NEW DELHI: Indian mutual funds will be allowed to invest in real estate investment trusts (REITs) and infrastructure investment trusts (InvITs), the market regulator said on Saturday, a move aimed at boosting investor interest in such alternative investments.

The Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) had been working on easing regulations on REITs and InvITs to woo more investors to India’s capital-starved property sector.

A fund would not be able to invest more than 5 percent of its net asset value in units of a single issuer of REIT or InvITs, the regulator said in a statement.

The maximum allowed investment in the alternative instruments by a single fund would be capped at 10 percent, it added.

REITs or InvITs are listed entities that invest in rent-yielding assets and distribute most of their income to shareholders as dividends.

The decisions were taken during SEBI’s board meeting in western Indian city of Jaipur.

Published in Dawn, January 15th, 2017