FME Regulatory Intelligence, Learning & Practice · IFSCA (Fund Management) Regulations, 2025

Topic B of 6 · 10 terms

Fund structures

How are the different entities connected?

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1 · In one sentence

A company whose main job is to own shares in other companies.

2 · Think of it like thisThink of a parent company that owns several shops, each run as a separate business. A holding company owns shares in other companies and controls or supports them. It usually runs a group, rather than pooling outside investors' money under a fund policy.

4 · A real-world example

A group's holding company owns its manufacturing, retail and finance subsidiaries.

5 · Why it matters

Holding companies are not AIFs, even though they hold investments.

6 · How is it different from AIF?

Holding companyOwns and controls group businesses
vs
AIFPools investors' money under an investment policy

An AIF pools money from investors under an investment policy; a holding company owns its group businesses.

7 · Regulatory meaning

Holding companies under section 2(46) of the Companies Act, 2013 are excluded from the definition of AIF (SEBI AIF Regulations, Reg 2(1)(b)).

8 · Explain it to someone else

Remember it this way: Holding company owns group companies; it is not a fund.

A company owns three subsidiaries and runs them as a group. It is:

Plain-English explanations to aid understanding. Regulatory points cite their source; general finance concepts are explained as commonly used. Not legal or tax advice.

Prashant Kumar

Meet the expert

CS Prashant Kumar

Company Secretary & Compliance Officer
Global Horizons Capital Advisors (IFSC) Private Limited — an IFSCA-licensed investment banker

13+ years of experienceFCS Fellow member, ICSIAuthor Audit Under Fire

Published in The Chartered Accountant (Jun 2025, Jan 2025, Mar 2024) and Chartered Secretary (Aug 2023)

Prashant Kumar is a seasoned Company Secretary and corporate governance strategist with more than 13 years of experience advising large corporates, promoter-led groups and global businesses on compliance, regulatory risk and board governance. In GIFT IFSC, the IFSCA regime is his day job rather than a research topic.