Chapter 03 of 08
Where Does My Money Go?
The one you already know
Your bank account holds your actual cash. When you buy shares, money leaves here; when you sell, money lands back here. It never holds shares themselves.
The order-taker
Your trading accountis what your broker uses to place and track your buy/sell orders on the exchange. Think of it as the account that does the transacting - it doesn't store cash long-term or hold your shares either.
Where ownership lives
Your Demat (dematerialized) account is where your shares are actually held, electronically - the same way a bank statement records how much money you have, a Demat account records how many shares you own, of what, and since when.
When a trade executes, shares move in or out of this account. It's the closest thing to a “locker” for what you own, except nothing physical ever sits inside it.
Put together
Bank account: your cash. Trading account: where orders happen. Demat account: where your ownership is actually recorded. Money flows through the first two; what you own lives in the third.
Now you're probably wondering
“Okay - so what does all this actually cost me?”
Explore Chapter 04 - What Does It Cost? →Still confused? Ask the QFinera community