Why most retail accounts sit here
CDSL grew by onboarding the mass-retail market through banks and discount brokers, which is why the majority of demat accounts in India are CDSL accounts. Upstox, Zerodha and most discount brokers are CDSL DPs (many also hold NSDL memberships). The “which depository” question is settled by your broker’s membership, not by your choice.
The CDSL tools you will actually use
The Easiest platform (easi.cdslindia.com) lets you check holdings, statements and transaction history without logging into your broker. It is the independent mirror of what your broker shows, useful whenever you want a second opinion on your own portfolio.
Fees at CDSL
CDSL’s own debit fee is around ₹3.5 per transaction, which is why brokers’ DP charges of ₹20 total include a broker service fee on top. Women account holders get a ₹0.25 discount on CDSL debits, and mutual fund and bond debits carry the same discount. These details are published on broker pricing pages and were checked in August 2026.
The CDSL services you will actually touch
The Easiest portal at easi.cdslindia.com shows holdings, transaction history and statements for CDSL accounts, using your BO ID and PAN. The CDSL Easi app does the same from a phone. Both are independent of the broker, which matters the day the broker app disagrees with your memory of a trade. The monthly CAS email for CDSL accounts comes from CDSL itself and is the same consolidated record NSDL account holders get.
How CDSL came to hold most retail accounts
CDSL launched in 1999, promoted by the BSE and a consortium of banks, three years after NSDL. It grew by onboarding the mass-retail market: banks and discount brokers opened accounts in bulk, and today CDSL holds the majority of investor accounts in India even though NSDL holds more assets by value. For an investor the difference is invisible: both follow the same SEBI rules, the same settlement cycle and the same BSDA framework.
A concrete example
You hold shares through a broker that is a CDSL DP. When you sell, the broker debits your CDSL account (₹3.5 goes to CDSL, the rest is the broker’s service fee) and CDSL emails you a transaction confirmation.
Questions people ask about CDSL
Use the CDSL Easiest portal with your BO ID and PAN. It shows holdings, transaction history and the CAS. It is the independent mirror of what your broker app displays.
CDSL grew by onboarding retail investors through banks and discount brokers, and it holds the majority of investor accounts today. The reason is history and distribution, not a difference in safety or service.
Yes. Both are SEBI-regulated depositories running the same settlement infrastructure with the same legal protections. The safety of your holdings comes from the depository system itself, not from which of the two institutions holds the record.
You can, by transferring shares through a depository participant that holds both memberships. The transfer costs depend on the DP’s schedule and your TPIN authorises it. In practice almost nobody does this, because nothing about the customer experience changes on the other side.
Ready to put the words to work?
The account costs ₹0 to open, and the first year of AMC is free.