India’s investor base hit a new milestone in June, with the National Stock Exchange of India (NSE) registering over 26 crore unique trading accounts, or client codes. In a press release issued on Friday, the exchange said it added the latest 1 crore accounts in just under four months. Over the past year, more than 4.3 crore accounts have been added, accounting for nearly 17% of the total, highlighting the pace of India’s capital markets. As of May 31, 2026, the NSE had more than 13.1 crore unique registered investors. The exchange crossed the 13-crore mark in April. Trading accounts are higher than the number of investors because one person can have more than one account with different brokers.The growth is no longer limited to big financial cities. Maharashtra leads with 4.4 crore accounts, or 17% of the total, followed by Uttar Pradesh with 3 crore, Gujarat with 2.2 crore, and West Bengal and Rajasthan with 1.5 crore each. Together, the top five states account for nearly 49% of all accounts. But growth is now picking up faster in the Northeast, where Mizoram, Sikkim and Meghalaya saw 32.3%, 30.0% and 29.2% of their 2021–25 additions come in 2025 itself.According to the NSE, this rise is being driven by faster digitisation, with mobile trading platforms now making up more than a fifth of cash market turnover, along with a simpler KYC process. Market performance has also helped, with annualised returns for the Nifty50 and Nifty 500 at 7.1% and 9.8% respectively over the five years ending June 4, 2026. The market value of NSE-listed companies has grown at a 12.6% CAGR over the same period, reaching Rs 462.2 lakh crore and adding to household wealth.Individual investors now hold 18.7% of the market, directly and through mutual funds, as of March 31, 2026. Systematic Investment Plans (SIPs) have also increased participation, with 7.2 crore new SIP accounts opened between April 2025 and March 2026. Average monthly SIP inflows have risen sharply over the past decade, from Rs 3,660 crore in FY17 to Rs 29,132 crore in FY26.NSE Chief Business Development Officer Sriram Krishnan said the 26-crore milestone “reflects the continued deepening of investor participation in Indian capital markets.” He added that despite global uncertainty, “the addition of one crore accounts in just under four months shows strong investor confidence.” He also said participation is growing beyond big cities into Tier 2, 3 and 4 towns, with investors now active across equities, ETFs, REITs, InvITs, government and corporate bonds, while Electronic Gold Receipts have also widened access.With more young investors joining the market, the NSE said investor education is becoming more important. Investor Awareness Programmes have grown five times from 3,504 in FY20 to 17,902 in FY26, reaching 9.4 lakh people last year.