NSE IPO: Comparing India's Two Stock Exchange Giants BSE vs NSE

 

By Dalal Street Investment Journal (DSIJ)

 

Summary:

NSE has filed draft papers for its IPO, marking a major milestone. It will be the largest Indian IPO in history. A comparison with BSE highlights differences in revenue, profitability, trading volumes, IPO listings, and growth, offering investors a closer look at the country's two dominant exchange operators.

The Indian financial market is currently dominated by two massive stock exchanges. National Stock Exchange of India Ltd (NSE) and Bombay Stock Exchange Ltd (BSE) control the whole market. They work as a duopoly and compete for every single trade.

Recently, the NSE took a big step toward its public listing. It filed its draft papers with the market regulator SEBI recently. This IPO will be an offer for sale (OFS) by existing owners. About 14.89 crore shares will be sold during this massive event.

It is a very exciting time for all investors in the country.

Comparing NSE and BSE Financial Health and Growth

NSE remains much larger than its rival in terms of scale and financial performance. In the financial year ending March 31, 2026, it earned ₹16,601 crore. This revenue is over three times more than what BSE made. BSE earned ₹4,833 crore in revenue during the same twelve months. However, BSE is growing its income at a much faster pace. Its profit grew by over 88% compared to the previous year. BSE share price often reacts to these high growth figures. The NSE net profit stood at a strong ₹10,302 crore.

Both companies enjoy high profit margins because of low operating costs.

Financial Metric (FY26)

NSE Performance

BSE Performance

Total Revenue

₹16,601 crore (Down 3.1% YoY)

₹4,833 crore (Up 63.4% YoY)

Net Profit (PAT)

₹10,302 crore (Up 15.4% YoY)

₹2,487 crore (Up 88.1% YoY)

Profit Margin

62.05%

51.4%

Dividend (FY26)

₹35 per share

₹10 per share

Average Daily Trading Volume (Cash Segment)

₹1.05 lakh crore

₹7,950 crore

How NSE and BSE Earn Their Income

Most revenue for these exchanges comes from daily transaction charges. They charge a small fee for every trade on their platform. NSE earned ₹13,057 crore from these trading fees in FY26. BSE earned a smaller amount of ₹3,795 crore from trades.

They also earn money by charging companies annual listing fees. Other income comes from selling market data and technology services. NSE daily trading volume reached ₹1.05 lakh crore in cash markets. BSE recorded a much lower daily volume of ₹7,950 crore.

Revenue Stream

Description of Service

Transaction Charges

Fees on every equity and derivative trade.

Listing Fees

Annual fees paid by companies to stay listed.

Market Data

Selling trading data to banks and brokers.

Index Licensing

Fees for using indices like NIFTY or SENSEX.

Details of the National Stock Exchange IPO

Many big institutions are selling their shares in the NSE IPO. The State Bank of India is one of the main sellers. The Canada Pension Plan and Bank of Baroda are also selling stakes. New India Assurance and General Insurance Corporation are joining them too.

These shares will be listed on the BSE platform eventually. This is because of the Indian regulatory policy. Under the SECC Regulations, a stock exchange is not permitted to "self-list". To prevent potential conflicts of interest where an exchange might be responsible for regulating itself as a listed entity, the rules mandate that it must list on a different recognised stock exchange. Consequently, NSE shares will be listed and traded exclusively on the BSE Ltd.

Listing Trends on NSE and BSE

BSE continues to lead in the smaller company listing segment. It hosted 146 SME IPOs during the last financial year. NSE followed behind with 111 listings in the SME category. For mainboard IPOs, both exchanges were very close in numbers. NSE had 108 listings while BSE managed 109 such listings. 

As of June 18, 2026, the total number of companies listed on BSE are 5,144. This is much higher than the 3,337 companies listed on NSE.

Both exchanges are working hard to attract more new companies.

Operational Metric

NSE Data

BSE Data

Mainboard IPOs

108

109

SME IPOs

111

146

Total Listed Entities

3,337

5,144

Published Date : 18 Jun 2026

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Content Partner - Dalal Street Investment Journal Wealth Advisory Private Limited



This article is for educational purposes only and should not be considered investment advice. Market investments are subject to risks. DSIJ Wealth Advisory Private Limited is a SEBI-registered Research Analyst (Reg. No: INH000006396) and Investment Adviser (Reg. No: INA000001142). Please consult your financial adviser before investing. 

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