yours. Please do not go on peer pressure. Assess whether the declared mutual fund rationale aligns with your objectives, and only then apply for the NFO.

Detailed How-to Guide on the NFO Application Process

Time needed: 20 minutes

  1. Login to Zerodha Coin Website

    Go to the Zerodha Coin URL viz. https://coin.zerodha.com/, and login with your Zerodha credentials.

  2. Navigate to the Mutual Funds module in the dropdown under the Dashboard, at the top left.

    – At the top left of the screen, click on the Dashboard, and select Mutual Funds

  3. Navigate to the “Explore” module under Mutual Funds

    – Click on the Explore option. Mostly probably the default selected option is “Holdings”. Select “Explore”.i.e. the option to the left of “Holdings”.

  4. Next, click on the “Apply Now” option at the bottom left

    – Click on the “Apply Now” button at the bottom left i.e. the Blue button.

  5. Scroll to the desired mutual fund NFO you wish to apply for

    – The list opens to a scrollable list of all the NFO that is presently in the subscription window.
    – Pro-tip: If you click on the name of any mutual fund NFO, the Scheme Information Document will open in a new window with all the details of the selected fund. This should help you with any detailed information for the mutual fund.
    – Scroll to the Mutual Fund NFO you wish to apply for.

  6. Enter the desired amount you wish to invest, and click “Place Order”

    – Here, enter the desired amount you wish you invest, and click “Place Order”.
    – Do note that you can go back, and either modify the desired investment amount OR delete the order altogether anytime during the subscription period.

  7. Done!

    – That is it! You are done with the application process.
    – Just wait until the declared timelines, and the Mutual Fund House will first deduct the desired amount from your account, and later issue the mutual fund units, as per the NAVs.

Conclusion

So that is the detailed process to apply for any ongoing New Fund Offer (NFO) being offered by any of the mutual fund houses. However, as stated earlier, please go through the scheme offer documents, to ensure that the investment outlook, and expectations are aligned with yours (as an investor).

Best wishes on your investment journey!