Demat account

Mon, 11 May 2026 00:00:00 +0000

A demat account (short for dematerialised account) is an electronic repository that holds an investor’s securities – shares, bonds, mutual fund units, government securities, exchange-traded funds, and sovereign gold bonds – in digital form rather than as physical certificates. In India, demat accounts are maintained by two central depositories, CDSL and NSDL, through a network of registered intermediaries called depository participants (DPs). Introduced following the Depositories Act 1996, the demat system eliminated the risks associated with physical share certificates – theft, forgery, loss in transit, and cumbersome transfer procedures – and became the foundation of modern Indian capital markets.

Indian retail brokers comparison

Mon, 11 May 2026 00:00:00 +0000

India’s retail broking industry has undergone a structural transformation since 2015, accelerating sharply after the COVID-19 pandemic. The number of demat accounts grew from approximately 40 million in March 2020 to more than 150 million by early 2024, adding first-time investors at a pace no other market matched in that period. This growth was catalysed by the rise of discount brokers offering zero or flat-fee brokerage, app-first onboarding, and simplified interfaces that lowered the entry barrier for retail participation in Indian stock exchanges.

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Demat account

Indian retail brokers comparison