Best Arbitrage Funds in India

37 arbitrage funds in India, of which 27 meet the eligibility criteria, ranked on expense ratio. Where do I keep money for days or weeks?

Returns in this group cluster within ~0.5 percentage points, so ranking by return is noise. Ranked on cost and liquidity instead.

Arbitrage Funds ranked by expense ratio

#Fund
1Parag Parikh Arbitrage Fund - Direct Plan Growth1.00%+6.48%₹2,632 Cr₹12.0775
2NJ Arbitrage Fund - Direct Plan - Growth Option1.00%+6.41%+7.11%₹273 Cr₹13.0844
3Motilal Oswal Arbitrage Fund-Direct Plan-GrowthSilver1.02%+7.00%₹2,848 Cr₹11.2182
4Sundaram Arbitrage Fund (Formerly Known as Prinicpal Arbitrage Fund) - Direct Plan - GrowthSilver1.05%+6.79%+7.36%₹650 Cr₹16.3788
5Mahindra Manulife Arbitrage Fund - Direct Plan -Growth1.16%+6.25%+5.97%₹126 Cr₹13.7208
6Franklin India Arbitrage Fund - Direct - Growth1.17%+7.00%₹1,425 Cr₹11.2555
7LIC MF Arbitrage Fund-Direct Plan-Growth1.17%+6.64%+5.98%₹243 Cr₹15.4913
8DSP Arbitrage Fund - Direct - Growth1.20%+6.56%+5.75%₹6,529 Cr₹16.777
9Aditya Birla Sun Life Arbitrage Fund - Growth - Direct PlanGold1.26%+6.73%+6.69%₹26,646 Cr₹30.7728
10UTI Arbitrage Fund - Direct Plan - Growth OptionBronze1.28%+6.61%+6.64%₹11,324 Cr₹40.022
11Bajaj Finserv Arbitrage Fund-Direct Plan-GrowthBronze1.34%+6.62%₹1,209 Cr₹12.20
12Nippon India Arbitrage Fund - Direct Plan Growth Plan - Growth OptionPlatinum1.37%+6.71%+6.92%₹16,638 Cr₹30.8006
13Axis Arbitrage Fund - Direct Plan - GrowthSilver1.45%+6.72%+6.72%₹10,362 Cr₹21.8057
14SBI Arbitrage Opportunities Fund - Direct Plan - GrSilver1.46%+6.53%+6.59%₹45,923 Cr₹38.5609
15HSBC Arbitrage Fund - Direct GrowthBronze1.47%+6.64%+7.52%₹2,944 Cr₹21.7943
16HDFC ARBITRAGE FUND -Direct Plan - Growth OptionSilver1.50%+6.62%+6.31%₹23,772 Cr₹21.642
17Union Arbitrage Fund - Direct Plan - Growth Option1.52%+6.48%+5.96%₹246 Cr₹15.575
18BARODA BNP PARIBAS ARBITRAGE FUND-DIRECT PLAN-GROWTH OPTION1.55%+6.42%+7.59%₹1,147 Cr₹18.1757
19ICICI Prudential Arbitrage Fund - Direct Plan - GrowthGold1.62%+6.63%+6.75%₹33,423 Cr₹39.4923
20Edelweiss Arbitrage Fund- Direct Plan- Growth OptionGold1.67%+6.70%+6.83%₹15,062 Cr₹22.3373
21BANDHAN Arbitrage Fund-Direct Plan- GrowthBronze1.67%+6.46%+6.74%₹8,190 Cr₹37.6352
22quant Arbitrage Fund - Growth Option - Direct Plan1.69%+7.68%₹553 Cr₹11.0287
23Tata Arbitrage Fund-Direct Plan-GrowthSilver1.70%+6.79%+6.22%₹24,026 Cr₹16.2492
24Invesco India Arbitrage Fund - Direct Plan - Growth OptionPlatinum2.31%+6.78%+6.63%₹23,907 Cr₹37.0953
25Kotak Arbitrage Fund - Direct Plan - GrowthGold2.38%+6.74%+6.75%₹72,409 Cr₹43.0281
26WhiteOak Capital Arbitrage Fund Direct Plan Growth2.55%+7.09%₹396 Cr₹11.461
27Mirae Asset Arbitrage Fund Direct GrowthBronze2.69%+6.72%+7.04%₹3,737 Cr₹14.513

Badges are our own quality tiers — Platinum (top 10%), Gold (25%), Silver (50%), Bronze (75%) — scored within each sub-category, so they compare a fund with its peers and not with funds of a different type. “3Y typical” is the median annualised return across every 3-year holding period the fund has lived through, not a single 3-year figure; “3Y loss odds” is the share of those periods that ended down. “Beat peers” is the share in which it beat its category's median, and “worst fall” is its deepest peak-to-trough drop. Open a fund for the full distribution. Click any numeric column to re-sort; funds with no value for that column sort last. Returns over 1 year are annualised (CAGR). Past performance does not indicate future returns. Eligibility: Direct, Growth only, minimum AUM ₹100 Cr, at least 1 year(s) old. Past performance. Returns for 3y/5y are annualised (CAGR) and are withheld where the NAV series does not support the period.

Arbitrage Funds — FAQs
Which fund type suits money I need in a few weeks?

Overnight and liquid funds are designed for very short horizons and hold instruments maturing in 1–91 days. Ultra-short, low-duration and money-market funds sit slightly further out. The trade-off is small: these categories differ far more in cost than in return.

Why are these funds ranked on expense ratio rather than returns?

Returns across this group cluster within roughly half a percentage point, so ordering by return mostly surfaces whichever fund caught a rate movement — noise, not skill. Expense ratio is the most consistent differentiator, because it is deducted from a return the whole category shares.

How quickly can I get my money back?

Overnight and liquid funds typically settle in one business day, and liquid funds offer an instant-redemption facility subject to limits. Check each scheme’s exit load: liquid funds carry a small graded load if redeemed within seven days.

Are these safer than a savings account?

They are not guaranteed. They invest in short-maturity debt, so they carry limited interest-rate and credit risk rather than none. Historically they have been low-volatility, but a credit event in an underlying holding can still affect NAV.