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Share Market Losses in India: What 22 Crore Demat Accounts, FIIs and the Taxman Don’t Tell You

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Note:Not investment advice. This is what I’ve learned, read and paid for myself. Please verify rates with your broker or a CA before acting. Why I’m writing this Every year, when I sit down for ITR , I notice the same thing: I never feel how much I’ve paid in charges until I add them up in one place. This post is that exercise, plus the bigger picture of who actually moves this market. The small charges become the bunch or taxes or charges at the last. The market today, in plain numbers India now has roughly demat accounts crossing 22.5 crore (by FY26, per SEBI data quoted in the sources below), and one estimate puts it at 23.44 crore by July 2026. But accounts are not investors. Many people hold two or three accounts, and unique investors are estimated at 15+ crore. When someone says “22 crore Indians invest”, that is the headline, not the reality. Monthly SIPs are the quiet engine behind all this: about ₹31,961 crore came in through SIPs in July 2026. Retail vs FII vs ...
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Rupee Ki Kahani: How the Rupee’s Value Changed from 1900 to 2026

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    From ₹3 to a dollar in 1900 to ₹95 today, here is the real story of the Indian rupee, why it fell, and what it means for your money.   Last updated: 27 October 2026 A few years ago, ₹80 to a dollar felt like a shock. Then ₹90 arrived. This year, we crossed ₹95. Every time it happens, the same question pops up in my family WhatsApp groups: “Is the rupee finishing?” So I decided to look at the full story, all the way back to 1900. It is more interesting than I expected. The rupee has been through silver crashes, wars, devaluations and a near bankruptcy. Let’s walk through it. Where did the rupee even come from? The word “rupee” comes from the Sanskrit word rupya , which means silver. Silver coins existed in India for centuries, but the modern rupee started with Sher Shah Suri in the 1540s. He introduced a silver coin called the rupiya , and the Mughals kept using it as their standard. Then the British took over and standardised things. The key milestones: 1835: A un...
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UPI MDR Charges Explained: Will You Really Pay for UPI Now?

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  The government’s new UPI MDR rule has people worried that UPI is no longer free. Here’s what the 0.4% charge is, who pays it, and what it means for you. A few weeks ago my phone started buzzing with the same forwarded message from family groups and friends: “UPI will now be charged!” Two people actually asked me whether they should go back to carrying cash. I understand the panic. I use UPI for almost everything, from chai to groceries to bills. So I sat down and read the actual details instead of the headlines. The short version is that you, as a normal customer, are not being charged . The longer version is more interesting, and it does affect you indirectly. First, what is MDR? MDR stands for Merchant Discount Rate. It’s the fee a shopkeeper or business pays to accept a digital payment. It is the processing fee merchants pay banks for accepting digital payments. If you’ve ever wondered why some shops say “card payment, 2% extra,” this is the reason. Card payments have always ...
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Location: India
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Home Loan in India: A Complete Guide – Eligibility, EMI Calculation & Hidden Charges

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Getting a home loan in India looks simple from the outside — apply, get approved, get your money. In reality, most people run into confusing eligibility rules, EMI numbers that shift after they think it's finalized, and charges that only surface once the paperwork is actually in front of them. Here's a clear, no-fluff breakdown of what really matters at each stage. Eligibility: What Banks Actually Check Income isn't looked at in isolation. Banks check your existing EMIs — car loans, personal loans, credit card dues — before deciding how much home loan you qualify for. A high salary with high existing debt can still get a lower approval than expected. FOIR matters more than most people realize. This is the percentage of your income already committed to other loans. Most banks cap total EMI obligations (including the new home loan) at 40-50% of monthly income. The higher your existing debt, the lower your eligible loan am...
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Location: India
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CIBIL/Credit Score Explained: What It Is, Why It Matters and How I Improved Mine

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  For a long time, I thought a CIBIL score was just another number that banks checked before approving a loan. I did not pay much attention to it until I needed credit and realised that this three-digit number could affect my loan approval, interest rate, credit-card limit and even how seriously a bank treated my application. Many people hear terms like CIBIL score, credit score, credit report, credit utilisation and hard enquiry, but very few understand what they actually mean. Some people believe that having a high salary automatically gives them a good score. Others think that checking their own score will reduce it. I also believed a few of these things until I started reading my credit report carefully and understanding how the system works. This article explains CIBIL and credit scores in simple language, based on practical experience and the mistakes many ordinary borrowers make. What is a CIBIL score? A CIBIL score is a three-digit number that represents your credit...
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Location: India
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