Kotak Securities is a broking arm of Kotak Mahindra Bank with over 2.5 million customer accounts and daily trades of over 7 lakhs.
Kotak Securities is a full-service broker where one can invest in stocks, equity derivatives, currency F&O, Mutual funds, IPOs, bonds, ETFs, and IRF (Interest Rate Futures).
The other services include research advisory, dealer-assisted trading, and portfolio management services.
Kotak Securities Brokerage Charges
Kotak Securities offers 2 brokerage plans, namely a Trade-free brokerage plan and a Dealer-assisted brokerage plan.
#1. Trade Free Brokerage Plan
| Segment | Brokerage |
| Equity & Commodities Delivery | Rs. 20 per executed order or 0.25% of transaction value whichever is higher with a ceiling of 2.5% |
| Intraday (both sides) | Zero brokerage |
| F&O (both sides) | Rs. 20 per executed order(Pay Rs. 20 per order to carry forward your trades to the next day) |
#2. Kotak Securities Dealer Assisted Plan
| Segment | Brokerage |
| Equity & Commodities Delivery | 0.39% of transaction value |
| Intraday (both sides) | 0.039% of transaction value |
| Equity & Commodity Futures | 0.39% of transaction value |
| Equity & Commodity Options | Rs. 39 per Lot |
| Currency Futures | Rs. 9 per Lot |
| Currency Options | Rs. 5 per Lot |
Other Charges
| Description | Interest Rates (Charged on monthly basis) |
| Stock used as Margin for Derivative Trades | 0.025% per day |
| Outstanding Debit Balance on Margin Trading Facility (MTF) | 0.04% per day |
| Other Debit Balance | 0.05% per day |
Kotak Securities Margin Leverage
| Segment | Margin Leverage |
| Equity Delivery | 1x (100% of trade value) |
| Equity Intraday | 5x (Up to 20% of trade value) |
| F&O (Equity, Currency, and Commodities) | 1x (100% of NRML margin) |
Kotak Securities Demat Account Opening & Annual Charges
| Trading Account opening fees | Trade-free plan – Rs. 0 Dealer-assisted plan – Rs. 499 (one-time) |
| Demat Account opening fees | Rs. 0 |
| Trading account AMC charges | Nil |
| Demat Account AMC Charges (For BSDA Clients) | Holding <50K = No AMC Holding >50K & <2 lakh = Rs. 100 AMC |
| Demat Account AMC Charges (For Non-BSDA Clients) | Holding <10K = No AMC Holding >10K = Rs. 50 per month (Rs. 600 yearly) |
Also read – Best investment options in India
Kotak Securities Account Opening Process
One can open a “Trinity” 3-in-1 (Demat + trading + bank) account. You need to have an existing account or open new savings account with Kotak Mahindra Bank.
If you already have an account with any of the following banks then you can go for a 2-in-1 (Demat + trading) account opening.
- Axis Bank
- HDFC Bank
- Kotak Mahindra Bank
- ICICI Bank
- IndusInd Bank
- State Bank of India
You can link your existing bank account with your Kotak Trading and Demat account for online trading.
The new account opening process is online. The Demat and trading account lies with Kotak Securities and the savings account with Kotak Mahindra Bank.
Let’s go through the step-by-step online account opening process.
Step 1: Visit the Kotak securities website. Click on “open demat account” and fill in your details. Now click on the “Open demat account” button as shown below.
An OTP will be sent to your mobile number. Fill in the OTP and click on “Next”.
Step 2: Select products in which you want to trade and click on “Next”.
Step 3: After product selection, click on “I agree” button
Step 4: Enter your PAN number, DOB details, and click on “Next”.
Step 5: Click your “Selfie”. You need a working webcam to capture “Selfie”.
Enter your personal details like father name, mother name, marital status, and click on “Next”.
Step 6: Enter your bank details and click on “Next”.
Step 7: Upload your “signatures”.
Step 8: And enter your address details. Click on “Next”.
Step 9: Click on “esign and submit form” and you’ll be taken to the NSDL website for Aadhaar number verification.
Step 10: Enter your Aadhaar number for verification and you’ll receive an OTP on your Aadhaar registered mobile number. Click on “Verify OTP”.
It’s done. You’ll get a congratulations message that your application has been successfully submitted.
However, Kotak Securities takes 2 to 3 days to activate your account from the date of receipt of the completed application form.
Check out – ICICI Direct Review
Kotak Securities Demat & Trading Account Features
#1. High Brokerage
Kotak Securities brokerage charges are as high as 0.39% per trade under the dealer-assisted plans for delivery trades.
The charges come down to 0.25% for delivery trades and Zero brokerage for intraday trades under the Trade free plan but you don’t get a dedicated relationship manager.
Kotak launched Trade-free brokerage plan to compete with discount brokers like Zerodha and Upstox.
#2. Wide Products and Service Offerings
Kotak Securities is a full-service stockbroker with research and advisory services.
The various assets, products, and services available with Kotak Securities are as under:
| Can trade-in | 1. Shares 2. Equity F&O 3. Currency F&O |
| Can invest in | 4. Mutual Funds 5. IPO 6. ETFs 7. Bonds 8. Interest Rate Futures |
| Other Products & Services | 9. Stock Lending and Borrowings 10. Portfolio management services 11. Smart Will12. Research & Advisory |
#3. Dealer Assisted Trading
Dealer Assisted Trading is best for new traders/investors requiring help with day trading and investing. However, this service is available through Kotak Securities outlets, which are mainly in Metro and major cities.
Just like Motilal Oswal or Angel Broking, Kotak securities has also started providing online dealers to clients called relationship managers.
One can have a dedicated dealer to manage the trading account. The dealer will help you with the right trading decisions, expert advice, and timely assistance in carrying out trade.
Benefits of Kotak Securities Demat and Trading Account
- Financial advisory services under dealer assisted plan
- No account opening fee in Trade free plan
- Low brokerage on currency F&O
Cons of Kotak Securities Demat & Trading Account
- High (Up to 0.39%) brokerage on each trade
- Account opening charges of Rs. 499 in dealer assisted plan
- No free delivery
Kotak Securities Trading Platforms
#1. Kotak Website
Kotak Securities Website is an HTML-based trading platform. You can access the trading platform directly from the home page of Kotak Securities, as shown above.
Once you click the “Account Login” tab you will get the trading platform login page as below:
The platform lets you access all the trading tools and assets.
#2. KEAT Pro X
KEAT Pro X is a desktop-based trading platform where you can trade in equities, derivatives, and currencies using a single platform.
KEAT Pro X comes in two versions
- Fastlane
Fastlane is web-based software for KEAT ProX-like trading when your office does not allow application installations.
- Xtralite
Xtralite is especially for trading in a slow internet environment. Xtralite provides super-fast trading even on low bandwidth connections.
KEAT Pro X offers you live-streaming of market data, helps create customized watchlists, charting tools, and stock recommendations.
#3. Kotak Stock Trader
Kotak Stock Trader is a mobile app-based trading platform that is compatible with Android and iOS devices.
With Kotak Stock Trader on your smartphone, you can trade anywhere, manage the portfolio, watch the market, access charts, news & research information.
Kotak Stock trader app has a high 4.0 rating on the Google play store, however, Kotak has tremendously improved its iOS app and its rating on the Apple AppStore has been improved from 3.0 to 4.6 rating in one year.
Comparison Between Kotak Securities and UpStox
#1. Kotak Securities vs UpStox (Basic Details)
| Particulars | UpStox | Kotak Securities |
| Can trade-in | Stocks, Equity F&O, Currency F&O, and Commodity F&O | Stocks, Equity F&O, and Currency F&O, bonds, ETFs, and Interest Rate Futures |
| Can invest in | Mutual funds | Mutual FundsIPO |
| Other Products & Services | None | Stock Lending and Borrowings Portfolio management services Smart Will |
| Brokerage Plan | Single plan | Trade free plan Dealer assisted plan |
| Trading Platforms | Upstox Pro Web | KEAT Pro X |
| Trading App | Upstox Pro App | Kotak Stock Trader App |
| Partnered Platform/ software | Dartstock softwareFox Trader | None |
| Cloud Alert Tool | None | None |
#2. Kotak Securities vs UpStox (Brokerage Charges)
| Brokerage Charges | Details for Upstox Basic Plan | Details for Kotak Securities Dealer-assisted plan |
| Equity Delivery | Rs. 0 | 0.39% of transaction value |
| Equity Intraday | Lower of Rs. 20 per executed order or 0.05% | 0.039% of transaction value |
| Equity Futures | Lower of Rs. 20 per executed order or 0.05% | 0.39% of transaction value |
| Currency Futures | Lower of Rs. 20 per executed order or 0.05% | Rs. 9 per Lot |
| Commodity Futures | Lower of Rs. 20 per executed order or 0.05% | 0.39% of transaction value |
| Equity Options | Rs. 20 per executed order | Rs. 39 per Lot |
| Currency Options | Rs. 20 per executed order | Rs. 5 per Lot |
| Commodity Options | Rs. 20 per executed order | Rs. 39 per Lot |
| Call and Trade Facility | Yes | Yes |
| Charges for Call and Trade | Rs. 20 per order | Rs. 20 per call. |
#3. Kotak Securities vs UpStox (Account Opening & Other Charges)
| Account Opening & Other Charges | Upstox | Kotak Securities(Dealer assisted plan) |
| Demat Account | Rs. 0 | Rs. 0 |
| Trading Account | Rs. 0 | Rs. 499 (one-time) |
| Demat AMC Fees | Rs. 25 per month | Rs. 50 per month |
| 3-in-1 account | IndusStox 3-in-1 account with IndusInd bank | Trinity (3-in-1) account with Kotak Mahindra Bank |
Conclusion (Final Review)
Kotak Securities is best if you require too many other products and services apart from trading and investing.
You can benefit from dealer-assisted trading, Portfolio Management Services, stock lending and borrowing, and investment in interest rate futures.
But, all these come at a high brokerage fee that is not suitable for volume intraday trading.
