Treasury Bills in India
When the government of India is going to the financial market to raise funds,
It can do it by issuing 2 types of debt instruments, treasury bills also know as T-bills and government bonds.
T-bills are issued when the government need funds for a shorter period(less than year) while bonds are issued when it need debt for more than years.
The central government issues T-bills which are ideal for investors who are looking for secure investment and reasonable returns.
The Reserve Bank of India facilitates the non-competitive bids to be placed by the investors.
The bidding process allows investors to take part in the same by placing their bid.
The details regarding the discount value and PAR value are published beforehand.
Let’s discuss “How to Buy Treasury Bills in India” through online.
Also Read What are the Treasury Bills in India? – Maturity Period | Features | Issued by
An investor, may bid in an auction under Competitive or Noncompetitive Bidding depending upon eligibility.
Eligibility
- Competitive Bidding – Institutional investors like a banks, financial institutions, dealers(primary), mutual funds, and insurance companies
- Non-Competitive Bidding (NCB) – An individual, not being a Non-Resident Indian
his or her individual capacity, or
Individual capacity on joint basis, or
Individual capacity on any one or survivor basis, or
A Hindu Undivided Family.
RBI conducts auction normally every week to issue T-Bills. However, investors can also look the RBI press-release for current issue bills.
T-bills Eligible retail investors necessarily have to participate in non-competitive bidding at RBI through an facilitator.
Retail investors depending upon eligibility, have to participate in non-competitive bidding (NCB) at RBI through a facilitator.
In other words, NSE or other broker acts as a facilitator to aggregate the bids received from the retail investors and submits a single bid at RBI.
Retail investors have multiple options via which they can place their bids. Retail investors can place their bids via NSE or using the “NSE goBID app“, web platform. However, they can use the “Zerodha Kite app” or own demat account also.
Also Read Sovereign Gold Bond : Best Returns on Gold Investment | 2020-21 Dates
Bidding Period
RBI conduct auction of T- bills on a weekly basis as per the schedule below.
| Government Security | Bidding Period Starts | Bidding Period Ends | Auction Date at RBI | Settlement Date |
| T-Bills (91 day,182 day, 364 day) | Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday |
Important Points
- For placing a bid, investors should select only one T-bills at a time and specify the investment money in terms of face value.
- Minimum INR10,000/- and multiples thereof, subject to the maximum limit specified.
- Payment status, Mismatch status, Bid status, Refund (if any) shall be made available on the app,
- In case of cancellation, refund shall be processed by the payment gateway.
- In case, of any dispute or difference of opinion with trading member, NSE shall provide necessary and suitable administrative support for the speedy Redressal of the dispute.
Also Read RBI Bonds 2021 or Floating Rate Savings Bonds | Rate of Interest | Online & Offline
How to Buy Treasury Bills in India through NSE goBID App?
Time needed: 5 minutes
Follow the steps given below for buying T-Bills through NSE goBID App
- Download NSE goBID App
Investor can download the NSE goBID App from Google Play or other.
- Registration Process
There are two ways of signing up on the NSE goBID App.
1. Existing clients of an NSE trading member can sign up on the platform by selecting the trading member details and filling up other required information on the app.
2. A resident individual who has a PAN card, bank account, demat account and is KYC compliant, can sign up directly on the app. - Registration Form
1. If you register using your trading member details then the registration will be valid once the records of the investor are provided by the trading member.
2. In the direct signing up process, valid KYC details of the investor need to be available with the SEBI registered KRA i.e. KYC Registration Agency, including mobile number, email address and investor category as well as successful validation of demat and bank account with depositories. - OTP Verification
The verification is done using OTP i.e. One-time password. Verification of DP i.e. Depository participant details takes about one working day. Also, payment for the bid shall be successful if your bank supports TPV i.e. third party verification.
- Login and Placing a Bid
The investor needs to login and place the bid by selecting the T-Bills and making an online payment.
However, payments can be made only through the bank account linked with the demat account. - Treasury Bills Issued
Once the T-bills is issued, it will reflect in your demat account.
Worth mentioning here is that only resident individuals are allowed to use this platform and only one single bid per security is permitted in an auction.
How to Buy Treasury Bills in India through Zerodha?
- Visit to “coin.zerodha.com/gsec” site and click on “Invest now“.
- Place an order against the T-bills of your choice.
The minimum amount is Rs 10,000 and multiples of 10,000 up to Rs 2 crores can be applied at one time. - The amount will be deducted from your trading balance. However, ensure to have sufficient funds in the trading account on the bid closing or application date.
- T-bills will be credited to your demat upon successful allotment within two days and all interest payments will be credited to your bank account.
Also Read SBI Capital Gain Bonds | 54EC Bonds | Features | Interest Rate 2021 | How to Buy SBI Online?