No, National Stock Exchange of India Limited or NSE is not a government company. It is a private company owned by a mix of domestic and international financial institutions, banks, investors and entities. Founded in the year 1992 on the recommendations of the Pherwani Committee, NSE brought transparency and modernisation to the Indian equity markets. Even though several public sector institutions hole stakes in NSE, no single government entity has a majority control over it.
NSE is a market infrastructure institution and the 5th largest stock exchange in the world by market capitalisation. It provides advanced, automated, electronic trading services to all categories of investors across all asset classes.
Here is a quick overview of NSE
| Details | Info |
| Founded | 1992 |
| Founder | Institutions backed by the Government of India |
| Headquarters | Mumbai, Maharashtra, India |
| CEO | Ashishkumar Chauhan |
| Product and Services | Equity market, Derivatives, Mutual Funds and more |
| Indices | Nifty 50, Nifty Next 50, Nifty 500 |
| Market Cap | INR 438 lakh crore (December 2024) |
| Official Website | www.nseindia.com |
Company History
National Stock Exchange of India Limited was incorporated in the year 1992 under the Companies Act. It was established at the behest of Government of India, following the recommendations of the Pherwani Committee. NSE commenced operations with Wholesale Debt Market on 30th June 1994. Thereafter, it launched the equities segment on 3rd November 1994.
NSE became the first exchange in India to implement fully automated electronic or screen-based trading in the year 1994. The daily turnover on NSE surpassed that of the Bombay Stock Exchange or BSE within a year of commencing operations. In the year 1996, NSE launched the Nifty 50 index, a benchmark index tracking the top 50 companies by market cap and liquidity on NSE.
NSE introduced derivatives trading on 12th June 2000. Currency derivatives trading was launched in August 2008. In the year 2012, NSE launched the NSE EMERGE platform for the listing of SMEs and startup companies in India. NSE became the world’s largest derivative exchange by contract volume in 2023-24.
Current Status
NSE is India’s largest stock exchange by trading volume and derivatives activity. It provides a wide range of products and services across categories like equity market, indices, mutual funds, currency derivatives, equity derivatives, commodity derivatives, interest rate derivatives, fixed income and debt market and more.
The number of investors registered with NSE is over 24.96 crore. Major group companies of NSE include NSE International Exchange, NSE International Clearing, NSE Clearing, NSE Investments, NSE Indices, NSE Data & Analytics, NSE Academy, NSE Infotech Services and NSE Foundation.
Future Outlook
NSE’s future outlook looks positive, driven by its dominant market position and the ongoing structural growth in India’s capital markets. It is likely to benefit from expanding product offerings and rising institutional and retail participation. Moreover, NSE is expected to retain its dominance in the derivatives segment.
