Buying bonds
What is the minimum investment? Can I start with ₹1,000?
Sometimes: Bondbazaar and IndiaBonds state a ₹1,000 minimum for corporate bonds and Bondbazaar quotes ₹100 for G-secs, but most corporate bonds on bond apps cost about ₹10,000 or about ₹1 lakh per unit. SEBI only allowed ₹10,000 face value for privately placed bonds from 3rd Jul 2024, and "start with ₹100" adverts often meet live listings near ₹10,000.
Verified
It depends on the bond, not the app. Each bond trades in units of its face value, so the minimum is the price of 1 unit plus accrued interest. Bond IPOs on Groww use ₹1,000 units, privately placed bonds use ₹10,000 or ₹1 lakh units, and government securities bought in RBI auctions start at ₹10,000 face value.
Why are so many bonds ₹10,000 or ₹1 lakh?
SEBI cut the minimum face value of privately placed debt from ₹1 lakh to ₹10,000 on 3rd Jul 2024, but only where the issuer appoints a merchant banker and the bond is plain vanilla, and extended it to zero coupon debt on 18th Dec 2025 (SEBI NCS Master Circular, Taxmann). Older private placements still trade in ₹1 lakh units. Public issues sold through bond IPOs use ₹1,000 units: Groww shows a ₹10,000 minimum application made of ₹1,000 units (Groww).
What do platforms advertise, and what did live listings ask?
| Platform | What it advertises | What we saw on 17th Oct 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Stable Bonds | Start with ₹100 | Listings from ₹9,965 to ₹10,074, others about ₹1 lakh |
| Grip Invest | ₹100 in 1 FAQ, ₹1,000 in another | Some bonds at ₹10,000 or ₹1 lakh face value, per its FAQ |
| Altifi | Bonds starting ₹1,000 | Example bond at ₹99,347 for 1 unit |
| Aspero | Start with ₹10,000 | ₹10,051 to about ₹1 lakh |
| IndiaBonds | ₹1,000 minimum investment | Separate filters for ₹1,000 and ₹10,000 minimums |
| Bondbazaar | ₹100 for G-secs, ₹1,000 for corporate bonds | Minimum is 1 unit of the chosen bond |
| Bonds Kart | No small ticket claim | ₹99,427 upwards; 54EC from ₹10,000 |
| Wint Wealth | Start with ₹1,000 | Not checked |
| GoldenPi | ₹10,000 for bonds | Has a "Bonds Under ₹10,000" collection |
Sources: Stable Bonds, Grip corporate bonds FAQ, Grip overview, Altifi, Altifi bond page, Aspero, IndiaBonds, Bondbazaar FAQ, Bonds Kart, Wint Wealth app listing, GoldenPi.
The pattern is consistent: the advertised minimum is the smallest thing on the shelf, which may be a G-sec or an FD, while most corporate bonds on the same app need about ₹10,000. A price just under or over ₹10,000 usually reflects accrued interest or the bond trading slightly below or above face value.
What about government securities and 54EC bonds?
New G-secs, T-bills and SDLs through RBI auctions need ₹10,000 face value (HDFC Securities). 54EC capital gains bonds need at least 2 bonds of ₹10,000, so ₹20,000, at ICICI Direct (ICICI Direct).
Is a small ticket a safer way to start?
A small ticket limits how much you put in, not how risky the bond is. A ₹10,000 bond from a BBB issuer carries the same credit risk per rupee as a ₹1 lakh bond from the same issuer. Check the rating, the Credit Risk-o-Meter band and whether the bond is secured before choosing by price. The best for small tickets page lists platforms by stated minimums, alphabetically.