Indian Investors Rush to Buy U.S. Stocks via New Platforms

Major Indian digital brokerages, including Zerodha and Groww, have launched direct U.S. stock investing routes through GIFT City in October 2026. This allows retail investors to buy fractional shares of American tech giants like Nvidia, SpaceX, and Apple using existing local accounts amid domestic market underperformance.

Local platforms are rolling out cross-border equities trading to capture a maturing investor base looking for global diversification. Groww expanded its U.S. stock investing feature to all customers after an initial phased rollout, offering access to more than 10,000 U.S.-listed stocks and exchange-traded funds, according to Groww’s official rollout announcement. The platform supports fractional investing, enabling users to purchase portions of high-priced shares starting at $1.

US Stocks Through Groww and Zerodha: What Indian Investors Should Check

As Indian investors mature, their financial aspirations naturally expand beyond domestic markets, said Harsh Jain, co-founder and chief operating officer of Groww, pointing out that many users consume global products and work in connected industries as detailed by BusinessLine. Popular themes among early participants include artificial intelligence, semiconductors, space technology, and big tech.

Zerodha and Angel One Route Global Trades Through GIFT City

Discount brokerage Zerodha introduced its U.S. stock investing facility in beta mode on its Kite platform, allowing eligible resident individuals to trade up to 2,000 U.S. equities and around 1,000 ETFs through their existing accounts without opening separate demat accounts according to Livemint’s market coverage. The service is routed through BSE-owned India INX Global Access at GIFT City.

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Angel One has also begun rolling out its international investing option via the GIFT City route, offering zero brokerage in 2026. Meanwhile, Upstox entered the market with access to more than 8,000 U.S. stocks and over 2,000 ETFs. These platforms join existing providers such as INDmoney and HDFC Securities in serving cross-border retail demand.

Fee Structures, Foreign Exchange Markups, and Trading Rules

Platform charges and currency conversion fees determine net returns for global holdings. Zerodha levies a brokerage fee of 0.1% of the transaction value, subject to a minimum of $0.01 and a maximum of $10 per executed order, plus an 18% goods and services tax on the brokerage verified by Indian Startup News.

Brokerage Platform	U.S. Stocks & ETFs Offered	Brokerage Fee Structure
Groww	More than 10,000	0.1% of transaction value
Upstox	Over 8,000 stocks, 2,000+ ETFs	0.1% of trade value
Zerodha	Up to 2,000 stocks, 1,000 ETFs	0.1% (min $0.01, max $10)
Angel One	Selected U.S. assets & ETFs	Zero until Dec 2026, then 0.1% (min $0.99)

Additional costs include an IFSC Authority turnover fee of 0.005%, applicable U.S. regulatory fees on sales, and bank currency conversion markups detailed in Zerodha’s operational guide. Under the Reserve Bank of India’s Liberalised Remittance Scheme, resident individuals can fund permitted overseas investments up to $250,000 per financial year.

Indian Investors Rush to Buy U.S. Stocks via New Platforms — Photo: BusinessLine

Domestic Market Underperformance and Regulatory Risks

The surge in offshore investing coincides with a sluggish domestic market. India’s benchmark Nifty 50 index has dropped nearly 13% since the start of the year while the S&P 500 gained over 12%, pushing foreign investors to pull a record $32.5 billion from direct equities since January reported CNBC. In August, resident Indians sent over $321 million overseas for equity and debt investments, marking a 111% increase from a year prior.

Market experts warn that rapid expansion could attract regulatory scrutiny. No doubt that these platforms have democratized access to US equities, but the convenience is created by bundling several regulated processes, FEMA/LRS, foreign brokerage, custody, FX, and taxation, into one app, said Krishna, emphasizing that investor due diligence must examine the full cross-border chain cited by Moneycontrol.