NSE IX global access platform to enable Indian investors to trade 30 global markets by 2026

Indian retail investors are set to get a new route to overseas shares through NSE IX. The exchange’s Chief Managing Director and CEO, Balasubramaniam V, said trading will extend to 30 global markets. The Global Access platform is in a soft launch. The US is the first market that is live.

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Balasubramaniam V told reporters that more overseas markets should be added before the end of 2026. The service runs on a web browser and a mobile app. It is designed for Indian residents using the Reserve Bank of India’s Liberalised Remittance Scheme framework for overseas investing.

NSE IX global access platform expands global markets for Indian investors

Balasubramaniam V said users can complete digital KYC in under a minute. The process uses PAN-based authentication for verification. After approval, investors can send money to a specified account in GIFT City. NSE IX has partnered with a foreign broker for this setup.

He said the broker maintains a backup account structure for the arrangement. Balasubramaniam V added that users will not need a demat account. After the remittance, the app will show trading limits. The annual cap remains USD 250,000 under the LRS rules.

Once limits appear, investors can build multiple watchlists and place buy or sell orders. The early focus is the US, he said. The US represents over 95 per cent of outbound investments by Indian residents. He said users can track firms like NVIDIA, Apple and Microsoft.

NSE IX global access platform offers fractional investing under LRS rules

The platform allows value-based or fractional investing, Balasubramaniam V said. This lets an investor buy part of a costly stock. Even if shares trade for several hundred dollars, exposure can start at $5. The fractional units will appear inside the investor’s portfolio.

Balasubramaniam V said some instruments will stay out of scope. Derivatives trading is not allowed on the platform. Cryptocurrencies and other digital assets will also be unavailable. He said all activity will follow India’s regulatory requirements and the LRS framework.

NSE IX global access platform linked to GIFT City and IFSC tax holiday

On the Union Budget’s tax changes, Subramaniam referred to the extension for IFSC units. He said, "Now in this recent budget extending tax holidays for International Financial Services Centre IFSC units to 20 years provides clear certainty and tax uncertainty is gone. However, competing centres like Dubai are providing a 50-year tax holiday. Basically, a 20-year extension of the tax holiday gives you a good roadmap for the business with clarity. I expect more players to come,\" he added.

NSE IX is an international exchange and a wholly-owned unit of the National Stock Exchange of India. It operates from GIFT City in Gujarat. Balasubramaniam V said it is used for inbound and outbound flows. He said the exchange trades almost USD100 billion each month.

He said this equals over USD 5 billion in average daily volume. He also compared activity with NIFTY futures in India. Balasubramaniam V said, \"And if you compare it with how, say, the NIFTY futures contract trades on the domestic market, we are actually double the size. So effectively, we have more than 65-70% market shares with the NIFTY index futures trading size,\" the CEO & MD of NSE IX said.

With the US already live, NSE IX plans to broaden access as more markets come online by end-2026. The platform aims to simplify onboarding through PAN-based KYC and app-based trading limits under LRS. It also keeps key restrictions, including no derivatives or crypto. NSE IX says the service remains tied to GIFT City’s regulated IFSC framework.

With inputs from PTI