A Quick Guide to the Bond Investment Process for Retail Investors

Once you’ve made up your mind to invest in bonds, there’s a whole new world of opportunity that opens up for you. Bonds offer higher returns with lower risks than most of the other investment options available to retail investors. The best part is, what was once available only to large ticket buyers, corporates and banks is now open to retail buyers like you and me.

Up until recently, investing in bonds was complicated and not as easily accessible as stocks and mutual funds. Moreover, bond brokers and sellers would reach out only to big players who were willing to buy in large volumes. But in 2017, the government passed a new bill making G-secs available to retail buyers.

Here’s a Simple Guide on How You Can Invest in Bonds:

STEP 1. Select the Bond/s that you want to invest in

The first step involves browsing through the latest bonds available in the market. You can choose corporate bonds, public-sector bonds, corporate fixed deposits or tax-saving bonds based on your financial goals. GoldenPi offers a one-stop solution where you can browse through the latest bonds available in the secondary market. You could also check out the National Stock Exchange (NSE) to get information related to government bonds.

STEP 2. Documentation

Retail investors can buy bonds from the primary market (IPO Issuance) or the secondary market. The documents required for investments vary based on this criterion.

a. If you’re investing in a bond IPO, then you just need to fill up the Sample IPO form. GoldenPi will send this form to you. GoldenPi will also get the form picked up from your place via its delivery partners

For an IPO application, no payment is required. This is as per the latest ASBA norm. As per this norm, once you apply for an IPO with your form, your application amount (mentioned in your form) gets blocked in your Bank Account. Once you get allotment successfully, the corresponding amount gets deducted from your account.

b. For secondary market investments, investors need to complete all KYC formalities which include submitting address proof, pan card, canceled cheque, and CMR Demat copy. Once KYC is completed, you will be eligible for bond transactions. The following are the documents that are required :

If you are investing in Bonds via GoldenPi, rest assured that all your documentation, physical document pickup and processing will be done by our dedicated KYC desk.

STEP 3. – Receiving the Bond Units in Demat Account

a. IPO: On successful allotment, the bond units will automatically be transferred to your Demat account. The application amount for the units allotted will get debited from your Bank Account.

b. Second Market Purchase: For the purchase of bonds from the secondary market, Sample Deal Sheet or consideration sheet is generated with all the details of the transaction (buyer details, seller details, price, yield, etc). You’ll have to sign and send a scanned copy to us to complete the purchase process. Then you have to remit the purchase amount for the bond to ICCL/NSCCL or directly. You can use manual or online RTGS payment to remit the money.  (ICCL/NSCCL are the counterparty settlement bodies in India.)

The bond units will be transferred by ICCL/NSCCL to your Demat account on the same day.

To sum up:

You can invest in bonds via GoldenPi

As India’s first online platform for bonds and debentures, we at GoldenPi have simplified the entire bond investment process for you. From selecting the top bonds in the market to completing the transaction process for you, we follow a completely transparent and smooth process, making investments in bonds easy and effortless.

Reach out to us to start investing in bonds.

About GoldenPi Expert

With over 15 years of experience across fixed income and debt markets, he brings deep domain expertise along with a strong focus on investor education and transparency. An alumnus of IIT Kharagpur and IIM Calcutta, his views are personal and should not be considered investment advice.

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