Raising money on the Social Stock Exchange starts with registration. Before an NGO can list a project or issue a Zero Coupon Zero Principal instrument, it has to be registered as a Social Entity on a recognized exchange. This is the story of one such registration.
About CHORD
CHORD — Child Welfare and Holistic Organization for Rural Development — is a Hyderabad-based non-profit that has worked since 1998 in child and girl-child education, youth and women's skill development, and rural community development across Telangana and Andhra Pradesh. You can read more about its work at chordindia.org.
What registering on the SSE involves
Registering an NPO as a Social Entity on the NSE Social Stock Exchange is a documentation-heavy process. Among SEBI's requirements, an applicant typically needs to show:
A valid registration under Section 12A / 12AA / 12AB of the Income-tax Act
Audited financial statements and a fund-flow statement for the recent financial years
Governance, activity, and impact disclosures in the format the exchange prescribes
Appointment of a registered Social Auditor for the annual impact report
What SSE4NGO did
SSE4NGO — the advisory practice of G Madhava and Associates — handled the registration for CHORD end-to-end. We assembled the eligibility documentation, prepared the disclosures and audited financials required by the exchange, and filed the application with the NSE Social Stock Exchange. The application was accepted, and CHORD was registered as a Social Entity – Not-for-Profit Organization. When the registration came up for renewal, we filed that too.
Outcome
CHORD is registered as a Social Entity – Not-for-Profit Organization on the NSE Social Stock Exchange, with the registration renewed effective 26 June 2025. With the registration in place, CHORD can list eligible projects and raise funds through the SSE in line with SEBI's framework.