Investing in stocks is definitely a good way to grow a fortune for yourself. Yes, it is advised that you should start investing early so that it will be a little easier for you to achieve your financial goals at the later stages of your life.
But how to start investing in stocks, which investment options should you choose and in which stock broking company you should create your account for making these investments are some of the many questions that are popping in your head.
There are several ways to approach stock investing and in addition to that, there are several stock broking companies in India. Hence choosing the right stock broking company to open your demat and trading account is a very overwhelming task.
So we are here to help you throughout your journey towards achieving your financial goals.
Down below is the detailed review of HDFC Securities, one of the leading stock broking companies in India.
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A Brief Introduction to HDFC Securities
HDFC Securities is a subsidiary of renowned private sector bank, HDFC Bank. It is was established in the year 2000 and is headquartered in Mumbai. It has around 260 branches spread across India.
As a stock broking company, HDFC Securities has been serving customers from retail and institutional background for almost 19 years. It simplifies the process of making the investment by providing a 360-degree view of financial planning options to achieve your future goals and needs.
WHY INVEST WITH HDFC SECURITIES
Here are some reasons why you should invest with HDFC securities
- Provides next-generation investments and trading platform for simpler, faster and better trading experience.
- The terminal-based platform ‘BLINK’ enables you to place stock orders at an exceptional speed.
- Facilitates trading in IPO’s, mutual funds, equities, currency derivatives, and F&O.
- A 3 in 1 account that integrates your saving, demat and trading account provides convenience and security in the trading.
- Gives additional services like technical research, training and education, tips and recommendations and relationship manager.
AWARDS AND ACCOLADES ACHIEVED BY HDFC SECURITIES
Few of the awards and accolades achieved by HDFC Securities are listed below:
- Ranked as India’s most attractive brand in retail broking category in the year 2018.
- India’s most ethical company in the financial services award by world CSR in the year 2018
- Won Economic times BFSI innovation tribe award for conversational investing in the year 2018
- Received retail broker of the year outlook money award in the year 2018
- Winner of the digital excellence in insurance and financial services in the year 2018
- Best retail broker award in the year 2017
- Awarded best performing retail member -PAN India in the year 2017
- Runner up in the best E-brokerage house category in the year 2017
HDFC SECURITIES TRADING PLATFORM
Enlisted below are the HDFC Security trading platforms
- Pro terminal
- Web-based trading platform
- Blink
- Mobile trading app
- Small Case
- Voice-enabled investing
- Digify
HDFC Securities has next-generation trading and investment platform which completes the transaction exceptionally faster. It has features like research assist watch list, advanced portfolio tracker and customized stock alerts.
Furthermore, HDFC Securities allows customers to trade using phone call, Internet, mobile trading apps, and branches.
The best part of these trading platforms is that all the software are developed and maintained in-house by HDFC Securities.
Following are the details of various HDFC securities trading platforms
PROTERMINAL
ProTerminal, is a platform for researchers, analysts and traders to know past, present and future of the market. The state-of-the-art system is designed for performance, reliability and accuracy, gathers data from thousands of sources from all over the world – presenting ready-to-use and real-time information to the users.
The technology will gather related news articles, using advanced techniques and mathematical algorithms – helping you in accurate market decisions.
SALIENT FEATURES
- Understand the market trends and decide your market call
- Future market trends predicted by data
- Comprehensive market analysis and research oriented outcome
- Real time market news
WEB BASED TRADING PLATFORM
HDFC Securities facilitates web based trading platform, a online application “Trade.HDFCSec”. This is a browser-based appliction and can be accessed from anywhere from electronic devices like desktop, laptop or mobile which are connected to the Internet.
SALIENT FEATURES
- Highly customizable
- Advanced technical analysis
- Research reports, market tips, and news are within the application
- Personalized watch list
BLINK
BLINK is a terminal based trading application. It is well known for its high speed.
SALIENT FEATURES
- Real-time price movements can be observed.
- Transaction monitoring can be done.
- Shortcuts for buying, selling stock
MOBILE TRADING APP
This is a mobile trading app, which is available in 11 Indian regional languages along with English. It is available on iPhone, android, blackberry, and Ipad, etc.
SALIENT FEATURES
- Keeps you updated with live data
- Track all your investments with exhaustive portfolio on the go
- Receive notification well within the time so that you do not miss a earning opportunity
- Access to all interactive demos to sharpen your skills
- Quickly apply in the IPO in just three clicks.
- Stay updated with live market news
- Real-time interactive charts for better analysis
- Allows to trade with a single click
SMALL CASE
A small case is a basket of exchange traded securities (like stocks & ETFs) in a specified weighting scheme to reflect a certain objective (ideas, themes, strategies). A small case has a limit of minimum of 2 securities and a maximum of 50 securities.
SALIENT FEATURES
- Hand picked stocks for new investors
- Recession proof way of building wealth
- Basket of mid-cap and small-cap handpicked
VOICE ENABLED INVESTING
HDFC securities introduced India’s first virtual assistant (‘Arya’) which offers services through voice IoT devices in the broking space. Arya will help you with your investment needs through simple voice commands over Google Assistant, Google Home and Amazon Alexa powered devices.
SALIENT FEATURES
- Gives latest stock recommendations
- Arya will help you to invest in the mutual funds of your choice
DIGIFY
Digify, a unique platform that gives you quick and hassle-free Mutual Fund investments online. Apart from ease of investing, this online mutual fund platform also ensures that you can access your portfolio, manage and track your investments and withdraw them anywhere, anytime.
SALIENT FEATURES
- Advanced portfolio tracker allows seamless tracking
- Assistance with ELSS mutual funds
- Zero account opening charges
- Access track and manage your portfolio 24/7.
FEATURES OF HDFC SECURITIES ONLINE TRADING
- The orders are placed electronically so the transactions take place instantaneously.
- The HDFC Securities offers 3 in 1 account that integrates existing saving account, demat account, and trading account. This ensures seamless functioning.
- An email confirmation is sent to you the minute your order gets executed.
This prevents mismanagement and manipulation.
- It offers the highest levels of security like 128 –bit encryption technology.
- It offers the facility to trade online and on the mobile phone.
KEY SERVICES OF HDFC SECURITIES
HDFC Securities allows its customers to trade in NSE and BSE and invest in IPO, ETF, bonds, fixed deposit, insurance, currency trading, mutual funds, and equity.
The key services provided by HDFC securities are listed below,
ENCASH Service
Normally the settlement cycle is T+2 days but with HDFC Security ENCASH Customers can get their sell credited in the bank account on the trading day itself. Hence they have more liquidity.
DO IT YOURSELF SYSTEMATIC INVESTMENT PLAN (DIYSIP)
Customers can make their own investment plans and start investing in small amounts. DIYSIP enables customers to invest in Gold ETF and stocks.
MARGIN TRADING
Customers can do margin trading with HDFC security. It provides you with a margin calculator that gives you information about the margin requirement.
AFTERMARKET ORDER OR OFF MARKET ORDER
It allows customers to place the order in advance with limit price, even when the market is closed. The order placed will be sent to the stock exchange at the beginning of the next trading session.
E-MARGIN
This service is a paid service, in which the customers get a margin of T+ 180 days. This allows the customers to hold their stocks for 180 trading days.
MARGIN AGAINST SHARES
Customers can get additional margin against the stock that is held in their demat account.
RESEARCH SERVICE
This service provides you with daily stock commentary, research reports, derivative research reports, mutual fund research reports, IPO research reports and currency research report.
DEMAT ACCOUNT
The demat account opened with the HDFC bank is a part of HDFC Security 3 in 1 Account.
SMS INSTA
This is a paid service, in which customers can receive SMS research call, technical calls, and stock recommendations, recommendations on F&O segment.
CUSTOMER CARE
HDFC Securities allows the following modes of communication with the customers:
- Offline branches
- Phone
- Web Chat
Other than that HDFC Securities also has chatbot tools called “Ask Arya”. This is an automated chatting tool, which assists customers in areas like Checking portfolios
- Stock market quotes
- Investing
- Mutual fund redemption
- Research calls and tips
HOW TO OPEN AN ACCOUNT
The customers need to open three accounts with HDFC which have been listed below:
- HDFC Bank Account
- HDFC Trading Account
- HDFC Demat Account
Opening an account with HDFC is very easy. The customers have to visit the HDFC Securities website and fill up the form to open the account.
The account gets opened within 2 to 3 business days.
PRICING
HDFC Securities is one of the premium stock trading companies in India. It has high account opening, maintenance and brokerage charges. It is definitely one of the most expensive options available in the Indian Markets.
ACCOUNT OPENING CHARGES
| Trading Account Opening Charges (One Time) | ₹999 |
| Trading Annual Maintainence Charges | 0 |
| Demat Account Opening Charges (One Time) | 0 |
| Demat Annual Maintainence Charges(Yearly Fee) | ₹750 |
BROKERAGE CHARGES
Brokerage Charges may vary depending on the situation, however, these are the general brokerage charges.
| Segment | Brokerage Fee |
| Equity Delivery | 0.5% or ₹25 whichever is higher |
| Equity Intraday | 0.10% |
| Equity Futures | 0.05% or ₹25 whichever is higher |
| Equity Options | ₹100 per Lot |
| Currency Futures | ₹23 per contract |
| Currency Options | ₹20 per contract |
| Commodity | NA |
MARGIN
HDFC Securities offers its customers the following margin values:
| Equity Delivery | Upto 20 times Intraday, upto 2 times delivery |
| Equity Futures | NA for Intraday |
| Equity Options | NA for Intraday |
| Currency Futures | NA for Intraday |
| Currency Options | NA for Intraday |
| Commodity | NA for Intraday |
COMPLAINTS
HDFC Securities complaint reports provide details about the number of complaints received by stock exchanges for HDFC Securities over a period of the last 8 years. We can see that the number of complaints against the broker has gradually gone down over the past couple years, which is a good sign.
| Exchange | Financial Year | Active Clients | Total Complaints |
| NSE | 2018-19 | 669931 | 83 |
| NSE | 2017-18 | 602482 | 100 |
| NSE | 2016-17 | 483214 | 95 |
| NSE | 2015-16 | 408059 | 75 |
| NSE | 2014-15 | 347555 | 71 |
| NSE | 2013-14 | 278706 | 73 |
| NSE | 2012-13 | 1336638 | 50 |
To know more about the Complaints registered against the most brokers in NSE, kindly click here.
