Depository

Although India had a vibrant capital market which is more than a century old, the paper-based settlement of trades caused substantial problems like bad delivery and delayed transfer of title till recently.

In the Depository System securities are held in depository accounts, which is more or less similar to holding funds in bank accounts. Transfer of ownership of securities is done through simple account transfers. This method does away with all the risks and hassles normally associated with paperwork. Consequently, the cost of transacting in a depository environment is considerably lower as compared to transacting in certificates.

The balances in the investors account recorded and maintained with CDSL can be obtained through the DP. The DP is required to provide the investor, at regular intervals, a statement of account which gives the details of the securities holdings and transactions. The depository system has effectively eliminated paper-based certificates which were prone to be fake, forged, counterfeit resulting in bad deliveries. CDSL offers an efficient and instantaneous transfer of securities.