Objectives and Approach

The sub-fund aims to provide long-term total return by investing in a portfolio of Indian equities, while promoting ESG characteristics within the meaning of Article 8 of SFDR. The sub-fund invests, in normal market conditions, a minimum of 90% of its net assets in equities and equity equivalent securities of companies which are domiciled in, based in, or carry out the larger part of their business activities in, India. The sub-fund may also invest in eligible closed-ended Real Estate Investment Trusts (“REITs”). The sub-fund includes the identification and analysis of a company’s ESG credentials (“ESG Credentials”) as an integral part of the investment decision making process, to help assess risks and potential returns . ESG Credentials may include, but are not limited to: environmental and social factors, including but not limited to physical risks of climate change and human capital management, that may have a material impact on a security issuer’s financial performance and valuation. corporate governance practices that protect minority investor interests and promote long term sustainable value creation. ESG Credentials are proprietary to HSBC, subject to ongoing research and may change over time as new criteria are identified. Notwithstanding the Excluded Activities as detailed below, the inclusion of a company in the sub-fund’s investment universe is at the discretion of the Investment Adviser. Issuers with improving ESG Credentials may be included when their credentials are still limited. Companies and/or issuers considered for inclusion within the sub-fund’s portfolio will be subject to Excluded Activities in accordance with HSBC Asset Management’s Responsible Investment Policies, which may change from time to time. More information is provided in section 1.5. “Integration of sustainability risks into investment decisions and SFDR principles” subsection HSBC Asset Management Responsible Investment Policies. ESG Credentials, Excluded Activities and the need for enhanced due diligence may be identified and analysed by using, but not exclusively, HSBC’s Proprietary ESG Materiality Framework and ratings, fundamental qualitative research and corporate engagement. When assessing issuers’ ESG score and/or rating or their involvement in Excluded Activities, the Investment Adviser may rely on expertise, research and information provided by financial and non-financial data providers. The sub-fund normally invests across a range of market capitalisations. The sub-fund will not invest more than 30% of its net assets in a combination of participation notes and convertible securities. The sub-fund will not invest more than 10% of its net assets in REITs. The sub-fund may invest up to 10% of its net assets in units or shares of UCITS and/or other Eligible UCIs (including other subfunds of HSBC Global Investment Funds). The sub-fund may also invest in bank deposits, money market instruments or money market funds for treasury purposes. The sub-fund may use financial derivative instruments for hedging and cash flow management (for example, Equitisation). However, the sub-fund will not use financial derivative instruments extensively for investment purposes. The financial derivative instruments the sub-fund is permitted to use include, but are not limited to, futures and foreign exchange forwards (including non-deliverable forwards). Financial derivative instruments may also be embedded in other instruments in which the sub-fund may invest. Financial derivative instruments may also be used for efficient portfolio management purposes. The sub-fund can enter into Securities Lending transactions for up to 29% of its net assets, however, it is expected that this will not exceed 25%. The sub-fund is actively managed and does not track a benchmark. The sub-fund has an internal or external target to outperform the reference benchmark, S&P / IFCI India Gross. The Investment Adviser will use its discretion to invest in securities not included in the reference benchmark based on active investment management strategies and specific investment opportunities. It is foreseen that a significant percentage of the subfund's investments will be components of the reference benchmark. However, their weightings may deviate materially from those of the reference benchmark. Any deviations with respect to the benchmark are monitored within a comprehensive risk framework, which includes monitoring at security & sector level. The deviation of the sub-fund’s performance relative to the benchmark is also monitored, but not constrained, to a defined range.