NSE 2024 Highlights: Record Listings, Wealth Creation And An Increasing Investor Base

The National Stock Exchange had a robust 2024, with the bourse witnessing a record number of new listings and adding the highest number of investors to its base in any calendar year.

NSE saw a total of 268 new listings, the highest globally, with a sizeable contribution from the small and medium enterprise space on the NSE Emerge platform.

2024 saw initial public offerings worth Rs 1.67 lakh crore, with 57% of this amount going to promoters who offloaded their stake through the offer-for-sale route. Amid the IPO boom, India's markets also saw qualified institutional placements worth Rs 1.34 lakh crore in the calendar year, which translated to a nearly 160% growth on a year-on-year basis.

Growing Investor Base

NSE's investor base grew by 2.3 crore to a total of 10.9 crore in 2024 marking the highest annual increase recorded by the exchange.

Uttar Pradesh and Bihar's investor growth outpaced that of Maharashtra, which traditionally sees dynamic growth in new investors. While Uttar Pradesh saw a 36% yearly growth in registered investors, Bihar saw a 41% growth. Delhi NCR topped the list of districts with the highest number of new investor registrations.

The median age of investors also dropped to 35.8 years in 2024 from 41.1 four years ago, indicating a younger demographic entering the market. Female investors accounted for nearly a quarter of the total investor base.

The number of individual investors who traded at least once during the year also saw a significant rise. In the cash market segment, 378.9 lakh investors were active in 2024, marking a 39% year-on-year increase. In the equity derivatives segment, 111.2 lakh investors were active, translating to a 31% yearly increase.

Wealth Creation: A 10-Year Story

Retail investors have significantly increased their presence in India's stock market over the past decade, according to NSE. As of Sept. 2024, retail investors - both direct and through mutual funds - held 17.6% of NSE-listed companies, compared to 10.9% in March 2014. Direct holdings by individuals rose to 9.6% from 8% over the same period, while indirect holdings through mutual funds surged to 8% from 2.9%, with individuals accounting for nearly 85% of equity mutual fund assets under management.

The value of retail holdings, combining direct and indirect investments, has risen more than tenfold to Rs 82.5 lakh crore in Sept. 2024 from Rs 7.9 lakh crore in March 2014, growing at a compound annual growth rate of 25%.

In 2024 alone, stock market household investors gained approximately Rs 13.2 lakh crore, NSE said. Over the last three years, household capital formation in equities exceeded Rs 28 lakh crore, and over the past five years, it has surpassed Rs 40 lakh crore.