The number of stock investors (Unique Client Codes) increased by 10 million in the three months from 6 June to 21 September, according to data released by the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE). This is the quickest rate of addition in history. The number of registered stock investors has increased from 70 million in June 2021 to 80 million now.

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In comparison, it took six months from January to June 2021 to add ten million new investors. According to the latest statistics published by market regulator the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI), the number of Demat accounts used to keep equities reached a new high of 62.2 million at the end of June 2021.

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“Equity investments, whether directly or through mutual funds, have been gaining ground over the past 1.5 years for a variety of reasons across the world. India is also following the world trend. It is important for every investor to be careful and understand in detail the companies, processes, and instruments in which they plan to invest or trade,” said Ashish Chauhan, chief executive officer of BSE.

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In comparison, the number of people who invest in mutual funds has increased more slowly than the number of people who invest directly in stocks. According to data published by the Association of Mutual Funds in India (Amfi), there were 2.39 crore mutual fund investors with unique PAN numbers by the end of June 2021. Stock trading has become more appealing to retail investors due to the emergence of discount brokers and fintech platforms.

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In February 2008, the BSE had 10 million registered users. There were 40 million people by August 2018 after another 10 years. Even more impressively, the following 40 million stockholders were added in just three years after that. Because stock investors typically register with several exchanges, the BSE statistics are likely to reflect the majority of Indian stock investors.