NSE launches Nifty500 Ahimsa Index for cruelty-free, non-violence aligned investing

NSE Indices has launched the Nifty 500 Ahimsa Index for investors. This new gauge includes companies that do not harm animals in their business. The index aligns with non-violence principles and excludes certain firms. It aims to redirect capital towards compassionate and cruelty-free investing. This initiative offers ethical investors clearer alternatives for their portfolios.

The index draws its constituents from the broad-based Nifty 500 universe, enabling diversified sectoral representation while giving preference to companies whose business practices exhibit a stronger commitment to responsible and sustainable principles.

NSE Indices Limited has launched the Nifty500 Ahimsa Index for investors. This new thematic index tracks companies aligned with nonviolence principles. Companies are classified using the Ahimsagain Foundation's AIM framework. Only businesses in the Green category are eligible for inclusion. The index aims to provide ethical investment exposure across sectors.

NSE Indices, a subsidiary of the National Stock Exchange (NSE), has introduced the Nifty500 Ahimsa Index, a new thematic benchmark designed for investors seeking ethical and values-based investment opportunities.The index tracks companies from the broader Nifty 500 universe whose business practices align with the principle of Ahimsa, or non-violence. It has been developed in collaboration with the Ahimsagain Foundation and applies a specialised ethical screening framework based on the foundation’s Ahimsa Investment Movement (AIM) methodology.Unlike traditional environmental, social and governance (ESG) indices, the Nifty500 Ahimsa Index focuses specifically on identifying companies that avoid business activities involving harm to animals. BSE, MCX Shares Fall After Jefferies Calls NSE More Diversified Ahead Of IPOCompanies are assessed and classified into three categories — Green, Orange and Red. Firms placed in the Orange and Red categories are excluded from the index.The benchmark allows investors to maintain diversified exposure to Indian equities while incorporating ethical preferences into their portfolios. Companies included in the index are weighted according to their free-float market capitalisation, making the benchmark suitable for the development of passive investment products such as exchange-traded funds (ETFs) and index funds.The Nifty500 Ahimsa Index has a base date of April 1, 2016, with a base value of 1,000. NSE Indices said the index will undergo semi-annual rebalancing to ensure that all constituent companies continue to comply with the prescribed ethical standards.The launch comes at a time when thematic investing is gaining popularity among investors looking beyond traditional financial metrics and seeking portfolios aligned with social, environmental and ethical values. The new index expands the range of specialised investment themes available in India’s capital markets and provides fund managers an opportunity to create products focused on ethical investing principles.The move follows a similar initiative by BSE Index Services, a wholly owned subsidiary of the Bombay Stock Exchange, which recently launched the BSE Saatvik 100 Index. The exchange described it as India’s first Saatvik index based on the BSE 500 universe, aimed at investors looking to align investments with Saatvik principles.With increasing investor interest in responsible and purpose-driven investing, exchanges are developing new benchmarks that combine market performance with specific ethical and social considerations.

NSE Indices has launched the Nifty500 Ahimsa Index, tracking companies aligned with non-violence principles. This new index targets investors seeking animal welfare considerations in their portfolios. Companies are screened using the Ahimsagain Foundation's AIM framework for eligibility. The index offers a transparent benchmark for responsible investment products. It will serve as a base for ETFs and index funds.

The index aims to promote companies with ethical business practices by provide investors with exposure to companies from the Nifty 500 universe that are aligned with the principles of non-violence.