Mumbai: SBI Mutual Fund today announced the launch of Aarambh, an assisted digital onboarding service designed to make it easier for first-time investors across India to begin their mutual fund journey with confidence. The service was launched by Shri C. S. Setty, Chairman, State Bank of India, in the presence of senior leaders of the State Bank of India and SBI Mutual Fund.

Aarambh, meaning ‘a beginning,’ has been built on a foundational insight: many new investors need guidance and a simple, seamless onboarding experience to become invest-ready. Technology alone is often not enough. Aarambh enables an SBI branch official or authorised representative, SBI MF Relationship Manager or a Mutual Fund Distribution Partner to support a prospective investor through the entire onboarding process, from their first conversation to completing their first investment, within a single digital session. There is no physical paperwork and no multi-step follow-up helping investors to become invest-ready in just a few mins.

Aarambh also introduces one of the earliest Aadhaar-based biometric eKYC and eSign integrations in the mutual fund onboarding process. Traditionally, onboarding has relied heavily on one-time passwords (OTP), which may be cumbersome for some investors or unusable when a mobile number is not seeded with Aadhaar. With Aarambh, a fingerprint completes the onboarding process quickly and simply, while an OTP-based route still continues to remain available for investors who prefer it.

Importantly, Aarambh ensures a fully digital experience for individuals who do not hold a PAN, a segment that until now could invest only through physical, paper-based processes. First-time investors can also begin with Jan Nivesh which enables SIPs starting at ₹250 a month. This option is available within the assisted digital onboarding flow for individuals starting with smaller amounts.

Aarambh is intended to serve the next wave of Indians yet to make their first investment – helping simplify the first step and encouraging wider participation.

Debasish Mishra, MD & CEO, SBI Funds Management Limited, said: “At SBI Mutual Fund, we recognise that for many individuals, the barrier to investing is not interest but the perceived complexity of taking the first step. Aarambh brings together assisted guidance, secure biometric authentication, and digital onboarding to make that beginning more accessible. It reflects our commitment to supporting first-time investors with clarity and trust as they enter the mutual fund ecosystem and begin their investment journey. This initiative aligns with our vision of democratising investing for individuals across India.” R S Srinivas Jain, Head of Strategy, Digital, IT, and IR said: “Aarambh reflects our broader digital strategy of creating pathways that are both accessible and scalable. By integrating assisted onboarding with biometric authentication, we are helping simplify the entry point for individuals who may be unfamiliar with the existing onboarding processes. Our goal is to design digital experiences that encourage participation while maintaining transparency and trust that investors expect.”