Debt funds are portfolios of fixed-income securities that help investors to generate a stable cash flow over a period of time. However, debt fund is a very broad category and there are many sub-categories of this asset class that provide different degrees of risk and rewards.
One of them is called a credit risk fund wherein the portfolio manager is mandated to invest at least 65% of the portfolio in relatively lower-grade bonds. However, investors are also compensated with a higher interest rate for their increased risk in such bonds. In a nutshell, in case you want to take a slightly higher risk in bonds for a better return, you should have a look at credit-risk funds.
In that vein, here are 2 credit risk funds that have generated a 3-year CAGR of over 10% for investors.
Baroda BNP Paribas Credit Risk Fund
Offered by BNP Paribas (EPA:BNPP) Asset Management, this fund has an AUM of INR 181 crores and tries to outpace CRISIL (NS:CRSL) Short Term Credit Risk Fund. It charges an expanse ratio of 0.78% and there is no lock-in period but it has an exit load of 1% if redeemed before 1 year (nil up to 10% of units). The fund has delivered a high return of 12.88% (3-year CAGR).
Currently, the fund has the highest concentration of bonds in the housing finance space which account for 20.87% of the portfolio, followed by 16.95% in the power generation sector. Some of the highest-weighted holdings are 7.75% Nuvoco Vistas Corporation Ltd. (NS:NUVO) 28-Aug-2025, 10.14% Shriram Housing Finance Ltd. 04-Mar-2025, 9.70% Tata Power Company Ltd (NS:TTPW) 25-Aug-2023, etc.
IDBI Credit Risk Fund
IDBI also runs a credit risk fund, with a current AUM of INR 23 crores. It uses Nifty Credit Risk Bond Index as its benchmark and charges an expense ratio of 0.61%. There is no lock-in period but there is an exit load of 1% on redemption before 1 year. The fund has returned a 3-year CAGR of 10.81% which is not less by any means for a fixed-income fund.
Looking at the portfolio, the bet size of the fund is skewed towards TREPS which accounts for 52.75% of the portfolio. It also holds bonds from JSW Steel (NS:JSTL), SAIL (NS:SAIL), REC (NS:RECM), Udaipur Cement Works etc.
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