NSE to Channel 10% of CSR Spending Through Social Stock Exchange After Regulatory Approval

The National Stock Exchange of India (NSE) has decided to earmark 10% of its annual corporate social responsibility (CSR) corpus for projects listed on the NSE Social Stock Exchange (SSE), becoming one of the first major institutions to formally commit a portion of its CSR spending through the platform. The move follows recent regulatory changes that now permit companies to meet CSR obligations by subscribing to Zero Coupon Zero Principal (ZCZP) instruments listed on Social Stock Exchanges.

The exchange said its CSR Committee had agreed in principle in March 2026 to route 10% of the annual CSR corpus through the SSE framework, subject to regulatory approval. That plan has now been operationalised after the Ministry of Corporate Affairs issued notifications on May 27, enabling such investments. NSE said the decision is intended to strengthen India’s social impact financing ecosystem and promote greater use of regulated capital market platforms for funding social sector initiatives.

NSE Chairman Injeti Srinivas welcomed the government’s move to allow CSR funds to be channelled through Social Stock Exchanges. He said the framework would improve transparency, visibility and accountability in CSR spending while helping direct funds toward credible social initiatives. The exchange also expressed hope that other large corporate CSR contributors would adopt similar practices, which could expand the scale of impact financing in India.

The Social Stock Exchange framework was introduced by the Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) to create a regulated fundraising platform for non-profit organisations and social enterprises. NSE launched its Social Stock Exchange in February 2023 and has since facilitated all fundraising issuances under the model in India. According to the exchange, 16 projects, including two joint listings, have together raised more than Rs 44.5 crore across areas such as healthcare, education, women empowerment, climate action, poverty alleviation, skilling and sustainable livelihoods.

The latest development comes soon after the government expanded the scope of permissible CSR activities through the SSE route, a change seen as a significant step toward deepening social impact investing in the country. By linking corporate CSR budgets with the Social Stock Exchange, the new framework could open a fresh source of funding for non-profit organisations while offering a transparent and market-linked mechanism for deployment.

The NSE initiative is also expected to increase the visibility of social projects and allow companies to monitor the use and outcomes of their CSR spending more effectively. With its own commitment to the platform, NSE is positioning itself as an early adopter of the Social Stock Exchange model and aiming to encourage wider participation from corporate India.