The change in India’s saving behaviour in the coming decade
Every few years, one product quietly becomes a familiar part of how India saves . Fixed deposits had that slot for decades while SIPs have become an increasingly popular way to participate in equity markets. We believe bonds have the potential to become a more familiar part of this savings landscape as well. As Indian investors become more aware of different ways to manage their savings, the role of fixed-income products can evolve. For many investors, bonds can form part of the allocation focused on stability and regular interest income, alongside other asset classes. The opportunity is to make this part of investing easier to understand, access and manage.
We believe the next phase of fixed-income investing will be about making the experience simpler - helping investors discover bonds, understand their characteristics, compare available opportunities and track their investments in one place.
The product keeps getting simpler, rung by rung
The path from today's bond investing experience to a simpler, more accessible one can be thought of as a ladder with four rungs. Each rung aims to reduce complexity and make it easier for investors to participate.
Bond Trading enables investors to buy and sell individual bonds with full discovery on price, yield, credit and tenor. This defines the BondScanner of today, and it’s where the brand, the trust and the data comes from, constituting lacs of active investors.
Bond Baskets can bring multiple bonds together into a single portfolio, helping investors explore diversified bond portfolios without having to compare individual ISINs one by one.
Bond SIPs can make regular investing in bonds more structured by allowing investors to invest periodically rather than making every investment decision from scratch. This builds on the broader familiarity Indian investors already have with systematic investing.
Bonds as a Wallet represents a longer-term vision where fixed-income products can become easier to use as part of everyday financial planning. The goal would be to make managing money through fixed-income instruments more convenient while allowing investors to understand the terms, liquidity and risks associated with each investment.
Between Bond SIPs and this longer-term vision sits an enabling layer: portfolios that can be funded periodically, structured and managed over time. Building the right technology, operational capabilities and regulatory infrastructure will be important as the fixed-income ecosystem evolves.
The journey from individual bond investing towards simpler, more structured experiences is one we intend to build step by step. Each stage should be grounded in what investors need and what the market and regulatory framework allow.
Behaviour shifts will make bonds a household word
SIPs and mutual funds have become familiar terms in household names. We believe bonds can similarly become more widely understood as investors learn more about fixed-income investing and the different roles it can play within a portfolio. Bonds will become the default for anyone starting a savings journey, the way SIPs are today. With the regulators and the government leaning into retail debt participation, the friction around holding bonds, including tax treatment and settlement will become increasingly simpler. Every simplification will move another rung of the ladder and make it more feasible.
The market changes shape
As more investors become familiar with bonds, the market has the potential to become broader and more accessible.
For companies, a deeper retail bond market can create another avenue for raising capital. Equity IPOs are already widely understood by the public; over time, public bond offerings may also become more familiar to investors as awareness of debt markets increases. A growing retail bond market could also contribute to a broader understanding of how Indian companies raise capital and how investors participate in that process. BondScanner is the platform that will channel a demand of that magnitude.
Why this is ours to win
Our starting point is simple: we are focused on bonds and fixed-income investing.
We want to build from the ground up - starting with making individual bond investing easier to understand and gradually exploring products and experiences that can simplify the journey further.
The opportunity ahead is significant, but it will depend on how investor behaviour, technology, market infrastructure and regulation evolve together.
Our belief is that over the coming years, bonds can become a more familiar part of India's investing landscape. Our ambition is to help build that future by making bond investing simpler, more transparent and more accessible to investors.
