India’s bond market is tilting back to listed debt—and it may last
Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. MUMBAI: Listed bonds in India are poised to claw back market share from unlisted issuances as participation from domestic mutual funds and global investors pushes companies towards more transparent mechanisms of fund raising. Market participants expect more bonds to be listed on Indian exchanges in 2026 and beyond.
So far in 2025—up to 9 December—companies have raised ₹8.66 trillion in listed bonds, including private placements and public issues, as per data from Primedatabase.com. In the whole of 2024, this number stood at ₹9.3 trillion. By contrast, companies tapped the unlisted space for ₹2 trillion in debt this year, compared with ₹1.9 trillion in 2024.
Although unlisted bonds have gained some market share this year, experts remain hopeful of listed debt growing at a faster clip going forward. Primedatabase.com data shows unlisted bonds gained about 200 basis points (bps) in market share in the broader bond market, even as listed securities accounted for the bulk of issuances. So far in 2025, 18.8% of the money raised in the domestic bond market was through unlisted debt, up from 16.8% in 2024.
Pranav Haldea, managing director of Prime Database Group, attributed the steady rise in listed bond issuances to regulatory measures, particularly rules that channel mutual fund investments towards listed debt rather than unlisted paper. At the same time, Haldea pointed that unlisted bond issuances are also gaining ground, fuelled by the growing prominence of private credit funds. For high net-worth individuals (HNI) or institutional investors willing to take on higher risk in pursuit of better returns, unlisted bonds by lower-rated issuers can make sense, he said.
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