What is Demat Account and Trading Account
If you wish to invest in stock markets, there are a plethora of factors that you should be aware of. Making money in the share market is not a gamble but is a process of systematic and scientific investments. However, the starting point for any investor is to be aware about the fundamentals of demat and trading account. As this will form the crux of your trading.
We will learn this in brief below.
Demat Account: A demat account also known as Dematerialisation account. It is simply an account which holds your financial instruments like Mutual funds, shares, bonds etc. in electronic form. Demat account is quite like the bank account. Just like in bank accounts where you store currency, in demat account you store financial securities.
Trading account: A trading account is required to conduct your stock trading activities. When a company lists the shares in the share market, trading can be initiated only through Trading account. It is used to buy/sell securities in the stock market. Once you have a Demat Account, if you want to transact in shares, you need a Trading Account. A Trading Account acts as a link between your bank account and Demat Account which allows to trade in stock markets.
Who Issues Demat and Trading Accounts?
In India, banks, brokerage firms, and financial institutions provide Demat and trading accounts. They are depository participants (DPs) registered with one of the national central depositories - NSDL or CDSL. Demat accounts ensure the safe storage of your shares and other securities. For trading, stockbrokers authorised by SEBI handle trading account setup. These accounts facilitate the buying and selling of shares.
Following are the main areas where the Demat account and Trading account differ:
- A demat account is used to hold securities that you buy in electronic form whereas, the trading account helps to place orders in share market
- Demat Account is provided by Depository Participant registered with the Depository. Trading Account is provided by a Stockbroker registered with the Exchange. Both are regulated by SEBI.
- Demat Account has a unique 16-digit Demat Number which is used to identify the Demat Account holder. On the other hand, trading account will have a unique trading number, which will be used to trade in the share market.
- The key role of a Demat Account is to store the investor’s shares whereas, the key role of Trading Account is to allow trading transactions
The Functionality of a Demat vs Trading Account
You must be aware how stock market would work before digitization. Thousands of people would be shouting and screaming at the top of their voice to place their orders. Well, gone are those days as digitization has made everything available online. You can place orders through your trading account and store the bought securities in digital form in your Demat account, all from the comfort of your home and in a few clicks. Trading account enables you to participate in trading of other financial instruments, like Futures and Options, ETFs, etc.
The Nature of the Two Accounts
Demat account keeps a track of all your holdings such as shares, mutual funds, ETFs etc., whereas a Trading account keeps a track of all your transactions, like buy, sell, deposits, withdrawals etc.
Difference Between Demat Account and Trading Account
As a beginner investor, you need to understand the difference between a demat account and a trading account seeing as they are crucial prerequisites for trading in the Indian stock market. Here’s a table outlining the differences between these two accounts.
Particulars | Demat account | Trading account |
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Definition | A demat account is a digital account that enables investors to store shares and other securities electronically. | A trading account is a digital account that enables investors to purchase and sell shares and other securities on the exchanges. |
Role | The primary role of a demat account is to store securities electronically to prevent theft, loss or damage. | The role of a trading account is to facilitate the placement of buy and sell orders on exchanges. |
Issuing Entity | A demat account is issued by a depository through a Depository Participant (DP). | A trading account is provided by a SEBI-registered stock broker. |
Unique Identifier | Every demat account has a unique 16-digit number for easy identification. | Every trading account has a unique trading ID or number, depending on the stockbroker. |
Charges | Some of the fees and charges associated with demat accounts include Account Maintenance Charges (AMC) and transaction fees, among others. | Stockbrokers usually don’t levy any charges for trading accounts. However, a brokerage will be levied for trades executed through the account. |
Demat and Trading Account Opening Process
To invest in the stock market, both a Demat account (for holding securities) and a Trading account (for executing trades) are required. The account opening process can usually be completed online with minimal documentation. Here's a general overview of the steps involved:
Access the Account Opening Portal
Start by visiting the official website of the service provider offering account opening.
Mobile Number and Email Verification
Provide your contact details and verify them using OTP authentication.
KYC Document Submission
Submit documents such as your PAN card and proof of address (e.g., Aadhaar, passport, voter ID) through DigiLocker or by uploading them manually.
Provide Personal and Financial Information
Enter your personal details including income range, occupation, and other relevant information.
Add Nominee (Optional)
You may add a nominee to your account for ease of inheritance and security of your holdings.
Bank Account Linking
Provide your bank account details along with a cancelled cheque or bank statement for verification.
Upload Signature
Submit a digital or scanned signature as part of the onboarding process.
Selfie or Liveliness Check
A live selfie may be required to confirm your identity digitally.
Aadhaar-Based OTP E-sign
E-sign the application using the mobile number linked to your Aadhaar for verification.
Final Review and Submission
Review all submitted details and confirm the application.
Once the application is processed and verified, login credentials for the Demat and Trading account will be shared via registered contact details. After activation, you can start trading and investing through your chosen platform.
Fees and charges for opening Demat and Trading Account:
Opening of a Demat and trading account entails various fees and charges, some of them are stated below:
- Demat & Trading Account Opening Charges: The Demat & Trading account opening charges are vary from broker to broker. Considering both are offered together there are no separate charges for Demat and Trading accounts. Some brokers offer free Demat and trading accounts including Bajaj Broking. A user does not have to pay any amount in the first year, from the second year onwards they only pay Rs. 431 for the entire year.
- Annual maintenance Charge:It is an annual recurring for maintain your demat account. The amount differs from Depository Participant to another.
- Brokerage Charges: Brokerage charges are the charges levied by stockbroker on the buy and sell transactions you do in the share market. It can be as per the transacted value or a flat fee per order.
- Dematerialisation & Rematerialisation Charges:The charges that are levied on converting physical share certificates to electronic form and vice versa.
- Off-Market Transfer: These are charges that are levied when you transfer the shares from one Demat account to another without involving the stock exchange. Users use this feature to gift stocks to their friends and family members.
- Custodian Fees:These are charges that are levied every month depending on the number of shares held in the demat account. The standard charges are between Rs. 0.5 to Rs. 1 for each ISIN. Most DPs do not charge custodian fees as most of the companies pay this one-time charge to the DPs.
Can You Open a Demat Account Without Having a Trading Account or Vice Versa?
Theoretically, you can have a Demat account without a trading account, however, a Demat account is of no use if you do not have a trading account along with that. The purpose of a Demat account is to store shares digitally, whereas trading account enables investors to execute buy and sell orders along with other forms of trading involved in the stock market. This is the reason that all stockbrokers offer Demat and Trading account together. With banks you get the option of a 3-in-1 account, Demat, Trading and Savings.
Discount stockbrokers like Bajaj Broking, make the process convenient for you with free Demat and Trading account and a hassle-free one-stop solution for all stock market related activities.
Conclusion
Demat and Trading account are two integral parts of stock market investing/trading. The overall process of stock market investing cannot be carried out digitally without Demat and Trading account. A Demat account will ensure complete safety of your stocks bought, and a trading account will facilitate the transactions. Although they are two different accounts with two different purposes altogether, an investor will never really have to go through two different processes, the integration with the help of technology is so smooth and seamless that the user experience is effortless.
One such seamless platform is Bajaj Broking App. The app allows you to create watchlists, set alerts, check news, place swift orders and a host of other features.
Bajaj Broking App allows investors the option to choose curated stock ideas prepared by in-house experts. This feature helps new investors with a more informed approach while choosing stocks.