NSE's August 30 mock trading session explained in 10 points—Is real trade involved?

Saturday Mock Trading Session: Stock exchange NSE is holding a special mock trading session on Saturday, August 30, with the aim of testing certain technical systems including trading software and disaster recovery sites. The move is to check whether the systems work seamlessly under live market conditions on Dalal Street.

This session will not include real trades. Precisely, it's a drill to ensure technical resilience during real-life market conditions.

The market will resume operations on Monday next.

Here are 10 things to know about Saturday's mock drill:

• Segments impacted: The session will span across segments: equities, equity derivatives (F&O), commodity derivatives, and the securities lending and borrowing market (SLBM) segments.
• Disaster recovery site: All trading activity will be routed through the exchange's disaster recovery site. This is in contrast with the use of its primary data centre normally. This is ensure preparedness in case of system outages.
• Timings: The mock session will include all stages:
  • Block deals: 8:45-9:00 am
  • Pre-open: 9:00-9:08 am
  • Normal market operation (mock): 9:15-10:10 am
  • Auctions, T+0 sessions & closing: 10:20–10:30 am
• F&O schedule: In the equity derivatives (stocks and indices) segment, the normal market will run from 9:15 am to 10:10 am, with trade modification permitted till 10:20 am.

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• Commodity derivatives: This segment will undergo mock trade from 9:00 am to 10:10 am, with position limits and collateral cut-offs set for 10:20 am.
• SLBM: This segment will be active from 9:15 am to 10:10 am, with a live relogin window later in the day.
• Relogin: Members will be required torelogin across all segments between 1:30 pm and 2:00 pm to confirm smooth connectivity ahead of Monday’s full trading day.
• Members must migrate to NEAT+ 7.8.3 before September 6, 2025, as older versions (7.8.2) will be discontinued, according to the exchange. Different versions apply across segments: NEAT 1.3.3 for SLBM, NEAT 1.5.1 for commodities.
• All trades during the mock are non-binding, which simply means there will be no fund pay-ins or pay-outs. Outstanding orders will be cleared before each session.
• Participation is open to all trading members across segments. Members are urged to use all trading software and relogin to ensure readiness.