NSDL Launches 'Women Plan' to Boost Female Market Participation

By: WE Staff | Thursday, 2 April 2026

• National Securities Limited has launched a ‘Women Plan’ to promote women’s participation in capital markets
• The ‘Women Plan’ will provide a settlement fee holiday for a period of three years to new women investors

National Securities Limited (NSDL) has introduced a new initiative to encourage and enhance women’s participation in India’s capital markets. This is through the “Women Plan,” which waives settlement fees for three years for new women investors.

The move comes at a time when women are increasingly becoming part of the investing ecosystem. There is an over 129 per cent surge in demat account numbers held by women since 2021. These demat account numbers have risen to over 28 million by early 2026 from 6.67 million.

Currently, women make up almost 30 per cent of new brokerage clients. This is due to the growing number of women embracing digital platforms and showing interest in systematic investment plans (SIPs) and mutual funds.

Through the Women Plan, women opening new NSDL demat accounts from April 1, 2026, to March 31, 2027, will have their settlement fee waived for debit transactions for three years from the date of opening their demat account. This will encourage women to invest in the capital markets.

There is no restriction on the number of demat accounts that an investor can open. These demat accounts can be joint accounts, but the account must be held by the woman.

This initiative is in line with the overall objective of financial inclusion under the Viksit Bharat Yojana. It is part of the financial inclusion initiative of the government through schemes like the Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana.

NSDL seeks to encourage women, especially first-time investors, by removing the initial transaction cost, thereby paving the way for their active involvement in wealth creation.

Vijay Chandok, Managing Director & CEO, NSL, while commenting on the initiative, said, “We have introduced the plan so that investing can be made easier as more and more women take an active part in their financial lives.”

The Women Plan, with its well-defined benefits and waiver of fees for three years, is seen as an initiative aimed at higher financial inclusion in the capital markets of India.