NSE Investor Base Surges to 10 Crore Milestone

The National Stock Exchange has reached a historic milestone by crossing 10 crore unique registered investors. This growth has been fueled by digitisation, financial inclusion, and market performance. Sriram Krishnan attributes this surge to enhanced financial literacy and streamlined KYC processes.

The National Stock Exchange (NSE) announced on Thursday that its number of unique registered investors now exceeds 10 crore, with the last 1 crore added in just five months.

The investor base has more than tripled over the last five years, driven by rapid digitisation, rising investor awareness, financial inclusion, and consistent market performance.

According to NSE, the milestone of 10 crore was achieved on August 8, 2024. Currently, the total client codes registered with the exchange stand at 19 crore, incorporating all client registrations to date. Notably, clients can register with multiple trading members.

The previous milestone of 4 crore registered investors was reached in March 2021 after more than 25 years. The subsequent increments of 1 crore investors each have come at an accelerated pace, averaging about 6-7 months, with the latest crore added in just over five months.

Significantly, the median age of the 10 crore registered investors is now 32 years, down from 38 years five years ago, indicating growing interest among younger populations. Additionally, one in five investors today is female.

Chief Business Development Officer of NSE, Sriram Krishnan, stated that this growth can be attributed to streamlined KYC processes, enhanced financial literacy from stakeholder-led awareness programs, and sustained positive market sentiment. The increase in indirect participation is also notable, with nearly 2.1 crore new SIP accounts opened between March 2024 and June 2024.