Our Top 10 Blogs Of 2024

KEY TAKEAWAYS

1. ALT Investor, India's largest community for alternative investments, published 47 insightful blogs in 2024, focusing on educating retail investors about this growing industry in India.

2. The top blog of 2024 turned out to be this one-’A comprehensive list of alternative investment platforms in India’.

3. Among the other top blogs was our ‘Red Flag Series’ that highlighted potential risks in platforms like Falcon Invoice Discounting and WO Trades.

4. Articles on BluSmart Assure and FAAB FarmFraX explored investment opportunities in asset leasing and fractional agricultural land, advising caution due to associated risks.

5. The top blogs also covered regulatory updates, such as SEBI's regulations on SM REITs and warnings against buying unlisted securities, providing insights into the evolving investment and regulatory landscape.

New year 2025 has already begun, and we, as India’s first and largest community for alternative investments, have continued our efforts to educate retail investors about the growing alternative investment market in India. This journey, which began in June 2023, saw 2024 becoming a key year for us, as we published 47 blogs, including listicles, company profiles, comparative blogs and much more, all of which garnered a lot of praise from our community members for various blogs.

So, in this special and first-of-its kind blog by ALT Investor, we have compiled a list of our top 10 blogs of 2024! These blogs added a lot of value to ALT Investor readers in 2024. Check them out here:

Our Top 10 Blogs Of 2024

1. Comprehensive List Of All Alternative Investment Platforms In India

This article provides a comprehensive list of alternative investment platforms and aggregators available in India, highlighting options across various categories such as invoice discounting, fractional real estate, solar investing, asset leasing, P2P lending, and many more.

You can also checkout this infographic that we had recently created to compile a list of alternative investment platforms in India.

2. Red Flag Series: Falcon Invoice Discounting

This article examines Falcon's Invoice Discounting platform, which offers high returns of 20%-22% IRR on blue-chip company invoices, significantly higher than competitors. However, it raises several major red flags regarding the platform's legitimacy, including potential violations of legal agreements, lack of individual escrow accounts, and questionable practices such as allowing credit card investments. Investors are cautioned to conduct thorough research before committing funds, as the risks seem to be outweighing the promised returns by a great extent.

3. Investing In BluSmart Assure: A 14% XIRR Asset Leasing Opportunity

This article highlights BluSmart, an electric vehicle ride-hailing platform in India, which is expanding its operations beyond taxis to include a robust EV charging infrastructure. Despite the appeal of high returns for investors through their asset-leasing program ‘BluSmart Assure', BluSmart faces challenges such as significant debt and questions about the sustainability of its business model. Investors are advised to weigh the potential benefits against the inherent risks before committing to this investment opportunity or any other similar one.

4. FAAB FarmFraX: A Fractional Agricultural Land Opportunity

This article throws light on FAAB Invest's new fractional ownership model, FarmFraX, which allows investors to acquire shares in agricultural land, offering potential rental income and capital gains. Despite the recent downturn in agri-investing due to regulatory issues with competitor Growpital, FAAB Invest had been aiming to innovate by providing detailed information about the land and a structured investment approach. Investors are advised to consider the associated risks and conduct thorough due diligence before participating in this unregulated investment opportunity.

5. Red Flag Series: WO Trades Platform (ID, Angel Investments & FRE)

This article in ALT Investor’s Red Flag Series on ALT Investor critically examines WO Trades, a platform known for invoice discounting, angel investments, and fractional real estate. It highlights several concerning red flags, including a lack of transparency regarding company ownership, inadequate KYC checks, and potential conflicts of interest due to related party transactions. The article also urges caution among investors, emphasizing that high promised returns do not guarantee legitimacy or safety. After all, even high returns are worthless if you end up losing 100% of your initial principal, right?

6. Understanding the SM REITs Regulation

This article discusses the introduction of regulations regarding Small and Medium Real Estate Investment Trusts (SM REITs) by SEBI. These guidelines are aimed at regulating the growing fractional ownership market in India. SM REITs, which differ from traditional REITs, will allow smaller platforms to pool investor funds for property investments while ensuring compliance with specific regulations, including asset size and minimum investment requirements. The initiative is expected to enhance transparency, protect investors, and potentially increase rental yields in the fractional real estate sector, making it more accessible to retail investors.

7. Navigating the World of Unlisted Shares and Grey Markets

This article provides a comprehensive overview of investing in unlisted shares, which are typically sought after during high-demand IPOs. It outlines the process of purchasing these shares through trusted platforms, emphasizing the importance of due diligence due to the unregulated nature of this investment space. Key aspects included in the article include how to invest, the transaction process, associated costs, and the risks and benefits of unlisted shares. The article also highlights potential sellers, such as early investors and employees with ESOPs, while cautioning investors about liquidity risks and the lack of available data on unlisted companies.

8. What's an OBPP Platform?

This article explains the concept of Online Bond Platform Providers (OBPPs), the list of OBPPs in India, and the regulations by SEBI. OBPPs are required to register with SEBI and can only offer specific regulated debt securities, including government bonds and securitized debt instruments. The regulations address issues such as transparency, compliance, and investor protection, ensuring that retail investors have a secure environment for bond trading. Overall, these measures aim to streamline operations within the debt market and safeguard investor interests as participation from retail investors increases.

9. A Thorough Overview of Indian Debt-Based Alternative Investment Opportunities

This article provides an extensive overview of various debt-based alternative investment products available in India, highlighting their significance within the alternative investment landscape. It categorizes products such as listed and unlisted debt, securitized debt instruments, market-linked debentures, invoice discounting, and P2P lending, among others. Each category is accompanied by a list of platforms where investors can engage, including details on minimum investment amounts and expected returns.

10. SEBI Doesn't Want You To Buy Unlisted Securities

This article explains the SEBI circular that came out on November 18, 2024, in which the market regulator issued an interim ex-parte order against three online platforms—altGraaf, Tap Invest, and Stable Investments—labeling them as "Unregistered Online Platforms" (UOPs) for selling unlisted non-convertible debentures (NCDs) without proper registration.

SEBI emphasized that unlisted bonds are unregulated and warned investors about the risks associated with such investments. In this article, ALT Investor’s founder Yash Roongta also shares his thoughts on the SEBI’s move and circular.

Here’s a table showing the combined list of ALT Investor’s top 10 blogs of 2024:

Besides these top 10 blogs of 2024, we also have more than 60 blogs through which you can learn more about alternative investments. Click here to read more of our blogs!

By the way, if you have not yet joined India’s first and largest community for alternative investments, you can join through this link! https://linktr.ee/altinvestor

Also, if you are planning to invest in listed, regulated, rated corporate bonds, you should checkout BondScanner, our latest tool which helps you compare bonds across platforms in a single view! Click here to access it.

Please note that this is compilation of our top 10 blogs of 2024 is an opinion blog and not an official research or investment advice*. This blog aims to help retail investors make an informed decision when thinking of making alternative investments a part of their portfolio. The blog neither encourages nor discourages you from investing in any particular platform or property or any asset class.*

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