Women Power India’s Investing Boom: NSE Adds 2.5 Crore Female Investors in a Decade

Women are emerging as a powerful force in India’s capital markets, with 2.5 crore women investors added over the last 10 years, according to NSE MD and CEO Ashish Kumar Chauhan. Speaking at the Business Today Most Powerful Women event, Chauhan said the NSE now has 12.2 crore registered investors covering 99.85% of India’s pincodes, and nearly one-fourth of them are women. He highlighted that out of the total 3 crore women investors, the majority were onboarded in the past decade, marking a strong CAGR of 25%.

Chauhan linked this surge in participation to broader financial inclusion trends. He noted that women hold 56% of the 56 crore Jan Dhan accounts in the country, reflecting deeper access to formal finance. At the same time, female labour force participation has seen a sharp rise, increasing from 23% in FY18 to 42% in FY24, further strengthening women’s role in the economy and investment ecosystem.

Beyond investing, women are also influencing corporate leadership and entrepreneurship. Chauhan said women now occupy about 20% of board positions in listed companies and lead nearly 1.6 crore businesses across India. With more than 2,900 companies listed on the NSE, including 700 SMEs, he stressed that women-led enterprises will be a key driver in India’s growth story and its ambition to become a global economic powerhouse.

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