NET/MOBILE TRADING ON RISE

With rising penetration of internet and smartphones in the country, investors are increasingly taking to trading on the NSE through use of these mediums, a senior official of the exchange today said. Trading in the NSE cash market by investors through the use of internet has observed a 12 per cent rise over the last few years, NSE Chief Business Development Ravi Varanasi told reporters here. Citing the rising penetration of mobile phones including smartphones, Varanasi said that investors' use of this medium for trading on NSE has seen a 100 per cent jump in the past one year. "Using internet as a medium of stock market trading has increased by 12 per cent in the cash market and my sense is that it is on the rise," Varanasi told reporters here. "Adoption of mobile phones, particularly smartphones, for stock trading has also been really good," Varanasi said. The NSE had started mobile trading which allows the investors to trade in the cash, derivatives or currency market through their mobile phones, while travelling anywhere in the country or abroad. Trades are facilitated through the exchange's registered brokers. Speaking about the proposed Central Public Sector Enterprises Exchange Traded Fund (CPSE-ETF) on the NSE, Varanasi said that Goldman Sachs Asset Management which is managing the ETF has to make certain filings with market regulator Sebi. According to Varanasi, the ETF is expected to be "launched soon". Goldman Sachs Asset Management is acting as the asset management company (AMC) for the proposed ETF of the public sector enterprises which is to help government achieve its disinvestment target. Besides, the NSE which recently launched an Institutional Trading Platform -- EMERGE ITP -- to allow SMEs and start-ups to list on the exchange without the requirement of IPO, has been engaging angel and venture capital industry to spread awareness about the new platform to companies. "Through EMERGE ITP we are bringing together growth companies and risk investors in a well regulated environment, enabling both sides to benefit from the discipline and transparency, to create a virtuous cycle facilitating flow of risk capital to growth companies," Varanasi said.