Sanlam Investments CEO Carl Roothman Highlights Long-Term Focus on India as Firm Scales Financial Services Platform

South African financial services group Sanlam Investments is scaling its presence in India, backed by leadership confidence in the country's long-term economic growth. Carl Roothman, CEO of Sanlam Investments, revealed that approximately 25 per cent of his children's investment portfolio is allocated to India with a 20-year investment horizon.

This personal conviction aligns with Sanlam’s broader India strategy. Two years after investing in the Shriram Capital Markets ecosystem, the firm is working to accelerate growth across wealth management, asset management, and stockbroking. Roothman noted that these three pillars create a complementary ecosystem where a broking client can transition into wealth management, and wealth management clients can access asset management products.

As part of its expansion plans, Sanlam is exploring opportunities to grow its broking footprint. Industry executives have indicated that the firm is evaluating investments in Way2Wealth Brokers to build an integrated financial services platform, although Roothman declined to discuss specific transactions.

The Shriram wealth management business, operated in association with Sanlam, currently oversees approximately Rs 5,000 crore in assets under advice and targets nearly $1 billion. The platform operates with about 170 wealth professionals across 14 cities and plans to expand its presence to 20 cities by the end of the year. Looking ahead, the network aims to scale to roughly 500 wealth professionals across 50 locations by 2030.

Discussing shifting client behaviors, Roothman noted that High Net Worth Individuals (HNIs) and Ultra High Net Worth Individuals (UHNIs) are increasingly exploring international diversification alongside domestic opportunities. Clients are actively evaluating offshore portfolios and strategies to balance growth with capital preservation.

Despite valuation concerns, Sanlam remains constructive on India. Roothman pointed to sustainable growth projections of 6 to 7 per cent, political stability, policy continuity, a growing domestic savings pool, and rising retail participation in capital markets as powerful structural advantages. Consequently, Sanlam prefers to remain overweight on India in emerging-market portfolios, maintaining exposure four to five percentage points above benchmark allocations.

In asset management, Sanlam has invested about Rs 105 crore for a 23 per cent stake in the business and remains open to further investments. Roothman stated that the immediate priority is strengthening investment capabilities, improving distribution, and delivering consistent performance before accelerating growth further.

The firm also sees rising demand for alternative investments as affluent clients seek diversification away from traditional equity markets. Private credit, private equity, mezzanine financing, and other alternative strategies represent key focus areas for the firm.

Ultimately, Roothman believes India's appeal extends beyond market cycles, driven by a combination of growth, stability, manufacturing potential, technology leadership, and financial-sector development.

"Carl Roothman's strategic focus on the Indian market highlights the growing appeal of India as a stable, long-term destination for global institutional capital. The integration of stockbroking, wealth management, and asset management creates a scalable financial services ecosystem. As firms like Sanlam expand their footprints and tap into rising domestic savings and alternative investments, the Indian financial sector presents robust opportunities for sustainable, long-term wealth creation." — Dr. Shishir Gupta, Founder & CEO, StartupLanes