NSE IPO: CEO Ashish Chauhan provides fresh update on much-awaited public issue

NSE IPO: Stock exchange National Stock Exchange of India (NSE) is expected to appoint merchant bankers for its much-awaited initial public offering in March 2026, the company's Managing Director (MD) and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Ashish Kumar Chauhan said.

He said that the valuation and final size of the initial share sale will be decided after the appointment of merchant bankers, when the formal process begins.

"Valuation is usually determined by the merchant bankers. They are yet to be appointed. So, I don't know what the final amounts will be," the NSE chief said.

On regulatory aspects, Chauhan said rules by market regulator Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) allowing stock exchanges to go public with a lower public float would not materially affect the timeline.

"SEBI regulations have allowed NSE-like companies to go with a smaller float because we don't have an identifiable promoter," he said.

Unlike many listed firms, no single entity holds a controlling stake in NSE that can be classified as a promoter, he added.

NSE IPO date

NSE MD Ashish Kumar Chauhan did not commit to a timeline to launch the issue, but he indicated that the IPO could hit the market by the fourth quarter of the financial year 2026-27 (Q4 FY27).

The exchange had reported a 15% increase in its consolidated profit after tax to ₹2,408 crore in the quarter ending December 31, 2025, compared to ₹2,098 crore in Q2 FY26.

Its total income advanced 6% to ₹4,395 crore in Q3 FY26 as against ₹4,160 crore in the previous quarter. Earnings per share (on a non-annualised basis) for the latest December quarter were ₹9.73, up from ₹8.48 for Q2 FY26.