4 Different Types of Investors in an IPO: Meaning and Difference
Last updated August 22, 2026
This IPO News guide/article covers “4 Different Types of Investors in an IPO: Meaning and Difference”. The page is organized around 4 types of investors or ipo applicants, 1. retail individual investor (rii), retail investors minimum reservation, 2. non-institutional investors (niis) / high net-worth individuals (hnis), nii minimum reservation. IPO News presents the structured facts and tables in its own layout and wording.
Topics Covered
- 4 Types of Investors or IPO Applicants
- 1. Retail Individual Investor (RII)
- Retail Investors Minimum Reservation
- 2. Non-Institutional Investors (NIIs) / High Net-worth Individuals (HNIs)
- NII Minimum Reservation
- 3. Qualified Institutional Investors (QIIs) / Qualified Institutional Bidders (QIBs)
- QIB minimum Reservation
- 4. Anchor Investors
- Zerodha Trade@20
- Frequently Asked Questions
- 1. I am an NRI, which category should I apply in?−
- 2. Who are anchor investors in an IPO?+
- 3. Can a retail investor sell shares on the listing day?+
- 4. How anchor investors are different from QIBs?+
- 5. How HNI can apply in IPO?+
- 6. Are chances of allotment increases, if I apply for more than 1 lot?+
- 7. What is the difference between QIB, NII, and RII?+
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Key Facts
- India's trusted financial research platform since 2015. Live IPO GMP, subscription data, allotment status, Rights Issues, NCDs and unbiased stock broker reviews.
- Want to apply for an IPO, must know that there are 4 types of IPO applicants or investors while bidding for an IPO. Check out which category belongs to you or in which category, you should apply for.
- Anyone who want to subscribe to an IPO can apply for an IPO as RII, or QIB, or NII, or Anchor investor. Every IPO issue has a category reservation for each type of investor.
- Most of us from the general public are retail investors. Technically speaking, an individual who places an IPO bid for a maximum of upto Rs 2 lakh belong to this category.
- Whether you are a resident of India or a non-resident (NRI), who wants to invest less than or upto Rs 2 lakh in the IPO, should apply as a retail individual investor (RII).
- The maximum bidding amount for retail investors is capped at Rs 2 lakh.
- IPO applicants in only the retail category are allowed to bid at the cut-off price.
- For a book-building IPO, the issue must have minimum 35% retail reservation.
- In most book-building IPOs processes, the minimum retail quota is 35%. The issuer companies must have profits in the last 3 years.
- In book-building IPO via QIB route, the issue must have atleast 10% shares reserved for retail investors.
- In the case of fixed price IPO, the issue must contain 50% retail quota.
- All individuals (Resident or NRI), trusts, companies, institutions, or HUFs who subscribe to an IPO for more than Rs 2 lakh should apply as Non-institutional investors (NII).
- NIIs are further divided into small HNI and Big HNI
- Small NII (sNII): All IPO bidders who apply for an IPO from Rs 2 lakh to Rs 10 lakh is called sNII. Thus, SNII can put a maximum IPO bid of Rs 10 lakh.
- Big NII (bNII): Unlike it, high-net-worth individuals whose subscription amount is above Rs 10 lakh are known as big NII. Thus, 10 lakh is the minimum bidding amount for big HNIs.
- The minimum investment amount for HNIs / NIIs is above Rs 200,000.
- Maximum bidding amount by NIIs is restricted to Rs 10,00,000.
- IPO applicant in the NII category cannot bid at the cut-off price.
- There is no lock-in period for NIIs.
- Most of the IPOs have a 15% quota reserved for NIIs.
- The only difference between NII and QIB is that NIIs are not SEBI registered.
- NIIs have the right to withdraw or cancel the IPO bid before IPO allotment.
- Check out rules pertaining to the minimum shareholder quota for NIIs in any IPO.
- Generally, all mainboard IPOs under the book-building method have a minimum 15% of the total issue size reserved for NIIs. In this, 5% is reserved for small NIIs and 10% is for big HNIs.
- Book-building IPO issues under QIB route have a maximum or not more than 15% NII reservation.
- Fixed-price IPO issuing companies can allocate 50% of the total offering between NIIs and QIBs.
- QIB bid for an IPO with a large amount and in IPO process, underwriters try to get the maximum subscription number from QIIs.
- Only SEBI-registered institutions can apply under the QIB category.
- Not more than 50% of the IPO offer can be allocated to QIBs.
- IPO applicants in the QIB category cannot withdraw their bids, once applied.
Data Tables
| QIB | NII | RII | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Meaning | SEBI registered financial institutions, commercial banks, mutual fund asset management companies, etc. | High-net worth individuals, NRIs, HUFs, corporates, trusts, etc. who invests for above Rs 2 lakh in an IPO. | Individuals, NRIs, HUFs, etc. who subscribe to an IPO worth maximum of Rs 2 lakh. |
| IPO investment amount | No limit | Minimum Investment: Above Rs 2 Lakh Maximum Investment: Upto Rs 10 Lakh | Minimum Investment: 1 IPO Lot Maximum Investment: Upto Rs 2 Lakh |
| Reservation | Not more than 50% | Not less than 15% | Not less than 35% |
| Bid withdrawal | Not Allowed | Not Allowed | Retail applicants can cancel their IPO bid before the issue closing day. |
| Lock-in | No lock-in for QIBs while Anchor investors who invests more than Rs 10 Cr in the QIB category, their investment is locked in for 30 days. | No lock-in on NII investment | No lock-in |
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