National Stock Exchange of India
India’s largest exchange by turnover and the dominant venue for Indian equity and derivatives trading. It was created explicitly to introduce transparent, screen-based trading and now handles the overwhelming majority of Indian cash-equity and derivatives volume.
- Location
- Bandra Kurla Complex, Mumbai, India
- Trading currency
- Indian rupee (INR)
- Trading hours
- 09:15 to 15:30, Monday to Friday
- Trading days
- Monday to Friday, excluding the published exchange holiday list
- Time zone
- India Standard Time (UTC+5:30, no daylight saving)
- Market capitalisation
- Approximately USD 5 trillion (2025)
- Listed companies
- Approximately 2,200 (2025)
- Settlement
- T+1 through NSE Clearing and the NSDL or CDSL depositories, with an optional T+0 cycle in beta for eligible securities.
Top performing companies today
Ranked by the current session’s percentage move, strongest first, from the companies this platform covers on this venue.
Retrieving current-day prices for the companies covered on this venue…
What trades here
Major indices
- NIFTY 50
- NIFTY Bank
- NIFTY Next 50
Major listed companies
- Reliance Industries
- HDFC Bank
- Tata Consultancy Services
- Bharti Airtel
- State Bank of India
- Larsen & Toubro
Major sectors
- Financials and banking
- Information technology services
- Energy
- Automotive
- Consumer goods
How the market works
Market structure
A fully electronic, order-driven market and the dominant venue for Indian cash equities and derivatives. It runs a main board and the NSE Emerge platform for small and medium enterprises. Price discovery for most large names happens here rather than on the BSE.
Trading mechanisms
A pre-open call auction from 09:00, continuous trading 09:15 to 15:30, and a closing price derived from the last half hour's volume-weighted average. Per-security circuit filters and index-level circuit breakers apply.
Listing requirements
Admission requires a minimum paid-up capital and market capitalisation, a three-year track record, promoter holding conditions, minimum public shareholding of 25%, and compliance with the SEBI ICDR and LODR Regulations.
Settlement
T+1 through NSE Clearing and the NSDL or CDSL depositories, with an optional T+0 cycle in beta for eligible securities.
Regulatory authority
Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI).
How to invest in this market
What it takes to open an account and deal on NSE, separated by where you live — the two answers are rarely the same, and on some markets they are not even the same process.
Domestic investors
Residents of India
The same PAN, demat and trading-account set-up as the BSE — one account reaches both exchanges, and the broker routes to whichever venue is quoting better.
- A Permanent Account Number (PAN).
- A demat account with an NSDL or CDSL depository participant and a trading account with a SEBI-registered broker.
- Aadhaar-based or in-person KYC, and a linked bank account.
- Tax: Securities Transaction Tax on every trade; 12.5% long-term and 20% short-term capital gains on equity, subject to the current finance act; dividends taxed at slab rates.
Foreign investors
Open through a defined route
As for the BSE: the FPI route for institutions, the NRI Portfolio Investment Scheme for non-resident Indians. The NIFTY 50 is the index most international funds use for Indian exposure, and most of that exposure is held through the FPI channel or through offshore funds and ETFs.
- Institutions: SEBI registration as a Foreign Portfolio Investor via a Designated Depository Participant, with a custodian, PAN and domestic banking arrangements.
- Non-resident Indians: NRE/NRO account, RBI Portfolio Investment Scheme approval through the designated bank, demat account and PAN.
- Individual foreign investors with no Indian connection generally access this market through offshore funds and ETFs rather than directly.
- Tax: withholding on dividends at 20% plus surcharge and cess for non-residents, reduced by treaty; capital gains taxable in India at equity rates.
Foreign ownership limits
Below 10% per company for a single FPI and its investor group; aggregate foreign holding capped at the sectoral FDI limit. NRI limits are 5% individually and 10% in aggregate, extendable to 24% by company resolution.
Currency considerations
Quoted in Indian rupees; repatriation depends on the account type through which the investment was made.
Regulated routes to an account
Licensed intermediaries and official exchange platforms, listed to show the regulated routes into this market. This is not a recommendation and not an exhaustive list — check any firm against the regulator’s register before opening an account.
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Why this market matters
Why investors follow it
The NIFTY 50 is the benchmark most international funds use for Indian equity exposure, and NSE derivatives are among the most actively traded contracts in the world by number of trades. Liquidity here is materially deeper than on the BSE for most large names.
Interesting facts
- It has been among the world’s largest derivatives exchanges by contract volume for several consecutive years.
- Its launch in 1994 ended open-outcry trading in India and forced a rapid modernisation of the incumbent exchange.
- Most large Indian companies are listed on both the NSE and the BSE, but price discovery generally happens on the NSE.
Official sources