From IIT to NSE: Ashish Kumar Chauhan, CEO Leading India’s Stock Market Future

Ashish Kumar Chauhan is not just the man behind the console at India's biggest stock exchange; he’s the architect of a revolution in modern financial markets. With a career built on disruption and inclusion, Chauhan has guided the National Stock Exchange (NSE) into a bold, tech-savvy future while championing financial literacy at the grassroots level. 

Known for marrying policy with purpose, this former IIT-Bombay and IIM-Calcutta alum now holds one of the most influential seats in India’s financial infrastructure.

What’s more? 2025 has been a defining year for Chauhan. From tackling deepfake misinformation campaigns to steering India’s economic narrative toward the next 50 years, he’s not just leading the NSE, he’s shaping the very way India thinks about wealth creation.

Let’s dive into his journey, his mission, and the milestones NSE is ticking off under his stewardship.

Ashish Kumar Chauhan - Biography

Ashish Kumar Chauhan - Education & Career Development
Ashish Kumar Chauhan - NSE’s Leader Is Racing Ahead in 2025
Ashish Kumar Chauhan - Writing the Next Chapter of Indian Finance
Ashish Kumar Chauhan - NSE Under His Leadership (2024–2025)
Ashish Kumar Chauhan - Vision 2030 – What’s Next?

Ashish Kumar Chauhan - Education & Career Development

After graduating from IIT Bombay in Mechanical Engineering and earning an MBA from IIM Calcutta, Chauhan began his career with IDBI in the early 1990s. It was during his time at IDBI that he was handpicked to help launch the NSE, an ambitious project aiming to bring speed, transparency, and fairness to Indian markets. 

At NSE, he wore multiple hats: he was instrumental in setting up India’s first fully automated screen-based trading system, the Nifty 50 index, and the nation's clearing and settlement systems.

Following a powerful stint at NSE, Chauhan took his talents to Reliance Industries in the 2000s, where he worked on IT strategy and infrastructure, especially in the petroleum retail sector. This experience added an enterprise-scale operations layer to his already diverse financial expertise.

Ashish Kumar Chauhan - NSE’s Leader Is Racing Ahead in 2025

Ashish Kumar Chauhan’s return to the National Stock Exchange in 2022 wasn’t just a homecoming; it was a strategic reawakening for India’s most powerful financial institution. A founding team member of NSE in the early 1990s, Chauhan had played a pivotal role in digitizing the exchange at a time when paper-based trading was the norm. He was instrumental in building the screen-based trading system that revolutionized how India traded stocks, forever changing the DNA of the Indian markets.

After a decade-long stint as MD & CEO of BSE, where he turned the once-sluggish Bombay Stock Exchange into a globally respected, tech-driven institution, Chauhan returned to NSE with deeper insight, sharper tools, and an even bolder vision. His comeback was more than ceremonial; it marked the beginning of a fresh chapter focused on three defining pillars: rapid expansion, nationwide financial education, and ethical investing rooted in transparency.

Ashish Kumar Chauhan - Writing the Next Chapter of Indian Finance

Under Ashish Kumar Chauhan’s dynamic leadership, 2025 hasn’t just been another year on the calendar, it’s been a masterclass in how to steer a financial institution with vision, agility, and an unshakable commitment to trust.

Taking On Misinformation with Tech-First Vigilance

In April 2024, social media platforms were hit with a surge of AI-generated deepfake videos featuring Chauhan "recommending” specific stocks as a dangerous, digitally-engineered illusion. The videos spread like wildfire, risking both market manipulation and investor confusion. But the response was swift and unflinching.

NSE immediately issued public advisories, clarified that its MD & CEO does not offer personal stock recommendations, and reinforced its zero-tolerance stance toward any kind of market distortion. It also ramped up its digital surveillance infrastructure, working with cybersecurity agencies to track the source and prevent recurrence.

This incident, while alarming, sparked a much-needed national conversation on AI ethics in finance with Chauhan leading calls for regulatory frameworks that address deepfake misuse in investor communication.

Financial Literacy Goes Hyperlocal and Hyper-Real

Financial literacy under Chauhan has gone from buzzword to boots-on-ground execution. Between April 2024 and February 2025 alone, 13,000+ Investor Awareness Programs were conducted by NSE across 35 states and Union Territories, reaching 7.2 lakh participants, including farmers, students, housewives, gig workers, and first-time traders.

What made this initiative stand out? It's multilingual delivery with programs held in 14 Indian languages and its focus on storytelling, real-life case studies, and digital tools to demystify market jargon. Whether it was explaining SIPs in Satara or IPOs in Imphal, NSE made markets approachable and actionable. Chauhan called it “India’s most powerful financial movement from the grassroots up.

MSMEs Get Their Moment with NSE Emerge

Startups and small enterprises have long been the silent engines of India’s economy and Chauhan has ensured their voices are heard on the capital markets stage. NSE’s Emerge platform, a specially designed IPO ecosystem for MSMEs, saw 200+ listings in the past year alone.

From tech innovators in Bengaluru to manufacturing units in Surat, businesses across sectors are now accessing capital faster, cheaper, and with more visibility. Chauhan has been vocal in positioning NSE Emerge as a springboard to unicorn status: “These aren’t just companies,” he said, “they’re tomorrow’s disruptors in the making.”

A Legacy Recognized on Global and National Stages

Chauhan’s vision and impact haven’t gone unnoticed. In May 2023, he was awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award at the Leaders in Custody Awards in Singapore, a recognition of his decades-long contribution to India’s capital markets, especially the digitization of BSE and NSE.

And in January 2025, he was conferred the Prajyot Award, a national honor celebrating visionary leaders driving systemic transformation in India. From digitization to democratization of finance, Chauhan's legacy is not just being built, it's being celebrated.

Ashish Kumar Chauhan - NSE Under His Leadership (2024–2025)

Ashish Kumar Chauhan - Vision 2030 – What’s Next?

Chauhan doesn’t believe in resting on laurels. With India poised to become a $10 trillion economy, he envisions NSE not just as a national stock exchange, but as a “Global Exchange for Bharat” where Indian talent, capital, and innovation converge on a world stage.

His blueprint for the next 5–10 years includes:

• Launching green and ESG-focused indices to boost sustainable investing.
• Enhancing retail investor participation through AI-powered, vernacular trading apps.
• Expanding global reach by forming partnerships with international exchanges.
• Building investor trust with blockchain-based settlement systems for real-time transparency.

He believes the next stock market boom will be built not in Mumbai or Delhi, but in small towns, powered by digital tools, educated investors, and inclusive policies.

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FAQs

Who is Ashish Kumar Chauhan?

Ashish Kumar Chauhan is the current Managing Director and CEO of the National Stock Exchange (NSE), renowned for his pivotal role in modernizing and transforming the exchange.

What is Chauhan's educational background?

Chauhan holds a B.Tech. in Mechanical Engineering from IIT Bombay and a PGDM in Finance and Strategy from IIM Calcutta.  

What was Chauhan's initial role at NSE?

He was one of the founding members of NSE and served as its Deputy CEO from 1992 to 2000. He played a key role in setting up NSE's screen-based trading.