Top stock exchange NSE reported a six per cent increase in investor participation in its cash market segment last year.
According to National Stock Exchange (NSE), the exchange witnessed 46 lakh 'active' investor trading on its cash market platform in 2015 -- a growth of 6 per cent from the year-ago period.
"Active clients in the year 2015 stood at 46 lakhs in the cash market segment and all of them traded at least once in the exchange," the NSE said in a statement.
"Majority of this additional participation has come from the western region of the country. Besides conventional places, data associated with some of the cities like Bengaluru and Rajkot have shown significant growth," it added.
Meanwhile, the bourse also said retail investors' share in average daily turnover in the equities surged 9 per cent year-on-year.
"The all-inclusive (retail and others) average daily turnover in this segment was Rs 17,560 crore, as against Rs 15,879 crore a year back. Majority of this volume has come from the retail segment," it added.
State-wise, Maharashtra had the highest number of active investors, followed by Gujarat, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka.
As per the bourse, Gujarat saw the highest increase in active clients on a year-on-year basis. Some places in Gujarat, like Rajkot, even recorded a 40 per cent growth in investors trading on NSE.
NSE's Business Development Chief Ravi Varanasi said the exchange has "constantly reached out to people across India, with an aim to bring more people into the formal financial system."
Cash market segment facilitates trading in individual shares of listed companies. An investor can take delivery of company shares in their respective demat account and can stay invested without any time constraint.
