Best Credit Risk Funds in India

15 credit risk funds in India, of which 13 meet the eligibility criteria, ranked on Sharpe ratio. Income with less volatility than equity?

Ranked on risk-adjusted return, not raw return — the point of this group is smoother outcomes.

Credit Risk Funds ranked by Sharpe ratio

#Fund
1Nippon India Credit Risk Fund - Direct Plan - Growth PlanBronze2.87-13.8%+8.74%56%+8.08%₹1,556 Cr0.61%
2Baroda BNP Paribas Credit Risk Fund -Direct-Growth OptionSilver2.61-8.1%+8.67%66%+7.04%₹178 Cr0.82%
3ICICI Prudential Credit Risk Fund - Direct Plan - GrowthBronze2.55-2.9%+8.81%76%+8.97%₹6,320 Cr0.77%
4Axis Credit Risk Fund - Direct Plan - GrowthSilver2.49-3.5%+7.38%35%+8.98%₹375 Cr0.82%
5SBI CREDIT RISK FUND - DIRECT PLAN -GROWTH2.26-1.4%+7.59%35%+8.28%₹2,175 Cr0.91%
6Aditya Birla Sun Life Credit Risk Fund - Direct Plan - GrowthGold2.25-3.9%+8.22%51%+13.19%₹1,532 Cr0.80%
7UTI Credit Risk Fund - Direct Plan - Growth Option1.83-34.4%+8.08%47%+7.01%₹253 Cr1.04%
8Invesco India Credit Risk Fund - Direct Plan - GrowthBronze1.83-8.0%+6.18%30%+8.36%₹166 Cr0.28%
9HDFC Credit Risk Debt Fund - Growth Option - Direct Plan1.78-2.6%+8.18%50%+7.75%₹7,666 Cr1.01%
10Kotak Credit Risk Fund - Growth - Direct1.62-3.9%+8.22%52%+8.21%₹770 Cr0.81%
11DSP Credit Risk Fund - Direct Plan - GrowthGold1.38-6.0%+8.63%52%+11.31%₹287 Cr0.44%
12BANDHAN Credit Risk Fund-Direct Plan-Growth1.15-2.6%+7.21%8%+6.18%₹231 Cr0.67%
13HSBC Credit Risk Fund - Direct GrowthBronze0.83-0.4%+11.86%100%+6.55%₹460 Cr0.97%

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.

Credit Risk Funds — FAQs
Why rank these on risk-adjusted return?

The purpose of this group is a smoother path, not the highest possible number. A fund that earned slightly less with much less volatility is doing the job better, which is what a risk-adjusted measure captures and a raw return does not.

What risks do debt funds carry?

Two main ones. Interest-rate risk: when yields rise, existing bonds fall in value, and longer-duration funds move more. Credit risk: a borrower may be downgraded or default, which affects the NAV directly. Categories differ substantially in how much of each they take.