Cross-Border Trading Trends Shaping India’s Retail Investment Scene

The underlying data surrounding India’s infatuation with equities is impressive. In 2024, the number of unique investors in the National Stock Exchange of India (NSE) crossed 100 million, representing a threefold increase in the span of four years. 

More Indians are actively trading than ever before, with cash market participation rising from 3.2 million in 2020 to 14 million by 2024. 

These figures illustrate the strength of investing throughout India in the post-pandemic landscape, with investors benefiting from the digital revolution of online platforms and mobile applications that have made stock market participation more frictionless than ever before. 

As an emerging economy, the NSE has long enjoyed high levels of Foreign Portfolio Investors (FPIs). However, the rise in domestic retail investors has seen ₹4.4 trillion ($49 billion) enter the market in a move that underlines the scale of appetite among Indians. 

The Rise of Indian Retail Investing

The rapid growth in Indian retail investing isn’t a coincidence, according to Jitendra Gohil, CFA, Chief Investment Strategist of Kotak Alternate Asset Managers.

Gohil has attributed the surge in domestic investments in Indian markets to near-ideal conditions for India’s young working population to undertake their wealth management and increase their access to banking services using digital tools. 

That retail investment in the NSE has increased threefold since 2024 shows the impact of zero-fee brokerage platforms domestically, as well as India’s strong economic health. 

Gohil also pointed to China, which has seen the per capita income grow 14 to 15 times in the past 25 years, while India has experienced growth of only six times. Meanwhile, India’s stock market has returned 10% on average compared to the 5% to 6% return in China. This suggests that the most logical approach to wealth creation is investing in equities. 

In terms of domestic markets, Indian equities are in an exceptionally strong position. The nation’s economic growth of around 6% to 7%, coupled with the fact that the economy hasn’t experienced a full-blown recession since 1980 (with the exception of a brief crash during the pandemic), has helped to support strong corporate earnings growth. This has helped to uncover more opportunities on the NSE. 

However, the explosive growth of trading platforms and competitive international trading rates has also seen more Indians look beyond borders for trading opportunities, and platforms like Just2Trade are paving the way for unprecedented access to global equities. 

Growth of Cross-Border Trading

As an internationally-focused trading platform that covers stocks, futures, forex, and bonds, Just2Trade is an example of the technologically advanced tools that are transforming retail investing opportunities in India. 

Having been recognized as the best MetaTrader 5 broker by World Finance in 2025, J2T stands as one of India’s leading resources in accessing global trading opportunities. 

In terms of accessing a broader range of trading and investment opportunities, J2T offers more than 90,000 option assets spanning 30,000 global stocks. 

With options spanning 20 global markets, Indian retail investors can access the full liquidity of US stock exchanges across 7,000 securities. 

The platform also features support for MetaTrader 5’s desktop and mobile devices, offering around-the-clock access to the platform’s competitive fee structure and automated trading features as a means of buying and investing in stocks and other securities beyond borders. 

Frictionless Market Access

Just2Trade also epitomizes the appetite of Indian retail investors for competitive pricing when it comes to trades, with spreads ranging from 0 to 0.5 based on the type of account that’s held by users. 

For forex pairs on the platform, spreads can range between 0.03 and 0.9, representing a rate that can help to reduce the costs associated with trading currency. 

Another significant advantage of the platform is the flexibility on offer when it comes to deposits and withdrawals, making market access far more frictionless. 

With more than 20 deposit and withdrawal options, it’s possible to add money to accounts using PayPal, Skrill, Giropay, Neteller, and Klarna, to name a few, all of which offer 0% commission, while only bank transfers come with charges. 

Withdrawing funds, however, comes with a 2% commission for PayPal and Neteller, while AstroPay and credit card withdrawals are subject to 2.8% and 2.5% commission fees, respectively. 

India’s Growing Appetite for Investing

In recent years, India has emerged as the perfect location for retail investors to build cross-border asset portfolios as a means of fostering their own wealth management. 

With domestic markets outpacing many international peers, there are plenty of opportunities both inside and outside of India for residents to grow their investments and build their confidence in trading assets. 

Thanks to the proliferation of advanced trading platforms like Just2Trade, it’s becoming easier than ever to maintain a focus on both domestic and international securities, helping to foster India’s growing appetite for investing.