Metropolitan Stock Exchange To Hold Live Trading Session On Feb 1 For Budget 2026

Metropolitan Stock Exchange of India (MSE) will remain operational on Sunday, February 1, 2026, as the exchange plans a special live trading session on account of Union Budget 2026.

In a circular dated January 19, the stock exchange said, “On account of presentation of the Union Budget, members are requested to note that Exchange shall be conducting live trading session on February 01, 2026.”

The stock exchange, seen as a rival of BSE (formerly Bombay Stock Exchange) and the National Stock Exchange (NSE), said that trading will be conducted as per standard market hours. The morning block deal window will be open from 8:45 AM to 9:00 AM, followed by the pre-open session between 9:00 AM and 9:15 AM, while the normal market will remain operational from 9:15 AM to 3:30 PM.

MSE said the special pre-open session for initial public offering (IPO) and relisted securities will run from 9:00 AM to 10:00 AM, while the call auction illiquid session will be conducted across six one-hour sessions from 9:30 AM to 3:30 PM. The afternoon block deal window is scheduled between 2:05 PM and 2:20 PM.

The closing session will take place from 3:40 PM to 4:00 PM, followed by the custodian participant and client code modification window at 4:15 PM.

The live trading session is intended to ensure that market participants can respond promptly to key policy changes and budget measures announced on Budget Day.

The BSE and NSE had already said last week that trading will remain open on February 1.

Meanwhile, the MSE is looking to boost market activity by carrying out a liquidity enhancement scheme (LES). An LES is a mechanism used by exchanges, under the oversight of the Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi), to improve trading volumes in securities that typically face thin liquidity. As per a CNBC Awaaz report, MSE plans to appoint market makers to strengthen liquidity in as many as 130 stocks.

MSE has been shoring up its capital base over the past year. In early 2025, the exchange raised Rs 1,000 crore via a private placement to investors including Peak XV Partners, Jainam Broking, Monarch Networth and Trust Investment Advisors. This followed a Rs 240 crore rights issue in 2024, in which Rainmatter (Zerodha), Billionbrains (Groww) and Share India Securities participated.