BSE, NSE hike transaction charges: New rates kick in from next month

BSE and NSE have announced a revision to their transaction charges, effective October 1. The changes, disclosed on Friday, will see an increase in fees for select segments. On the BSE, transaction charges for Sensex and Bankex options contracts will rise to ₹3,250 per crore of premium turnover. However, charges for other equity derivatives, including Sensex Fifty and stock options, remain unchanged at ₹500 per crore of premium turnover.

NSE has also adjusted its fee structure across various segments. From October 1, a charge of ₹2.97 per lakh of trade value will be applied on both sides in the cash segment. In equity futures, the rate will be ₹1.73 per lakh, while equity options will see a fee of ₹35.03 per lakh of premium value, applicable on both sides. Currency futures will incur a charge of ₹0.35 per lakh of trade value, while for currency options and interest rate options, the fee will be ₹31.10 per lakh of premium value.

What’s Behind the Move?

These fee revisions follow SEBI’s July mandate, which requires stock exchanges to implement a uniform fee structure across all members of market infrastructure institutions. Previously, fees were charged on a slab-wise basis depending on trading volume or activity, giving some members advantages based on their size or activity levels. The new flat structure aims to eliminate this disparity and bring transparency to the fee system for end clients.

In line with these changes, earlier this week, the Multi Commodity Exchange of India Ltd. (MCX) also announced a revision in transaction fees for futures and options contracts, effective from October 1. MCX set the fee for futures contracts at ₹2.1 per lakh of turnover value, while options contracts will now incur a charge of ₹41.8 per lakh of premium turnover.

SEBI’s directive also includes a "true to label" policy, ensuring that fees charged to end clients must reflect the actual costs paid by trading members to the market infrastructure institutions, making the system more transparent and fair for all participants.