How online bond platforms are powering retail investor interest

Lowering the minimum bond investment from %1 lakh to 710,000 has opened the market to first-time investors

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Online bond platforms (OBPs), launched in 2022 to ease investor entry into the bond market, are seeing a sharp rise in activity. Monthly transaction volumes have tripled—from around %500 crore last year to 1,500 crore now, according to industry executives.

“Till last year, the minimum ticket size for bonds used to be tI lakh. A few quarters ago, Sebi reduced the face value to t10,000 to allow retail investors to try this new asset class. This has led to strong adoption,” said Anshul Gupta, co-founder of Wint Wealth, a Sebi-registered online bond platform.

The shift is most evident in request-for-quote (RFQ) trades—the exchange mechanism OBPs use to route bond orders. NSE data shows RFQ volumes rising from 43,000 in April 2025 to over 1.54lakh by October 2025. OBPs now serve as marketplaces for corporate bonds, giving retail investors entry with as little as 310,000. India has 44 such platforms. Here’s how they are opening up access to the corporate bond market.

Easy account setup

Opening and account on an OBP is entirely digital. Investors must select a platform to sign up with key details like mobile number and email, after which KYC is completed via PAN and Aadhaar. As listed bonds require a demat account, the investor must link an existing one or create a new one.

After linking the demat and bank accounts and e-signing the disclosures, investors can explore available bonds, compare yields, and transact through the RFQ mechanism.

Transparent order routing