Demat Account Features and Benefits

By now, you must be reasonably aware of what is a demat account and how dematerialisation of shares has transformed the entire scenario investing and trading forever. However, it is still necessary to understand some fundamental features and advantages of a demat account. Let’s take a quick look at them all.

Features and benefits

1. LOWER RISK:

Possessing shares in their paper format carries a lot of risks like loss, misplacing them, damage to the certificates, etc. Dematerialization of shares eliminates the risk of loss and damage to the securities. The paper certificates also had high incidences of forgery and theft. As the holdings are now in an electronic format, it has reduced the threat of forgery and theft.

2. EASY TO HOLD:

A demat account makes equity trading and your shares accessible. You can trade in securities, view your holdings, transaction history, etc. at the click of a button. It also makes managing your details easy. You can make changes to your address, linked phone number, linked bank account, and such other account- related changes for every company stock all from your demat account.

3. EASE OF TRADING:

Earlier, paper certificates had to be sent to the Company or the Registrar and Transfer authority to change the ownership of shares, which resulted in delays, additional costs and loss of certificates. With demat accounts; transfer of shares has become easier. Trading in shares, buying, storing, selling online has become seamless and streamlined.

4. REDUCED COSTS:

Stamp duty applicable on transfer of physical shares, which was a cumbersome process for investors. Dematerialization of shares has eliminated the stamp duty and reduced all other transactional costs.

5. REDUCED TIME:

A demat account minimizes the time taken to trade in equity investments. Buying and selling of shares is a quick process that can be done intra-day through an online trading platform. Similarly, changing personal details in your stocks can be done through a single demat account in which the shares are held. All this has reduced the time taken to trade in and manage securities for investors.

6. ODD-LOT PROBLEM RESOLVED:

Earlier, there were multiple restrictions on the selling of shares. Shareholders could not sell shares in odd lots. Demat Accounts has eliminated those restrictions.

7. VARIETY OF INVESTMENTS:

With the diversification of investment options, a demat account can store mutual funds, bonds, government securities, Exchange Traded Funds (ETF), etc.

With a clear understanding of these features and benefits, you will be able to leverage them for a secure, seamless and simple trading and investing experience through your demat account.