India’s investment landscape has undergone a dramatic transformation in recent years, with alternative investments emerging as a central pillar of sophisticated portfolio construction. The numbers tell a compelling story: according to recent market data, alternative investments currently account for twelve percent of India’s total assets under management, with experts projecting this figure will reach twenty percent by 2026. This rapid expansion reflects a fundamental shift in how Indian investors approach wealth creation, moving beyond traditional fixed deposits and equities to embrace asset classes that were previously accessible only to institutional investors and high-net-worth individuals.
The growth trajectory is remarkable. Data from the Securities and Exchange Board of India indicates that commitments to Alternative Investment Funds crossed twelve-and-a-half lakh crore rupees in March 2025, marking the fastest expansion since AIF regulations were introduced in 2012. This surge has been driven by multiple factors: India’s robust economic growth, a rapidly expanding population of high-net-worth and ultra-high-net-worth individuals, improved regulatory frameworks, and most importantly, the emergence of technology-enabled platforms that democratize access to these previously exclusive investment opportunities.
1. Grip Invest
Grip Invest has emerged as India’s leading fixed-income alternative investment platform, revolutionizing how retail investors access institutional-quality debt instruments. Founded in 2020 by Nikhil Aggarwal, Vivek Gulati, and Aashish Jindal, the platform has achieved remarkable growth, crossing one thousand crore rupees in assets under management and establishing itself as a SEBI-regulated Online Bond Platform Provider.
The platform’s core offering centers on three primary product categories: corporate bonds issued by established companies and listed on exchanges, Securitized Debt Instruments that pool multiple underlying assets to spread risk, and asset leasing opportunities through specialized products like LeaseX, InvoiceX, and LoanX. What distinguishes Grip from traditional fixed-income investing is its accessibility; investors can begin with as little as ten thousand rupees and gain exposure to opportunities typically requiring lakhs of rupees in minimum investment.
Grip’s integration with the NSE Request for Quote platform represents a significant innovation in the Indian alternative investment space. This integration means that investor funds flow directly through exchange mechanisms rather than touching the platform itself, transactions settle on a T-plus-one basis, and securities appear in investors’ demat accounts just like publicly traded stocks. This exchange-traded structure provides unprecedented transparency and security for fixed-income investments.
The platform’s recent innovations include the Swap Marketplace, a secondary market that allows investors to exit positions before maturity by selling to other investors, and Grip Infinite, an auto-invest feature that automatically builds and manages diversified fixed-income portfolios based on investor preferences. Historical returns on the platform have ranged from ten to sixteen percent annually depending on the specific product and risk profile, though as with all investments, past performance does not guarantee future results.
Grip operates on a transparent fee structure, charging minimal platform fees while earning commissions from issuers and lead managers. The platform has successfully completed numerous maturity events with timely payouts to investors, building a track record of reliability. For investors in 2026, Grip represents the most comprehensive and regulated platform for accessing fixed-income alternatives in India, combining institutional-quality investments with retail accessibility.
2. Strata
Strata has established itself as India’s premier commercial real estate fractional ownership platform, with over fifteen hundred crore rupees in assets under management and more than one hundred thousand registered members. Founded in 2020 by Sudarshan Lodha and Priyanka Rathore, the platform enables investors to own fractional stakes in Grade-A commercial properties including office spaces, warehouses, industrial assets, and logistics parks.
The platform’s investment model involves identifying high-quality commercial real estate assets, conducting extensive due diligence, and creating Special Purpose Vehicles for each property. Investors purchase shares and compulsorily convertible debentures in these SPVs, receiving their proportionate share of rental income through monthly distributions while benefiting from property appreciation over the holding period. Minimum investments typically start at twenty-five lakh rupees, positioning Strata primarily for high-net-worth investors and family offices.
Strata made history in 2024 by becoming India’s first fractional ownership platform to provide a complete exit to investors. The platform successfully sold its Jaipur warehouse asset, delivering returns of thirteen to fourteen percent to investors over a two-year period. The asset, spanning eighty-eight thousand square feet, appreciated by nearly six percent compound annual growth rate from its acquisition price of twenty crore and nine lakh rupees to a sale price of twenty-three crore and twenty-five lakh rupees.
The platform distinguishes itself through its focus on pre-leased, income-generating assets in emerging Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities beyond the saturated Tier 1 markets. This strategy has enabled Strata to identify value opportunities in high-growth locations like Jaipur, Ahmedabad, and Coimbatore. The platform charges a one percent annual management fee on rental distributions and a twenty percent performance fee on gains above a ten percent internal rate of return hurdle.
Recent developments include Strata’s application for and subsequent surrender of its Small and Medium REIT license from SEBI, reflecting the evolving regulatory landscape for fractional real estate platforms. Despite this regulatory pivot, Strata continues operating under its original fractional ownership model and remains backed by marquee investors including Kotak Investment Advisors, Gruhas Proptech, Elevation Capital, and Mayfield India. For investors seeking exposure to commercial real estate without the capital requirements and operational complexities of direct ownership, Strata provides a compelling solution.
3. Faircent
Faircent holds the distinction of being India’s first peer-to-peer lending platform, having pioneered the democratization of credit access since its inception. Operating as an RBI-registered NBFC-P2P, Faircent has facilitated connections between over thirty-five thousand customers across more than seven hundred cities in India, creating a marketplace where borrowers seeking personal or business loans connect directly with individual lenders.
The platform’s lending model eliminates traditional intermediaries, allowing borrowers to access credit at more competitive rates while offering lenders the opportunity to earn returns ranging from eight-and-a-quarter to twelve percent annually. Faircent employs sophisticated technology-driven verification processes, assessing potential borrowers on more than one hundred twenty criteria and over four hundred data points. This rigorous screening includes credit score analysis, income verification, employment checks, and in many cases, physical verification at both residence and workplace.
For lenders, Faircent provides complete transparency regarding borrower profiles, credit assessments, and risk ratings. The platform allows lenders to diversify across multiple borrowers, tenures, and risk categories to construct balanced lending portfolios. Minimum investments start at fifty thousand rupees, with opportunities to invest up to the regulatory maximum of fifty lakh rupees across all peer-to-peer platforms. Loan tenures extend up to three years, providing options for various investment horizons.
The platform has faced regulatory scrutiny as the RBI has tightened oversight of the peer-to-peer lending sector. In March 2025, the central bank imposed a forty lakh rupee penalty on Faircent for non-compliance with certain NBFC-P2P guidelines, particularly regarding fund transfer mechanisms and credit risk sharing. In response, Faircent has implemented comprehensive platform redesigns to ensure full regulatory compliance, temporarily pausing certain features while rebuilding its technology infrastructure to meet the RBI’s updated August 2024 guidelines.
Despite these regulatory challenges, Faircent remains a significant player in India’s peer-to-peer lending ecosystem, backed by notable investors including JM Financial, 3one4 Capital, and Brand Capital. The platform’s commitment to transparency, extensive borrower vetting, and focus on regulatory compliance position it as a viable option for investors seeking exposure to peer-to-peer lending. However, investors should carefully understand the credit risks inherent in peer-to-peer lending and consider allocating only a modest portion of their overall portfolio to this asset class.
4. LiquiLoans
LiquiLoans operates as one of India’s prominent peer-to-peer lending platforms, distinguishing itself through its partnership-driven approach and focus on prime retail borrowers. Operating under NDX P2P Private Limited as an RBI-certified NBFC-P2P, the platform has established a robust ecosystem with over one hundred fifty thousand investors and strategic partnerships with companies including upGrad, CRED, and Livspace.
The platform’s lending model emphasizes consumer loans facilitated through merchant partners, targeting borrowers with credit scores above seven hundred. This selective approach aims to minimize default risks while maintaining attractive returns for lenders. LiquiLoans offers investors the ability to earn annualized returns ranging from eight to ten-and-a-half percent, with the platform spreading investment capital across two hundred or more borrowers to limit portfolio exposure per borrower to half a percent.
LiquiLoans provides a comprehensive auto-invest feature that automatically allocates investor capital across multiple borrowers based on predefined risk preferences, eliminating the need for manual loan selection. The platform handles all fund transfers through IDBI Bank trustee arrangements, ensuring regulatory compliance with the RBI’s escrow account requirements. Investors can begin with as little as ten thousand rupees, making peer-to-peer lending accessible to a broad audience.
Like other players in the peer-to-peer lending space, LiquiLoans has navigated significant regulatory evolution. In August 2024, the RBI imposed a penalty of nearly two crore rupees on the platform for violations including failure to disclose borrower credit assessments and improper use of co-lending escrow accounts. The platform responded by implementing substantial technology infrastructure changes and operational modifications to align with regulatory requirements, temporarily halting new fund infusions while restructuring its processes.
The platform’s recovery and adaptation demonstrate its commitment to long-term sustainability within the regulated peer-to-peer lending framework. For investors in 2026, LiquiLoans offers a technology-driven peer-to-peer lending experience with robust borrower vetting, diversification across hundreds of loans, and integration with India’s evolving regulatory framework. As with all peer-to-peer lending investments, potential investors should understand the credit risks involved and ensure their risk tolerance aligns with the asset class before allocating capital.
5. TradeCred
TradeCred has established itself as India’s largest fixed-income platform, offering investors access to a comprehensive range of debt instruments including sovereign bonds, corporate bonds, asset leasing, blue-chip invoices, AA-rated debt, and invoice discounting opportunities. The platform leverages an advanced algorithm-driven credit model to curate investment opportunities, focusing on balancing risk mitigation with attractive return generation.
The platform’s distinguishing characteristic is its breadth of fixed-income offerings, providing investors with multiple avenues to deploy capital across the credit spectrum. From the safety of sovereign bonds issued by the Government of India to higher-yielding corporate debt and structured products, TradeCred enables portfolio construction tailored to individual risk-return preferences. This variety allows investors to build diversified fixed-income portfolios within a single platform, streamlining the investment process.
TradeCred’s technological infrastructure represents a significant competitive advantage. The platform’s proprietary credit assessment algorithms analyze vast datasets to identify quality investment opportunities while screening out higher-risk propositions. This quantitative approach complements traditional credit analysis, providing an additional layer of due diligence that aims to protect investor capital. The platform also emphasizes transparency, providing detailed information about each investment opportunity including issuer profiles, financial metrics, security structures, and historical performance data.
For investors seeking fixed-income alternatives in 2026, TradeCred offers particularly attractive opportunities in invoice discounting and asset leasing. These products typically offer higher yields than traditional corporate bonds while maintaining asset backing and shorter tenures that can provide greater liquidity. Invoice discounting allows investors to earn returns by purchasing invoices from established companies at a discount, typically realizing returns within sixty to one hundred eighty days as the invoices are settled by large corporate buyers.
The platform’s focus on institutional-quality processes and comprehensive risk management makes it suitable for sophisticated investors seeking to diversify fixed-income exposure beyond traditional bank fixed deposits and government securities. TradeCred represents an important component of India’s evolving alternative investment ecosystem, bridging the gap between traditional debt markets and innovative fintech-enabled lending platforms.
6. Precize
Precize operates as India’s leading digital platform for pre-IPO and unlisted share investments, providing retail and institutional investors access to over one hundred fifty private companies spanning sectors including technology, consumer goods, financial services, and manufacturing. The platform has democratized an asset class that was historically accessible only through personal networks and private placement bankers, bringing transparency and structure to the unlisted share market.
The platform’s comprehensive offering includes shares in high-growth startups like boAt, Swiggy, and Zepto, as well as established private companies such as Tata Capital, Capgemini India, and NSE (National Stock Exchange). Precize provides detailed research and analysis on each company, including business models, financial performance, valuation trends, and growth prospects. This information empowers investors to make informed decisions about which private companies align with their investment theses and risk tolerance.
Investing through Precize involves purchasing shares that are transferred directly into the investor’s demat account, providing the same ownership structure as publicly listed securities. This approach ensures proper documentation and facilitates eventual exits, whether through the unlisted market, company buybacks, or IPO listings. The platform has developed a secondary marketplace that facilitates liquidity for unlisted shares, typically matching buyers and sellers within twenty-four to forty-eight business hours, though liquidity cannot be guaranteed.
One of Precize’s key value propositions is access to pre-IPO opportunities where companies are preparing for public listings. Early investors in such companies can potentially benefit from the valuation premium that often accompanies IPO events, though this outcome depends entirely on the company’s performance and market conditions at the time of listing. The six-month lock-in period mandated by SEBI for pre-IPO shares means investors must be prepared for medium-term holding periods.
The platform emphasizes investor education, providing extensive resources about unlisted share investing including risk factors, valuation methodologies, exit options, and tax implications. Precize’s team includes specialists who assist with both buying and selling unlisted shares, providing market intelligence and facilitating transactions. For investors in 2026 seeking exposure to India’s vibrant private company ecosystem, Precize offers a structured, transparent platform that brings institutional-quality private market investing to retail participants.
7. LenDenClub
LenDenClub has carved out a significant position in India’s peer-to-peer lending market through its focus on consumer loans, technology-driven underwriting, and investor-friendly features. Operating as an RBI-registered NBFC-P2P, the platform connects borrowers seeking personal loans with individual lenders willing to earn returns by financing these loans at competitive interest rates.
The platform’s lending model emphasizes thorough borrower verification, employing advanced technology to assess creditworthiness through multiple data points including credit bureau scores, banking behavior, employment stability, and income verification. LenDenClub’s proprietary risk scoring system categorizes borrowers into different risk buckets, allowing lenders to make informed decisions about which loans to fund based on their risk appetite and return expectations.
LenDenClub offers particularly attractive features for lenders including an auto-invest function that automatically deploys capital across multiple borrowers based on predefined criteria, diversification tools that spread investment across hundreds of loans to minimize single-borrower risk, and detailed portfolio analytics that provide visibility into performance metrics, default rates, and returns. The platform’s minimum investment threshold is relatively low, enabling participation from investors across various wealth levels.
Like its peer-to-peer lending counterparts, LenDenClub has navigated regulatory evolution, receiving RBI penalties in 2024 for certain compliance violations. The platform has since implemented comprehensive operational and technological changes to align with the central bank’s updated guidelines, particularly regarding escrow account mechanisms, fund transfer protocols, and borrower disclosure requirements. These adaptations demonstrate the platform’s commitment to operating within India’s evolving peer-to-peer lending regulatory framework.
For investors in 2026, LenDenClub represents a technology-forward peer-to-peer lending platform with strong emphasis on risk management, diversification, and transparency. The platform’s focus on consumer loans to verified borrowers, combined with its auto-invest features and portfolio management tools, makes it accessible for investors seeking passive income generation through peer-to-peer lending. As with all peer-to-peer lending platforms, investors should understand credit risks and ensure appropriate portfolio allocation to this asset class.
8. KredX
KredX operates in the specialized niche of invoice discounting, providing a platform where businesses can unlock working capital by selling their unpaid invoices at a discount, while investors earn attractive returns by purchasing these invoices and collecting the full amount when corporate buyers settle them. This asset class offers unique characteristics including short tenures, asset backing, and returns that typically range from twelve to sixteen percent annually.
The platform’s business model addresses a critical pain point in India’s business ecosystem: delayed payments in business-to-business transactions. Many suppliers to large corporations face payment cycles of sixty to one hundred eighty days, creating working capital constraints. KredX enables these suppliers to receive immediate payment by selling their invoices, while investors benefit from relatively low-risk returns backed by invoices from established corporate buyers.
KredX’s due diligence process involves comprehensive verification of both the supplier and the corporate buyer, assessment of the underlying transaction documentation, and evaluation of historical payment behavior. The platform typically focuses on invoices from creditworthy corporate buyers with strong payment track records, reducing default risk. This selective approach has enabled KredX to maintain relatively stable returns while providing shorter-duration investment opportunities compared to many other alternative asset classes.
For investors, invoice discounting through KredX offers several advantages including shorter holding periods that typically range from sixty to one hundred eighty days, asset backing in the form of verified invoices from established companies, and lower correlation with equity markets. The platform enables diversification across multiple invoices, sectors, and corporate buyers, spreading risk and reducing concentration exposure.
KredX represents an important component of India’s supply chain finance ecosystem, simultaneously solving working capital challenges for small and medium enterprises while providing investors with an alternative fixed-income opportunity. For investors in 2026 seeking short-duration, asset-backed alternatives to traditional fixed deposits, KredX offers a compelling proposition, though as with all alternative investments, proper due diligence and appropriate portfolio allocation remain essential.
9. GHL India
Gladden HelpLine India, operating as GHL India, provides alternative investment opportunities primarily focused on non-convertible debentures, fractional real estate investments, and structured products tied to various underlying assets. The platform emphasizes its fractional investment model, which allows investors to participate in opportunities with lower capital requirements than traditional direct investments would demand.
GHL India’s investment offerings span multiple categories including distressed real estate that the platform acquires at below-market prices with plans to develop and sell for profit, seasonal commodity trading where the platform purchases goods directly from farmers and sells to wholesale suppliers, and structured debt instruments that provide fixed returns over specified tenures. The platform creates Special Purpose Vehicles in the form of Limited Liability Partnerships for many of its offerings, with investors becoming partners in these entities.
The platform markets itself on providing secured investments with bank guarantees, asset backing through charges or mortgages, and timely monthly returns to investors. GHL India emphasizes transparency in its operations, providing detailed investment documents, agreements, and regular reporting to investors. The platform has built a customer base through its focus on fixed, predictable returns rather than market-linked performance, appealing to conservative investors seeking alternatives to bank fixed deposits.
Investors considering GHL India should conduct thorough due diligence, carefully reviewing investment structures, understanding the specific assets or businesses underlying each opportunity, and assessing the platform’s track record with previous investments. As with all alternative investments involving private placements and non-market-linked products, investors should ensure they understand liquidity constraints, exit mechanisms, and risk factors before committing capital.
GHL India represents the emerging category of alternative investment platforms in India that focus on structured products and fractional ownership across diverse asset classes. For investors in 2026, the platform offers access to non-traditional investment opportunities with emphasis on fixed returns and asset backing, though appropriate due diligence and risk assessment remain paramount.
10. RealX
RealX operates as a fractional real estate investment platform enabling investors to buy and sell fractional stakes in residential and commercial properties. Founded in 2017 and based in Pune, the platform allows users to invest in real estate with significantly lower capital requirements than direct property ownership would demand, democratizing access to real estate as an investment asset class.
The platform’s model involves identifying properties across different locations and price points, conducting due diligence and valuation assessments, and dividing ownership into small fractions that investors can purchase. These fractions represent proportionate ownership in the underlying property, with RealX acting as trustee on behalf of investors. The platform handles all aspects of property management including tenant relations, maintenance, and eventual property sales.
RealX enables investors to build diversified real estate portfolios across different geographies and property types without the substantial capital typically required for direct real estate investment. The platform provides transparency regarding property details, location characteristics, rental yields, and appreciation potential, allowing investors to make informed decisions about which properties align with their investment objectives.
The fractional real estate space in India continues evolving, with platforms like RealX working to provide liquidity solutions for what has traditionally been a highly illiquid asset class. The platform facilitates secondary market transactions where investors can potentially sell their fractional holdings to other investors, though liquidity timing depends on finding willing buyers at acceptable prices.
For investors in 2026, RealX represents an accessible entry point into real estate investing without the traditional barriers of high capital requirements, property management responsibilities, and geographic concentration. The platform appeals particularly to younger investors and those seeking real estate exposure as part of diversified portfolios without committing to full property ownership. As India’s fractional ownership regulations continue maturing, platforms like RealX are positioned to play important roles in democratizing real estate investment access.
Conclusion
India’s alternative investment platform ecosystem represents one of the most dynamic and rapidly evolving segments of the country’s financial markets. Platforms like Grip Invest, Strata, Faircent, LiquiLoans, TradeCred, Precize, LenDenClub, KredX, GHL India, and RealX are fundamentally transforming how Indians invest, breaking down barriers that historically limited alternative investments to institutional investors and the ultra-wealthy.
These platforms leverage technology to provide transparency, reduce minimum investment requirements, streamline processes, and deliver institutional-quality investment opportunities to retail participants. The diversity of platforms and asset classes available in 2026 enables investors to construct truly diversified portfolios that extend far beyond traditional equities and fixed deposits, incorporating real estate, private debt, pre-IPO equities, and specialized strategies that were unimaginable for retail investors just a decade ago.
Success in alternative investing requires education, appropriate risk assessment, diversification across platforms and asset classes, and alignment of investments with personal financial objectives and risk tolerance. Alternative investments should complement rather than replace traditional assets, with allocations sized appropriately based on individual circumstances, liquidity needs, and investment horizons.
As India’s alternative investment ecosystem continues maturing, supported by robust regulatory frameworks, technological innovation, and growing investor sophistication, the opportunities for wealth creation through thoughtfully constructed alternative investment portfolios will expand substantially. For investors willing to move beyond traditional investment paradigms and embrace the possibilities offered by these innovative platforms, the future of Indian alternative investing is remarkably bright.
