How to choose the BEST DEMAT ACCOUNT?

In this post I will explain the points which I think one should consider before choosing or opening a Demat Account. There are two main things one considers while selecting a service or a product.

  1. Quality.
  2. Price.
As far as Dmat Account is concerned, Quality just means Quality of the service. In this case, this may include
  1. Ease of Access of your Demat Account information : For me this just means that I must be able to access my demat account information online. SBI Demat Account, the one I have, does allow you to access your holding/portfolio details online via a tab with their internet banking account. I am sure several other Demat Acounts also offer that facility.
  2. Customer Service: Frankly speaking I have had no chance to interact with the customer service of any depository. For me Demat Accounts are passive accounts, which just keep track of your equities or stocks holdings. However, if you plan to buy / sell directly through your Depository or if you like shares in paper formats then these things may play a role. I am not the right person to provide any experience in this matter.
The second point: price is a bit tricky and I'll explain how. One incurs the following costs while operating a demat account. (there are other charges, but the following matter most to most of us)
  1. Demat Account Opening Charges
  2. Demat Account Maintenance Charges
  3. Charges for Buy/Sell Trades.
1. is a one time charge and 2. is a fixed annual charge. The charges for Buy/ Sell transactions are a bit annoying because they can eat into your profits. Who would want to pay a couple of 25, or 30 rupees each time you perform a transaction? Click on Compare Demat Account Charges to compare Demat Account Charges for various Demat accounts like SBI Demat Account, ICICI Demat account, HDFC Demat Account, CITIBank Demat Account, Sharekhan Demat Account.

The best case scenario is when your DP does not charge you at all for buy/sell trades. For example, for trades performed on SBICAP Securities, SBI Demat Account does not charge anything. Same is true for ICICI Demat Account if you perform trades on ICICI Direct. However in this case it is not the charges of Demat Account that one should look at but the sum total of Demat Account Charges plus Brokerage Charges. (here the sum total is way high for ICICI). So I would suggest dont just choose a Demat Account. Think of choosing a pair: Demat Account and a Online Trading Account. Selecting an Online trading account is much more delicate as here a good customer service, accurate execution of transactions, good server, etc. matter much more.

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Jan 10, 2009

7 comments:

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rmoneyuser January 12, 2009 at 12:41 PM  

According though choosing DEMAT Account is pretty crucial for me it was quite easy as i and many of my friends have chosen reliance money because the lowest brokerage absolutely makes sense and it not make a hole in your pocket.

Anonymous January 13, 2009 at 10:30 PM  

Very informative blog I must say.
Which bank or agency according to you offers the best rate (value for money) for the DEMAT account.

Anonymous July 7, 2009 at 9:49 PM  

really a good one... I think i found out what I wanted :)

gdn.. July 24, 2009 at 11:28 AM  

Useful information. Thank you.

varsha April 26, 2010 at 11:33 AM  

nice information...
So according to this I should take both demat as well as online trading account.Please, tell me if it costs even if i m not using these accounts?
and one more thing : In which bank should I take both account to get more profit.

Unknown May 26, 2010 at 10:46 AM  

very useful blog.

by your experience can you suggest which institution is best to open a demat and online trading account.

Anonymous October 18, 2010 at 12:02 PM  

I like to have a comparison among edelweiss,reliance money ,stock holding corporation and icici direct

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