Capital Market and Depository System in India

In India, efforts have been made in recent years to set up an effective regulatory framework covering major participants in the capital market, while upgrading technology in the stock exchanges. The market has undergone a major transformation in terms of its structure, products, practices, spread, institutional framework and other important aspects like transparency, integrity and efficiency. The size of the market has also grown manifold. Shares are traditionally held in physical (paper) form. This method has weaknesses like loss/theft of certificates, forged/fake certificates, cumbersome and time-consuming procedures for transfer of shares, etc. To eliminate these weaknesses, a new system called the 'depository system' was established. A depository is a system which holds shares of an investor in the form of electronic accounts in the same way a bank holds the money of a depositor in a savings account. A depository holds securities in dematerialised form, maintains ownership records of securities in a book entry form, and effects the transfer of ownership through book entry. This book presents glimpses of the evolution of the capital market in India during the post-Independence period. More importantly, it provides deep insights into the functioning of the depository system in India through sample surveys. [Subject: Economics, India Studies, Banking & Finance]