😱 Indian retail investors collectively lost ₹91,685 crore (approximately $9.6 billion) trading equity futures and options (F&O) during the financial year ending March 2026. This data was officially submitted to Parliament by Minister of State for Finance Pankaj Chaudhary, based on findings from the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI).While a $9.6 billion aggregate loss remains staggering, it actually represents an 18% decline from the prior fiscal year (FY25), where losses peaked at a record ₹1.12 trillion.
Active Retail Traders: The number of unique individual investors participating in the equity derivatives market fell by nearly 20%, shrinking to 7.86 million from 9.81 million a year earlier.
Average Per-Trader Loss: Despite fewer traders, the individual burden slightly worsened. The average loss per retail trader rose to ₹1,16,654 ($1,220), up from ₹1,13,913 in the previous year.
Segment Turnover: Total retail trading volume in the equity derivatives segment contracted to ₹202 trillion, down from ₹213 trillion.
The "9 out of 10" Rule: Historical SEBI research continues to underscore that roughly 90% to 93% of all individual F&O traders lose money over a multi-year horizon.
