What is Co-location Trading?

Sept. 15, 2024

Five years after the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) came down heavily on the National Stock Exchange (NSE) for alleged lapses in high-frequency trading offered through its co-location (colo) facility.

About Co-location Trading:

  • The National Stock Exchange in 2009 started to offer co-location services to members of the exchange. 
  • It allows a member to set up his server in a specifically earmarked data centre within the NSE’s exchange premises for a certain price.
  • The relative proximity allows members wishing to gain access to the entirety of buy and sell orders sent because of the reduced time taken for order execution.
  • Is it Illegal? Stock exchanges across the world allow the practice to flourish as a paid service. The SEBI allowed exchanges to offer co-location in 2008.

Key facts about National Stock Exchange

  • It is one of the two main stock exchanges in India, with the other being the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE).
  • The NSE is a prominent and technologically advanced stock exchange, and it plays a crucial role in India's financial markets.
  • It is India's largest financial market and the fourth largest market by trading volume.
  • The National Stock Exchange of India Limited was the first exchange in India to provide modern, fully automated electronic trading.