Franklin Asian Equity Fund
Sectoral/ Thematic · Franklin Templeton Asset Management (India) Private Limited
Among the 946 funds in its category, this one has grown money faster than most. ₹1 lakh invested 5 years ago would be about ₹1.6 lakh today. Investing ₹10,000 every month for the last 10 years would have put in ₹12.1 lakh and grown it to about ₹22.3 lakh. Be warned: in its worst stretch, ₹1 lakh briefly shrank to about ₹59,800. Funds like this reward patience and punish panic-selling.
New to fund research? Start with the 5-minute guide. The detailed numbers below back all of this up.Franklin Asian Equity Fund is a Sectoral/ Thematic fund from Franklin Templeton Asset Management (India) Private Limited. It has a track record of about 13.7 years. As of the latest data it carries an RS rating of 85/99 (its recent momentum versus category peers) and a King Score of 63/100 (a long-term quality composite). The current NAV is ₹48.86 (as of 2026-09-16).
Growth of ₹100 - last 5 years
Franklin Asian Equity Fund returns: last 1, 3, 5 and 10 years
| Period | This fund | Category average |
|---|---|---|
| 1 month | -2.76% | -3.47% |
| 3 months | -1.95% | 2.0% |
| 6 months | 15.91% | 10.56% |
| 1 year | 33.02% | 4.78% |
| 3 years (CAGR) | 21.89% | 13.85% |
| 5 years (CAGR) | 9.44% | 12.48% |
| 10 years (CAGR) | 10.49% | 14.18% |
The last 10 years return of Franklin Asian Equity Fund works out to 10.49% a year (CAGR) - ₹1 lakh invested 10 years ago would be about ₹2.7 lakh today. The last 5 years return is 9.44% a year (₹1 lakh → ₹1.6 lakh), and the last 3 years return is 21.89% - ahead of its category's 13.85% average by 8.0 points. Its trailing one-year return is 33.02%. Trailing returns flatter or disappoint depending on the end date you pick - the year-by-year and rolling-return sections below are a fairer read.
Year-by-year returns
| Year | Franklin Asian Equity | Benchmark |
|---|---|---|
| 2018 | -13.1% | -3.4% |
| 2019 | +28.8% | +7.7% |
| 2020 | +26.6% | +16.7% |
| 2021 | -5.2% | +30.2% |
| 2022 | -13.8% | +3.0% |
| 2023 | +1.7% | +25.8% |
| 2024 | +15.4% | +15.2% |
| 2025 | +24.3% | +6.7% |
| 2026 | +25.6% | -5.8% |
Franklin Asian Equity Fund beat its benchmark in 5 of the last 9 calendar years. Consistency against the benchmark matters more than any single great year.
Calendar-year returns show how bumpy the ride really was - an average hides the good years and the ugly ones.
What a monthly SIP in Franklin Asian Equity Fund would have made
A ₹10,000-a-month SIP, using this fund's actual NAV history. SIP returns (XIRR) differ from lumpsum CAGR because your money goes in gradually, averaging your entry price.
| SIP duration | You invested | It became | XIRR |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3 years | ₹370,000 | ₹550,909 | 27.57% |
| 5 years | ₹610,000 | ₹970,886 | 18.62% |
| 10 years | ₹1,210,000 | ₹2,233,485 | 11.77% |
Over 10 years, ₹1,210,000 invested in monthly instalments would have grown to about ₹2,233,485 - an XIRR of 11.77%. Figures are pre-tax and assume you stayed invested throughout.
Risk & drawdowns
| Measure | This fund | Category average |
|---|---|---|
| Worst drawdown (lifetime) | -40.2% | -26.37% |
| Worst drawdown (3Y) | -14.24% | -20.9% |
| Volatility (1Y) | 22.92% | 19.02% |
| Sharpe (3Y) | 0.92 | 0.31 |
| Sortino (3Y) | 1.83 | 0.82 |
| Beta (3Y) | 0.6 | 0.91 |
| Alpha (3Y) | 15.16% | 6.12% |
| Up capture | 88.8% | 97.13% |
| Down capture | 48.5% | 81.47% |
| Bull-market return | 19.4% | 30.78% |
| Bear-market return | -19.3% | -23.76% |
Timing matters more than people admit: the best possible 1-year stretch in Franklin Asian Equity Fund (starting 2020-03-19) gained 71.6%, while the worst (starting 2021-10-25) lost 32.9%. The worst peak-to-bottom fall Franklin Asian Equity Fund has ever put investors through is -40.2% - the real test of whether you'd have stayed invested. In falling markets (Nifty below its 200-day average) it has returned about -19.3% annualised, versus 19.4% in rising markets. It has captured roughly 88.8% of its benchmark's up-moves and 48.5% of its down-moves.
How Franklin Asian Equity Fund behaves when markets fall
When the market is falling (the Nifty below its 200-day average), Franklin Asian Equity Fund has historically returned about -19.3% annualised, versus roughly 19.4% when the market is rising. Its deepest fall on record is -40.2%. Right now it sits about 3.81% below its all-time high (last hit 2026-06-18). The real question isn't the average year - it's whether you could hold on through the worst one.
How Franklin Asian Equity Fund ranks in its category
Percentile versus its ~946 category peers - 100th is best-in-class, 50th is average. This is the fairest apples-to-apples read.
Consistency (rolling returns)
| Measure | Value |
|---|---|
| Median 3Y rolling CAGR | 8.5% |
| 3Y windows positive | 86.5% |
| Worst 3Y window | -10.48% |
| 3Y windows beating Nifty 500 | 33.9% |
| Median 5Y rolling CAGR | 6.84% |
| Median 10Y rolling CAGR | 6.99% |
Instead of one lucky start date, rolling returns test every start date. Across all 3-year windows in its history, Franklin Asian Equity Fund returned a median of 8.5% a year, and 86.5% of those windows were positive.
What Franklin Asian Equity Fund holds
Its latest monthly portfolio disclosure. This is what your money actually owns.
Top holdings
Sector allocation
The top 10 holdings make up 18.9% of the portfolio, across 28 stocks. A higher concentration means the fund's fortunes ride on fewer names.
Portfolio overlap with similar funds
Franklin Asian Equity Fund shares HDFC Transportation and Logistics Fund (0%), ICICI Prudential Transportation And Logistics Fund (0%), ICICI Prudential Innovation Fund (0%) of its portfolio with these category peers (overlap = the slice of the two portfolios invested in the same stocks). The lower the overlap, the more genuinely different the portfolios are.
Who manages Franklin Asian Equity Fund - and how good are they?
Franklin Asian Equity Fund is managed by Sandeep Manam and Shyam Sriram. Below is each manager's complete track record - every fund they currently run, judged on the same numbers as everything else on this page - so you can see whether this fund is in strong hands or is the outlier in a weak book.
Sandeep Manam's full record
Sandeep Manam currently runs 17 funds, across Aggressive Hybrid Fund, Banking and PSU Fund, Dynamic Asset Allocation or Balanced Advantage, Equity Savings and more, with about ₹98,069 Cr under management. The book's average King Score is 57.8/100. Their strongest fund by King Score is Franklin India Banking & PSU Debt Fund (85/100); Franklin Asian Equity Fund ranks #7 of 17 in their book.
Tap any column heading to sort.
| # | Fund | RS | King | 3M | 6M | 1Y | 3Y CAGR | 5Y CAGR | 10Y CAGR | Sharpe | Roll 3Y | Worst fall |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Franklin India Banking & PSU Debt Fund | 96 | 85 | 1.8% | 3.1% | 6.5% | 7.5% | 6.4% | 7.3% | 0.93 | 7.8% | -3.6% |
| 2 | Franklin India Balanced Advantage Fund | 65 | 83 | 0.5% | 2.6% | 0.4% | 9.3% | n/a | n/a | 0.37 | 14.2% | -8.1% |
| 3 | Franklin India Opportunities Fund | 61 | 75 | 2.8% | 11.1% | 1.4% | 20.1% | 17.8% | 16.5% | 0.85 | 19.0% | -39.3% |
| 4 | Franklin India Equity Savings Fund | 74 | 69 | 1.2% | 2.2% | 3.7% | 7.2% | 7.1% | n/a | 0.24 | 9.5% | -16.7% |
| 5 | Franklin India Aggressive Hybrid Fund | 48 | 68 | -0.2% | 1.7% | -2.2% | 9.0% | 9.2% | 11.2% | 0.25 | 14.9% | -27.8% |
| 6 | Franklin Build India Fund | 7 | 67 | -5.5% | -1.7% | -2.5% | 15.5% | 17.6% | 16.6% | 0.5 | 21.9% | -42.8% |
| 7 | Franklin Asian Equity Fund (this page) | 85 | 63 | -1.9% | 15.9% | 33.0% | 21.9% | 9.4% | 10.5% | 0.92 | 8.5% | -40.2% |
| 8 | Franklin India Large Cap Fund | 59 | 62 | -0.2% | 0.8% | -4.0% | 8.6% | 7.5% | 10.6% | 0.16 | 13.6% | -36.2% |
| 9 | Franklin India Mid Cap Fund | 28 | 58 | 1.2% | 7.8% | 0.3% | 14.7% | 12.9% | 14.3% | 0.5 | 19.7% | -36.6% |
| 10 | Franklin India Flexi Cap Fund | 24 | 56 | -1.2% | 1.1% | -4.2% | 9.9% | 11.4% | 13.2% | 0.24 | 18.3% | -37.7% |
| 11 | Franklin India Small Cap Fund | 19 | 47 | 2.1% | 14.5% | 4.1% | 12.3% | 15.4% | 15.1% | 0.34 | 21.8% | -49.9% |
| 12 | Franklin India Large & Mid Cap Fund | 33 | 43 | 0.7% | 4.6% | -3.1% | 10.4% | 9.6% | 11.5% | 0.27 | 15.0% | -41.8% |
| 13 | Franklin U.S. Opportunities Equity Active Fund of Funds | 33 | 42 | -4.1% | 14.8% | 11.9% | 21.4% | 9.6% | 17.1% | 0.67 | 14.7% | -38.4% |
| 14 | Franklin India Focused Equity Fund | 16 | 42 | -2.1% | -2.0% | -9.8% | 6.8% | 9.2% | 12.7% | 0.03 | 17.1% | -37.7% |
| 15 | Franklin India Technology Fund | 52 | 33 | 6.5% | 8.6% | -9.1% | 8.8% | 7.0% | 16.6% | 0.13 | 17.9% | -30.8% |
| 16 | Franklin India INDEX FUND- NSE NIFTY 50 INDEX FUND | 14 | 31 | -2.2% | -1.6% | -6.7% | 5.8% | 6.6% | 10.9% | -0.04 | 12.9% | -37.6% |
| 17 | Franklin India Multi Cap Fund | 65 | n/a | 3.8% | 12.5% | 4.7% | n/a | n/a | n/a | -0.09 | n/a | -18.7% |
Shyam Sriram's full record
Shyam Sriram currently runs 2 funds, across Index Funds, Sectoral/ Thematic, with about ₹1,154 Cr under management. The book's average King Score is 47.0/100. This fund is the highest-scored fund they run (King 63/100).
Tap any column heading to sort.
| # | Fund | RS | King | 3M | 6M | 1Y | 3Y CAGR | 5Y CAGR | 10Y CAGR | Sharpe | Roll 3Y | Worst fall |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Franklin Asian Equity Fund (this page) | 85 | 63 | -1.9% | 15.9% | 33.0% | 21.9% | 9.4% | 10.5% | 0.92 | 8.5% | -40.2% |
| 2 | Franklin India INDEX FUND- NSE NIFTY 50 INDEX FUND | 14 | 31 | -2.2% | -1.6% | -6.7% | 5.8% | 6.6% | 10.9% | -0.04 | 12.9% | -37.6% |
A caveat worth keeping: funds often have co-managers, and results belong to the whole team and process rather than one person. A manager's book tells you about their range and consistency, not a guarantee of skill.
Cost & fund basics
| Detail | Value |
|---|---|
| Expense ratio (Direct) | 1.15% |
| Exit load | ≈1% if redeemed within 1 year (typical) |
| Minimum investment | ₹5000 |
| Fund size (AUM) | ₹869 Cr |
| Age | 13.7 years |
| Plan / Option | Direct · Growth |
| Benchmark | NIFTY500 |
How Franklin Asian Equity Fund compares to peers
| Fund | RS | King | 3Y CAGR |
|---|---|---|---|
| HDFC Transportation and Logistics Fund | 82 | 89 | 24.1% |
| ICICI Prudential Transportation And Logistics Fund | 78 | 87 | 21.1% |
| ICICI Prudential Innovation Fund | 56 | 87 | 17.8% |
| LIC MF Healthcare Fund | 91 | 87 | 21.4% |
| Kotak Manufacture in India Fund | 81 | 83 | 19.1% |
| HDFC Defence Fund | 87 | 83 | 36.0% |
Overlap warning: funds in the same category often own many of the same stocks - holding several rarely adds the diversification people expect.
What these numbers mean
RS rating (1-99) ranks a fund's recent momentum against its category - higher is stronger right now. King Score (0-100) is a long-term quality composite (returns, consistency, drawdown, risk-adjusted return) versus peers. Max drawdown is the worst peak-to-bottom fall the fund has ever experienced. Rolling returns test every possible start date, so one lucky (or unlucky) entry point can't distort the picture. Every formula behind this page is public - see how we calculate every number.
Franklin Asian Equity Fund review: the bottom line
Related
Frequently asked questions
Is Franklin Asian Equity Fund a good mutual fund?
That depends on your goals and risk tolerance - this is descriptive research, not advice. On the numbers, Franklin Asian Equity Fund scores 63/100 on our King Score and RS 85/99 within its category, has compounded 21.89% a year over three years, and its worst drawdown was -40.2%. Compare those against your needs and the peer table above.
What is the NAV of Franklin Asian Equity Fund today?
The latest NAV is ₹48.86 (as of 2026-09-16). NAV (net asset value) is the per-unit price of the fund, published every business day by the AMC.
What is the last 10 years return of Franklin Asian Equity Fund?
Over the last 10 years Franklin Asian Equity Fund has returned about 10.49% a year (CAGR). In rupees: ₹1 lakh invested 10 years ago would be roughly ₹2.7 lakh today, before tax. See the year-by-year table above for how uneven the ride was.
What is the expense ratio of Franklin Asian Equity Fund?
The Direct-plan expense ratio is 1.15% a year. The Direct plan is cheaper than the Regular plan because it carries no distributor commission - over decades that gap compounds meaningfully.
Who is the fund manager of Franklin Asian Equity Fund?
Franklin Asian Equity Fund is managed by Sandeep Manam; Shyam Sriram.
Is Franklin Asian Equity Fund safe? How risky is it?
No market-linked fund is 'safe' in the fixed-deposit sense - the honest question is how deep its falls get. Its worst historical drawdown was -40.2% - ₹1 lakh briefly becoming about ₹59,800. As a sectoral & thematic fund, its risk profile is typical of that category. Look at the drawdown, volatility and bear-market figures above and ask whether you could stay invested through the bad stretches.
Is Franklin Asian Equity Fund good for SIP?
We can't tell you what to do, but here is what actually happened: a ₹10,000 monthly SIP over the last 10 years grew ₹12.1 lakh into about ₹22.3 lakh (XIRR 11.77%). SIPs average your entry price, which helps most in funds that swing hard - check the crash-behaviour section above to see how it treats investors in bad markets.
What are the SIP returns of Franklin Asian Equity Fund?
A ₹10,000/month SIP over 10 years would have grown to about ₹2,233,485 (an XIRR of 11.77%) on ₹1,210,000 invested, using the fund's actual NAV history. See the SIP table above for other durations.
How does Franklin Asian Equity Fund rank among similar funds?
On 3-year returns it sits around the 96th percentile of its category, and its consistency ranks 25th percentile. 100th is best-in-class, 50th is average. See the category-ranking section above.
Is Franklin Asian Equity Fund tax-efficient / what about capital gains?
As a sectoral & thematic fund, gains follow the rules for its asset class - equity-oriented funds are taxed differently from debt. All returns on this page are pre-tax; your actual post-tax return depends on your holding period and slab. This is descriptive information, not tax advice.
Direct or Regular plan - which is shown here?
All figures on this page are for the Direct-Growth plan (no distributor commission, lower cost). Returns are pre-tax; capital-gains tax depends on your own holding period and slab.
See Franklin Asian Equity Fund live in the MF Terminal
Everything above is a static snapshot. The terminal is where you actually research it:
- Interactive price chart with EMAs & RSI
- The RS line plotted against its benchmark
- Full holdings, sector mix & portfolio overlap
- Point-in-time backtester & portfolio doctor
- Compare it side-by-side with any peer
- Screen 1,600+ funds on the same metrics
Data: AMFI NAV history, NSE indices, BSE StAR and monthly disclosures. All figures are pre-tax. Descriptive research and education only - nothing here is investment advice or a recommendation to buy, sell or hold any fund. Past performance does not guarantee future returns.