NSE retail investors soar to 1.46 lakh ahead of IPO

New Delhi

The retail investor base of the National Stock Exchange (NSE) has jumped to 1.46 lakh shareholders in the unlisted market, signalling rising anticipation around a possible initial public offering (IPO). This marks a four-fold rise from just 33,896 investors in the previous quarter, making NSE the most widely held unlisted company in India.

Most new investors hold shares worth less than ₹2 lakh. Interestingly, while the number of such investors grew, their total ownership slightly dipped from 9.84% to 9.52%, translating to a minor drop in shares held — from 23.86 crore to 23.56 crore.

In contrast, high-value investors (those holding over ₹2 lakh in NSE shares) declined slightly in number — from 354 to 343 — but their combined stake rose to 11.81%, up from 9.89% last quarter.

Overall, the NSE's total shareholder count has soared past 1.59 lakh — a sharp increase from 39,201 the previous quarter. This surge in interest pushed up the unlisted share price by 36%, from ₹1,650 in April to ₹2,225 per share. With a market cap of ₹5.7 lakh crore in the grey market, NSE would rank 8th or 9th among Nifty 50 firms if listed today.

Despite foreign institutional investors selling ₹5,870 crore worth of NSE shares this quarter, key domestic players like LIC, SBI, Radhakishan Damani, and major state insurers have held on to their stakes, showing continued trust in NSE’s long-term growth. The IPO buzz continues to drive investor enthusiasm in India’s largest stock exchange.