By Gunjan Rajput

Copyright republicworld

The National Stock Exchange of India (NSE) has achieved a historic milestone by crossing 12 crore (120 million) unique registered investors as of September 23, 2025. The total number of investor accounts (Unique Client Codes) has also reached 23.5 crore, highlighting India’s accelerating retail investor participation.The expansion has been exponential in recent years. While NSE took 14 years to register its first crore investors, the latest addition of 1 crore investors came in just eight months, an unprecedented surge fueled by fintech access, simplified digital processes, and growing middle-class aspirations.Markets Outperform Global PeersThe fiscal year so far has rewarded investors with strong returns. NSE’s benchmark Nifty 50 index gained 7%, while the broader Nifty 500 delivered 9.3%. Over the past five years, annualised returns stand at 17.7% for Nifty 50 and 20.5% for Nifty 500—outperforming both emerging and developed markets.The market capitalisation of NSE-listed firms has surged at an annualised rate of 25.1% in the last five years, reaching Rs 460 lakh crore by September 23, 2025, significantly boosting household wealth. Retail investors now directly and indirectly own 18.5% of the listed market, as of June 2025.Women and Youth Drive Market ParticipationThe NSE data shows that one in four investors today is are woman, with younger Indians increasingly entering the markets. The median age of investors has fallen from 38 years to 33 years in just five years, with nearly 40% of them under 30.Geographically, participation is widening too. Maharashtra leads with 1.9 crore investors, followed by Uttar Pradesh (1.4 crore) and Gujarat (1.03 crore), covering 99.85% of India’s pin codes.SIP Inflows and Financial Literacy SurgeSystematic Investment Plans (SIPs) continue to be a strong growth driver. Between April and August 2025, 2.9 crore new SIP accounts were opened, with average monthly inflows rising to Rs 27,464 crore from Rs 21,883 crore a year ago.Investor education has also grown rapidly. NSE’s Investor Awareness Programs (IAPs) quadrupled from 3,504 in FY20 to 14,679 in FY25, reaching over 8 lakh participants nationwide. Meanwhile, NSE’s Investor Protection Fund swelled to Rs 2,644 crore, reflecting stronger safeguards for retail investors.NSE Leadership SpeaksCommenting on the milestone, Shri Sriram Krishnan, Chief Business Development Officer, NSE, said: “This year, we have crossed another significant yardstick in terms of our investor base. After crossing the 11-crore mark in January, it is commendable that the investors onboarded by NSE have increased by an additional crore in about eight months, despite persistent concerns regarding global trade and geopolitics.”He credited streamlined KYC, robust investor awareness programs, and broad participation across equities, ETFs, REITs, InvITs, and bonds for this growth.Read More – Jaro Institute IPO Day 3: Price Band, GMP, Subscription Dates and More