Greater outreach of bond festivals will boost awareness, investment: NSDL CBO

Mumbai, Aug 18 (IANS) Bond festivals can play an important role in increasing awareness about the bond market and educating investors on how to invest in bonds and benefit from them, Sameer Patil, Chief Business Officer (CBO) at NSDL, said on Tuesday.

Speaking at the Great Indian Bond Festival organised by GRIP in Mumbai, Patil described the initiative as a positive step towards expanding investor awareness about bonds. He also thanked GRIP for organising the festival.

“This is the first time that a bond festival of this kind has been organised. The more people and investors this initiative reaches, the greater the awareness will be about the bond market, how to invest in bonds, and how investors can benefit from these investments. I think this is a very good initiative, and I would like to sincerely thank GRIP for organising it,” he told IANS.

GRIP CEO Vaibhav Ladda said the Great Indian Bond Festival is the first annual festival being organised for the bond industry, with the objective of creating awareness and educating people about bonds as an investment instrument.

Ladda said it was important for investors to understand bonds, particularly as retail investors often associate fixed returns primarily with fixed deposits.

“Today, when people think about fixed returns, they generally think only about fixed deposits. After tax, fixed-deposit returns can be below inflation and may not even beat inflation,” Ladda said.

He said the festival aims to help investors better understand bonds, their role as an investment option and their relevance to retail investors as well as the broader financial market.

“I think it is very important for investors to understand bonds because today, when people think about fixed returns, they generally think only about fixed deposits. After tax, fixed-deposit returns can be below inflation and may not even beat inflation,” he stated.

–IANS

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