India, Oct. 15 -- While gold continues its steady ascent amid global geopolitical and economic tensions, its often-overlooked cousin-silver-has emerged as the unexpected disruptor in India's precious metals market. The sharp rally in silver prices has caught both investors and institutions off guard, prompting major mutual fund houses such as Kotak, SBI, and UTI to temporarily halt fresh lump-sum investments in their Silver ETF Fund of Funds (FoFs).

Silver ETFs, which are traded on stock exchanges, offer investors a way to gain exposure to silver without the logistical challenges of physical ownership. These ETFs are typically backed by high-purity (99.9%) physical silver bars stored in secure vaults. Each unit represents fractional owne...