India Wants Retail Investors to Trade Nation’s Sovereign Debt

Retail traders in India will soon be able to trade the nation’s sovereign debt, as policymakers seek to fund another near-record amount of issuances.

Banks will also be allowed to hold more bonds in their held-to-maturity portfolio for longer, and along with the access given to individual investors, should help the government with its borrowing plans, the Reserve Bank of India said Friday at its policy address. The RBI plans to provide retail investors with online access to primary and secondary government bond markets.