NSE adds 1 crore investors in 5 months, surpasses 11 crore mark; total accounts registered hit 21 crore

The National Stock Exchange (NSE) said on Wednesday, January 22 that its unique registered investors have surpassed the 11 crore mark, recording more than one crore additions in the past five months. The recent surge highlights the increased investor participation in the stock market directly. Investor registrations have increased by over 3.5 times in the last five years.

Since the beginning of NSE’s operations in 1994, it took the stock exchange 14 years to reach one crore investors. The next one crore registrations came in quickly, taking nearly seven years, followed by an ever quicker pace of taking 3.5 years for the next crore. All this was topped off by the milestone of the fourth crore taking just over a year.

"The rate of growth has since quickened significantly, with each additional one crore investors being added in roughly six to seven months, while the last one crore investors were added in just over five months, reflecting a shift in investor enthusiasm and participation in the stock market through direct means," NSE said in a statement.

The daily new unique investor registrations have consistently ranged between 47,000 and 73,000 over the past five months. The uptrend is seen on the back of many factors including the rapid advancement of digitisation, heightened investor awareness, financial inclusion efforts and strong market performance.

Last year, the Nifty 50 index delivered a return of 8.8%, while the Nifty 500 index ended with an impressive 15.2% gain. Indian markets have experienced positive returns for the last nine consecutive years.

"As the new year begins, India's capital markets have achieved a significant milestone, with the number of registered investors at NSE exceeding the 11-crore mark. This rapid growth, with over one crore new investors added in just five months since crossing the 10-crore mark in August, reflects rising confidence of the Indian public in the stock market as a trusted avenue for wealth creation," PTI quoted Sriram Krishnan, Chief Business Development Officer at NSE, as saying.

The total number of accounts (client codes) registered with the NSE, adding this, now stands at 21 crore. Notably, clients can register with more than one trading member.

Factors like enhanced digital accessibility, increased investor education and government initiatives promoting financial inclusion have driven this surge, Krishnan said to PTI. Moreover, a younger, tech-savvy population and growing awareness of the benefits of equity investments have fueled this trend further.

The growth of investors has expanded beyond the urban areas, with nearly all pin codes (except 30) in India having investors registered with the exchange. This means that there is 99.84% coverage in the country. Maharashtra leads with 1.8 crore registered investors, followed by Uttar Pradesh at 1.2 crore and Gujarat at 98 lakh. These three states account for 36.6% of the total 11 crore investors.