If you trade in the stock market and are tired of paying platform fees, there’s good news. Pune-based Definedge Securities has launched ALGOSTRA, India’s first fully customizable retail algo trading platform — and it comes without any platform fees.
Retail Investors Finally Get a Chance
Until now, algorithmic trading in India was mostly for big investors and proprietary trading firms. Retail traders were largely left out.
A SEBI study for FY24 showed that 97% of F&O profits went to large investors and 96% to proprietary traders, leaving small investors at a disadvantage.
The launch of ALGOSTRA comes just three months after SEBI’s October 2025 framework, which allowed retail investors to use algo trading legally.
This platform now enables retail traders to benefit from automated trading strategies that were previously reserved for professionals.
Prashant Shah, CEO of Definedge Securities, says, “ALGOSTRA allows traders to integrate their strategies into a fully automated system with complete transparency.”
What is Algo Trading?
Algorithmic trading lets your computer trade automatically for you.
For example, it can buy or sell stocks when certain conditions are met, like when a stock hits a specific price.
ALGOSTRA makes it easier for retail investors to set up and run these automated trades without complex coding or high fees.
Growing Retail Participation
India’s retail investor base is expanding rapidly.
There are now nearly 230 million demat accounts, and retail participation in NSE-listed companies has increased fivefold since 2020, reaching ₹84 lakh crore.
With ALGOSTRA, retail traders can now trade smarter and more efficiently, without paying platform fees, and participate in a market that was previously dominated by large investors.
