Last Updated: July 13, 2026
The Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad (IIMA) has established the Mattu Centre for Research in Security Pricing and Corporate Finance, a Centre of Excellence dedicated to advancing empirical research in financial economics. The Centre has been set up through the philanthropic contribution of IIMA alumnus Ravi Mattu and facilitated by the IIMA Endowment Fund (IIMAEF). It aims to strengthen India-specific financial research, develop specialised datasets, and encourage collaboration among researchers, industry professionals, regulators, and policymakers.
The initiative comes at a time when India’s financial markets continue to expand and evolve. According to IIMA, the Centre will focus on research that reflects the country’s market structure and corporate environment, supporting evidence-based studies in asset pricing, corporate finance, and corporate governance. It is also expected to provide academic opportunities for early-career researchers through workshops, seminars, and research conferences.
Overview
|
Particular |
Details |
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Institution |
Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad (IIMA) |
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Centre |
Mattu Centre for Research in Security Pricing and Corporate Finance |
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Supported By |
Ravi Mattu (IIMA alumnus) |
|
Facilitated By |
IIMA Endowment Fund (IIMAEF) |
|
Focus Areas |
Asset pricing, corporate finance, corporate governance and financial economics |
|
Beneficiaries |
Researchers, policymakers, regulators, finance professionals and early-career scholars |
Purpose of the Centre
India’s financial markets differ from many mature economies due to factors such as concentrated market liquidity, the presence of large business groups, public sector enterprises, and an evolving corporate bond market. IIMA states that these characteristics require research frameworks designed specifically for the Indian context.
The Mattu Centre has therefore been established to build reliable research infrastructure and encourage evidence-based analysis. Its work is intended to support academic research, policy discussions, and a better understanding of India’s financial markets.
Research Initiatives
A major focus of the Centre is the development of India-specific financial databases that can support long-term research.
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Planned Database |
Objective |
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Historical Market Performance |
Build a historical price index using archival records to estimate India’s long-term equity risk premium beyond widely available data from 1993. |
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Equity Return Factors |
Expand datasets with profitability, investment, liquidity, size, value and momentum factors. |
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Fixed Income Securities |
Study pricing characteristics of Indian debt securities. |
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Retail Investor Sentiment |
Measure investor expectations through survey-based data. |
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India-Specific CAPE |
Maintain a Cyclically Adjusted Price-to-Earnings (CAPE) ratio database adapted to Indian markets. |
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Mutual Fund Database |
Develop a survivorship-bias-free dataset for performance evaluation. |
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Corporate Governance |
Track board quality, audit quality and shareholder voting trends. |
The Centre notes that these datasets are intended to improve access to structured information for researchers and institutions.
Academic Activities
To support research and knowledge exchange, the Centre plans to organise:
- Annual Research Conference (expected from the 2027 academic year, subject to official confirmation)
- Quarterly research workshops
- PhD workshops
- Young Indian Scholar Workshop
- PhD Summer School
- Seminar series featuring Indian and international researchers
These activities are expected to encourage collaboration across academia, industry, and regulatory institutions.
Governance
The Centre has been established with support from Ravi Mattu, an IIMA Post Graduate Programme alumnus (1979 batch) and former Managing Director and Global Head of Analytics at Pacific Investment Management Co. LLC (PIMCO).
It will operate under a Governing Council and an Executive Committee. According to IIMA, the Governing Council includes Director Prof. Bharat Bhasker, Ravi Mattu, Prof. R. Narayanaswamy, Prof. Vaidyanathan Venkateswaran, Rajan Raju, and Co-Chairpersons Prof. Joshy Jacob and Prof. Ellapulli Vasudevan. The Executive Committee includes faculty members from IIMA’s Finance and Accounting Area.
Why It Matters
The Centre reflects a broader effort to strengthen India’s financial research ecosystem by creating datasets tailored to domestic market conditions. Such resources can support empirical research—research based on observed data—as well as studies on asset pricing, which examines how financial assets are valued. The proposed CAPE ratio database is intended to provide a long-term market valuation indicator adapted for India.
By bringing together researchers, regulators, policymakers, and industry professionals, the Centre is expected to contribute to evidence-based discussions on financial markets and corporate governance.
Official Sources
This article is based on information published by:
- Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad (IIMA): Official announcement on the establishment of the Mattu Centre for Research in Security Pricing and Corporate Finance (published in July 2026).
- Mattu Centre for Research in Security Pricing and Corporate Finance: Official IIMA webpage.
Information retrieved: July 13, 2026.
Reader Advisory
Readers should refer to the official IIM Ahmedabad website for the latest information on the Centre’s activities, governance, conferences, and research programmes. Avoid relying on unofficial websites or social media posts for institutional announcements, and do not share personal information or make payments in response to unsolicited communications claiming to represent IIMA.
Editorial Disclaimer
This article is based on official information available at the time of publication. Future announcements, committee memberships, research initiatives, collaborations, and event schedules may change. Official notifications and updates issued by the Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad will take precedence over the information presented in this article.