CDSL
Reviewed by FOLO Editorial · Last reviewed August 6, 2026
Central Depository Services Limited is one of India's two central depositories, the other being NSDL. A demat account sits with one of them, decided by the broker rather than the investor.
Most large discount brokers in India use CDSL, so a large share of newer retail investors end up there by default. A fully numeric 16-digit demat number is a sign of a CDSL account.
Written and reviewed by FOLO Editorial. Educational content, not investment advice.

