NSE crosses 24 crore investor accounts as retail participation hits 22-year high on D-St rush
As of September 30, 2025, individual investors hold an 18.75% stake in NSE-listed companies—a 22-year high. Over the past five years, NSE’s Nifty 50 and Nifty 500 indices have delivered annualised returns of 15% and 18%, respectively.
- Nov 13, 2025,
- Updated Nov 13, 2025 6:09 PM IST
The National Stock Exchange of India (NSE) has surpassed 24 crore (240 million) unique trading accounts, marking a significant milestone achieved just over a year after crossing the 20 crore mark in October 2024.
According to NSE, the number of unique registered investors stood at 12.2 crore as of October 31, 2025, with Maharashtra topping the state-wise chart with over 4 crore accounts (17% share), followed by Uttar Pradesh (2.7 crore), Gujarat (2.1 crore), West Bengal and Rajasthan (1.4 crore each). The top five states accounted for nearly 49% of all investor accounts, while the top ten held over 73%.
Shri Sriram Krishnan, Chief Business Development Officer at NSE, attributed this growth to a mix of regulatory reforms, technological innovations, and enhanced investor outreach. “Retail investors continue to be optimistic about Indian capital markets, given the robust measures that have been implemented in the past few years,” he said, highlighting improvements like mobile-based trading solutions, streamlined KYC, and targeted investor awareness campaigns.
Krishnan added that these efforts have made markets more accessible, especially in tier 2, 3, and 4 cities, and have supported investor engagement despite global uncertainties.
As of September 30, 2025, individual investors hold an 18.75% stake in NSE-listed companies — a 22-year high. Over the past five years, NSE’s Nifty 50 and Nifty 500 indices have delivered annualised returns of 15% and 18%, respectively.
The exchange has also ramped up its investor education efforts. In the first half of FY26 alone, it conducted 11,875 Investor Awareness Programs, reaching nearly 6.2 lakh participants — up from 14,679 programs in all of FY25. Meanwhile, NSE’s Investor Protection Fund grew 19% year-on-year to Rs 2,719 crore as of October-end.
Founded in 1994, NSE remains India’s largest stock exchange by trading volume and is currently the world’s largest derivatives exchange by contracts traded, according to the Futures Industry Association (FIA) for calendar year 2024.
The National Stock Exchange of India (NSE) has surpassed 24 crore (240 million) unique trading accounts, marking a significant milestone achieved just over a year after crossing the 20 crore mark in October 2024.
According to NSE, the number of unique registered investors stood at 12.2 crore as of October 31, 2025, with Maharashtra topping the state-wise chart with over 4 crore accounts (17% share), followed by Uttar Pradesh (2.7 crore), Gujarat (2.1 crore), West Bengal and Rajasthan (1.4 crore each). The top five states accounted for nearly 49% of all investor accounts, while the top ten held over 73%.
Shri Sriram Krishnan, Chief Business Development Officer at NSE, attributed this growth to a mix of regulatory reforms, technological innovations, and enhanced investor outreach. “Retail investors continue to be optimistic about Indian capital markets, given the robust measures that have been implemented in the past few years,” he said, highlighting improvements like mobile-based trading solutions, streamlined KYC, and targeted investor awareness campaigns.
Krishnan added that these efforts have made markets more accessible, especially in tier 2, 3, and 4 cities, and have supported investor engagement despite global uncertainties.
As of September 30, 2025, individual investors hold an 18.75% stake in NSE-listed companies — a 22-year high. Over the past five years, NSE’s Nifty 50 and Nifty 500 indices have delivered annualised returns of 15% and 18%, respectively.
The exchange has also ramped up its investor education efforts. In the first half of FY26 alone, it conducted 11,875 Investor Awareness Programs, reaching nearly 6.2 lakh participants — up from 14,679 programs in all of FY25. Meanwhile, NSE’s Investor Protection Fund grew 19% year-on-year to Rs 2,719 crore as of October-end.
Founded in 1994, NSE remains India’s largest stock exchange by trading volume and is currently the world’s largest derivatives exchange by contracts traded, according to the Futures Industry Association (FIA) for calendar year 2024.