India's largest stock exchange NSE took a big step towards going public by filing its draft red herring prospectus on June 17. The initial public offering is expected to be one of the largest in India's primary market this year and analysts expect investor interest to be strong. 

The issue also potentially could give a lift to the broader primary market, which had seen tepid activity in the last couple of months amid the West Asia conflict that has fuelled a lot of global uncertainty, experts say. 

NSE continues to be one of the strongest financial market infrastructure institutions in India and its dominant position in cash and derivatives segments provides a significant competitive advantage and creates a strong economic moat, pointed Vinit Bolinjkar, head of research at Ventura. 

"NSE enjoys industry-leading profitability, supported by high operating leverage, strong cash generation and a scalable business model. Its leadership in equity and derivatives trading enables consistent revenue generation while maintaining superior return ratios compared to most listed financial companies," he stated. 

According to the World Federation of Exchanges, NSE is the largest equity derivatives exchange globally. According to the DRHP, the exchange had a market share as high as 92.99% in cash market in India, based on total turnover, 99.79% in equity futures, based on total turnover and 74.71% in equity options, based on premium turnover.

"NSE’s IPO is expected to attract strong investor interest, supported by its dominant market position, robust profitability, and direct exposure to the long-term growth of India’s capital markets," said Vincent KA, senior research analyst at Geojit Investments. 

According to him, the IPO appears more compelling as a long-term investment opportunity, benefiting from India’s ongoing financialisation, rather than a short-term gains play. 

In the last couple of months, as the US and Iran war raged on, equity markets were volatile and that also had an impact on the IPO market. 

Data from Prime Database shows there were only 2 issues in April and none in May. In 2026, till end of May, 20 companies have raised Rs  19,854 crore. 

NSE's IPO push coupled with the truce in West Asia could revive sentiments, say analysts. 

"The IPO market has witnessed a moderation in activity due to global uncertainties, geopolitical tensions and intermittent volatility in equity markets. Investors have become increasingly selective, favouring quality businesses with strong earnings visibility and sustainable growth prospects. In this backdrop, a potential NSE IPO could act as an important catalyst for the primary market, " said Bolinjkar. 

The NSE public issue comprises up to 14.89 crore equity shares, representing about 6% of NSE’s paid up capital. This will be entirely an offer for sale. The IPO size is estimated to be around Rs 25,000-30,000 crore. 

Mukesh Ambani-owned telecom major Jio, SBI Mutual Fund, quick commerce company Zepto are among some of the major companies expected to go public this year.