New Delhi

Thecorporate bond market needs wider participation and greater awareness among retail investors to improve liquidity and price discovery, a brokers’ association president said. Kamlesh Shroff, President of the Association of NSE Members of India (ANMI), said the equity investment culture in India has developed significantly over the past three decades, while the debt market has been slower to gain traction among investors.

He said greater awareness about the availability of corporate bond products and the volumes being generated in the market would gradually encourage retail investors to participate. “Predominantly, the equity cult in our market is far more superior and has built up in the last three decades. The debt market has been very slow in picking it up,” Shroff said, adding that increased awareness would slowly and steadily bring the retail market into the segment. On liquidity in the corporate bond market, Shroff said greater market breadth would be crucial for improving liquidity and ensuring better price discovery.