HDFC Mutual Fund launches Indian sign language platform for financial literacy
HDFC Mutual Fund has launched a dedicated digital platform built entirely in Indian Sign Language (ISL) under its financial literacy initiative, Bharosa, aimed at the Deaf and Hard of Hearing (DHH) community.
The platform was launched on the International Day of Sign Languages and is designed to provide accessible, sign language-based investor education and awareness. With the initiative, HDFC Mutual Fund becomes the first Indian Asset Management Company (AMC) to launch a platform of this kind.
Launched in August 2025, Bharosa has so far engaged around 6,000 individuals from the DHH community through ISL-based investor awareness sessions. The platform allows users to select financial goals, such as retirement or a child’s education, and access curated ISL videos related to those goals.
Users can also schedule one-on-one sessions with a DHH coach, who can guide them through their financial journey in Indian Sign Language. Over the past year, HDFC Mutual Fund has engaged with members of the DHH community to understand how they navigate financial decisions.
According to the company, these interactions highlighted a recurring concern — the fear of being misled, stemming not from a lack of ambition but from limited access to financial information in a language people could fully understand.
This insight led to the platform being named ‘Bharosa’, meaning trust.
Commenting on the initiative, Navneet Munot, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, HDFC Asset Management Company Limited, said, “Over the years, financial inclusion has been measured by access to financial products and services. However, access alone is not enough.
“People also need information in a form they can follow before they can weigh their choices with any confidence. Through our engagement with the Deaf and hard of hearing community, we learnt how rarely that information is offered in a language they use. Bharosa, our financial literacy platform built entirely in Indian Sign Language, is a step in that direction. It offers videos organised around the goals people save for and one-on-one sessions with coaches from within the community, so that more people can take well-informed financial decisions.”
To mark the launch, HDFC Mutual Fund has also released a digital film featuring a young expecting couple from the Deaf and Hard of Hearing community as they imagine the future they want to build for their child.
The film explores the uncertainty that can arise around financial decisions and shows how greater clarity about available options can help turn that uncertainty into confidence at important moments. It features actors from the Deaf and Hard of Hearing community, with the company highlighting the focus on authenticity and representation.
At the core of Bharosa is the belief that everyone should have access to financial education in a language they understand. Through Indian Sign Language and a dedicated digital platform, HDFC Mutual Fund aims to contribute to greater accessibility, inclusion and financial empowerment.
Watch the film: https://youtu.be/u4GPG2hFSno?si=lpye06g6fZ5ykmyl
Bharosa platform: https://www.hdfcfund.com/bharosa
Investor Education and Awareness Initiative
HDFC Mutual Fund has also advised investors to visit its investor education resources to understand the process for completing the one-time Know Your Customer (KYC) requirement for investing in mutual funds.
Investors should deal only with registered mutual funds, whose details can be verified on the SEBI website. For queries, complaints and grievance redressal, investors can approach the respective AMCs and/or Investor Relations Officers.
Investors can also lodge complaints directly with AMCs. If they are not satisfied with the resolution provided by an AMC, they can raise a complaint through SEBI’s SCORES portal. If they remain dissatisfied with the resolution of complaints raised directly with the AMC or through SCORES, they can file a complaint through Smart ODR.
HDFC Mutual Fund: SEBI Registration Number: MF/044/00/6
Mutual Fund Investments are subject to market risks. Read all scheme-related documents carefully.
