FAST AND FURIOUS

THE PACE OF CHANGE IN THE INDIAN STOCK MARKETS HAS REACHED UNPARALLELED HEIGHTS, AND IT IS EXPECTED TO ONLY ACCELERATE IN THE COMING YEARS. IN THE OFFING IS A MIX OF NEW SEGMENTS, PRODUCTS, AND FEATURES THAT WILL FURTHER CEMENT INDIA'S PLACE IN THE GLOBAL ARENA

- ASHISH RUKHAIYAR

UNTIL RECENTLY, INVESTING in an initial public offering (IPO) was a tedious process, with the whole procedure taking more than a couple of weeks to complete. Similarly, opening a demat account or waiting for the shares or funds to be credited in the investor’s account used to take a few days, at least. The scenario was no different in the mutual fund (MF) space or, for that matter, most aspects related to the Indian stock market. Although the Indian capital markets were safe and robust, speed was something that was still in the slow lane.

The past couple of years have seen a paradigm shift in the way the domestic market behaves. In fact, the Indian stock market is set to see a significant transformation in the next few years. Capital markets regulator, the Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi), and other market intermediaries are working together to make the domestic stock market faster, more robust, and more diverse. This means stocks will no longer be the sole focus; other instruments will also take centre stage.

The coming years could also see a huge influx of retail money into the bond markets through the exchanges, as policymakers take steps towards lowering the minimum investment amount, to potentially as low as ₹10,000 from the current ₹1 lakh. In line with the government’s efforts to move money from tangible assets like real estate and physical gold to financial investments, the stock markets are expected to see more retail flows in small and mid-sized commercial properties through real estate investment trusts (REITs) and also in sovereign gold bonds. Not to forget the social stock exchange (SSE) framework that would entice both for-profit and not-for-profit organisations to raise funds through stock markets.