In an F&O contract, when there is an open position that has not been squared off by its expiry date, physical settlement takes place. This implies the physical delivery of stocks to settle the open transactions instead of settling them with cash.
What is physical settlement in F&O trading?
In an F&O contract, when there is an open position that has not been squared off by its expiry date, physical settlement takes place. This implies they have to physically give/take delivery of stocks to settle the open transactions instead of settling them with cash.
What is physical settlement under SEBI mandate?
As per a SEBI mandate, physical settlement is compulsory if a trader holds a position in any of the stock F&O contracts on an expiry date. What is physical settlement? In an F&O contract, when there is an open position that has not been squared off by its expiry date, physical settlement takes place.
What is the physical settlement of futures contracts?
in the physical settlement of futures contract to expiration are required to deliver the underlying asset. Traders not owning them are obligated to buy them at the current price, and those who already own the assets have to hand it over to the requisite clearing organization.
What is physical settlement of derivative transactions?
Most derivative transactions are traded prior to the delivery date and not necessarily exercised on expiration. Physical settlement mostly takes place with commodities but it can also occur with financial instruments. The settlement of physical delivery is conducted by Clearing brokers or their agents.

What does physical settlement mean?
What is physical settlement? In an F&O contract, when there is an open position that has not been squared off by its expiry date, physical settlement takes place. This implies they have to physically give/take delivery of stocks to settle the open transactions instead of settling them with cash.
What is compulsory physical delivery in F&O?
In case a trader has an open position in a Stock Futures contract & In-The-Money Stock Options that has not been squared off on expiry date, these contracts would have to be physically settled. The trader thus gives or receives delivery of the stocks which were the underlying to settle the transaction.
What is physical delivery in derivative trading?
Physical delivery is a term in an options or futures contract which requires the actual underlying asset to be delivered upon the specified delivery date, rather than being traded out with offsetting contracts.
What are physically settled FX forwards?
FX Forwards are defined in Article 27 of the EU Margin Regulation as “physically settled OTC derivative contracts that solely involve the exchange of two different currencies on a specific future date at a fixed rate agreed on the trade date of the contract covering the exchange.”
Can futures be physically settled?
For the period up to the last trading day, the Commodity Futures Contracts (physical settlement) are settled through offsetting purchase or sale. * There will be a payment/receipt of the mark-to-market differences during the period from the trade execution to the settlement.
How can options prevent physical settlement?
In case one wants to avoid the physical settlement and has an open position in futures or options stock, they can either opt to roll over, square off or exit the position of expiring month contract on or before expiry so that there is no open position left for physical settlement.
What is the difference between physical and cash settlement?
In the case of physical delivery, the holder of the contract will either have to take the commodity from the exchange or produce the commodity. However, cash settlement does not involve any delivery of assets, but just net cash is settled on contract expiration.
What happens on F&O expiry day?
The expiry date refers to the settlement of F&O contracts. As a result, the stock market undergoes significant volatility. The stock market can turn bearish or bullish depending on the nature of the derivatives contract settled on the expiry date.
Are index options physically settled?
All out of the money(OTM) stock options are worthless on expiry and don't result in any delivery obligation. All index F&O contracts are cash-settled.
How long do FX trades take to settle?
two business daysThe settlement date for stocks and bonds is usually two business days after the execution date (T+2). For government securities and options, it's the next business day (T+1). In spot foreign exchange (FX), the date is two business days after the transaction date.
Who Delivers Notice of Physical settlement?
Notice of Physical Settlement means a notice from the Calculation Agent to the Issuer containing a detailed description of the Deliverable Obligations that the Calculation Agent will Deliver to the Issuer on the Physical Settlement Date, provided that the Calculation Agent may notify the Issuer that it is changing one ...
Do futures contracts require physical delivery?
Most often, the trader will simply pay or receive a cash settlement depending on whether the underlying asset increased or decreased during the investment holding period. In some cases, however, futures contracts will require physical delivery.
What is option compulsory delivery?
All stock F&O contracts on Indian exchanges are compulsory delivery⁶. So if you hold any stock future contract or any stock option contract which is In The Money (ITM) post expiry, you will be required to give or take delivery of the underlying stock².
What is physical delivery margin?
The physical delivery risk Margins required are a minimum of 40% of the contract value for futures on the last day of expiry. For in the money long or buy option positions, a delivery margin is assigned from 4 days before expiry.
Can you take delivery of a futures contract?
For futures contracts that are settled by actual physical delivery of the underlying commodity (physical delivery futures), account holders may not make or receive delivery of the underlying commodity. It is the responsibility of the account holder to make themselves aware of the close-out deadline of each product.
What does physical settlement mean in F&O?
The physical settlement means if you hold a position in any Stock F&O contract, at expiry, you will be required to give/take delivery of stocks. The physical settlement is restricted only to stock derivatives. Physical settlement of index options is not applicable. Index contracts are cash-settled only.
How long does it take for a physical settlement to take place?
Timelines for Physical Settlement. Physical settlement takes place on Expiry + 2 days. In case your securities obligation is at the receiving end, that means you would receive stock for which you would need to arrange for funds to pay to the exchange.
What happens if the value of a securities is 5 lakhs?
In case the value is Rs. 5 lakhs or more, the securities pay-out will be withheld and the trading facility of the trading member will be withdrawn.
Why did SEBI introduce F&O?
F&O physical settlement was introduced because Indian derivatives markets are one of the most speculative markets in the world. Excessive speculation creates too much volatility in the market. Thus, to reduce excessive speculation, SEBI came up with the concept of the physical settlement of stocks as is being done in the Equity segment.
What happens if a clearing member fails to meet the fund/securities obligation?
In case the clearing member fails to meet either the fund/securities obligation, the exchange penalizes the clearing member as per the below which may be further passed on to the client. Hence one must understand the physical settlement process well.
What would happen if stocks were identified for physical settlement?
The stocks that have been identified for physical settlement would attract the delivery margin as is currently being done in the Capital market segment. These margins will be part of the initial margin that would be additionally collected by the clearing member.
Does Upstox have a physical settlement?
As per the Upstox policy for physical settlement, users don't have the option to opt for a physical settlement. On expiry day, Upstox squares off all open positions at 2.30 pm, hence it doesn't qualify for a physical settlement.
What is physical settlement in F&O?
What is physical settlement? In an F&O contract, when there is an open position that has not been squared off by its expiry date, physical settlement takes place . This implies they have to physically give/take delivery of stocks to settle the open transactions instead of settling them with cash.
Do you have to provide consent for physical settlement?
You have not provided your consent for physical settlement. You provided your consent for physical settlement and do not have Ledger Value (equal to contract value) / holdings available for the physical settlement of your positions. In a case of funds / holdings not being available for all the positions, we will execute square offs for all ...
What is a Physical Settlement/Delivery?
This refers to a derivatives contract A Derivatives Contract Derivative Contracts are formal contracts entered into between two parties, one Buyer and the other Seller, who act as Counterparties for each other, and involve either a physical transaction of an underlying asset in the future or a financial payment by one party to the other based on specific future events of the underlying asset. In other words, the value of a Derivative Contract is derived from the underlying asset on which the Contract is based. read more requiring the actual underlying asset to be delivered on the specified delivery date, rather than being traded out net cash position or offsetting of contracts. The majority of the derivative transactions are not necessarily exercised but are traded prior to the delivery dates. However, physical delivery of the underlying asset does occur with some trades (largely with commodities) but can occur with other financial instruments Financial Instruments Financial instruments are certain contracts or documents that act as financial assets such as debentures and bonds, receivables, cash deposits, bank balances, swaps, cap, futures, shares, bills of exchange, forwards, FRA or forward rate agreement, etc. to one organization and as a liability to another organization and are solely taken into use for trading purposes. read more.
What is the benefit of physical settlement?
The primary benefit of Physical settlement is that it is not subject to manipulation by either of the parties since the entire activity is being monitored by the broker and the clearing exchange. The possibility of the counterparty risk will be monitored, and consequences are known for the same.
What is the difference between cash settlement and physical settlement?
Cash settlement is an arrangement under which the seller in a contract chooses to transfer the net cash position instead of delivering the underlying assets whereas physical settlement can be defined as a method, under which the seller opts to go for the actual delivery of an underlying asset and that too on a pre-determined date and at the same time rejects the idea of cash settlement for the transaction.
What is the advantage of cash settlement?
The single largest advantage of cash settlement is that it represents a way of trading Futures & Options based on assets and securities, which would practically very difficult with the physical settlement.
Why is cash settlement used in derivatives?
In derivatives, cash settlement is used in the case of a Futures contract since it is monitored by an exchange, ensuring smooth execution of the contract.
Which method of settlement offers greater liquidity in the derivatives market?
The cash settlement method offers greater liquidity in the derivatives market, whereas the physical settlement method offers an almost negligible amount of liquidity in the derivatives market.
What is settlement in finance?
In the world of finance, settlement of securities, including derivatives, is a business process whereby the contract is executed on pre-decided settlement date.
What is Physical settlement?
Under this arrangement, the actual delivery of asset takes place, which is to be delivered on the specified delivery date, instead of being cash settled.
What is a pre-decided settlement date?
1. In finance especially in a derivative market, the contracts are often executed on a pre-decided settlement date. In case of futures and options, on the settlement date, the contract seller may either opt for delivery of underlying asset (which is termed as physical settlement) or may simply settle the net position through cash (i.e.
What happens when you settle a derivative contract?
The settlement of derivative contract (whether physically or through cash) will have a significant impact on the future course of the derivative market. There is often a thin liquidity in case of physically settled contracts on the last day of trading since the traders who are not willing to physically settle their futures contract ...
When is the sale of an underlying asset reported?
Sale and purchase of the underlying asset are reported by regulated exchange’s clearing organization at the prior day’s settlement price (usually the closing price) soon after the last day of trading.
Does settlement of contract matter?
It is not the settlement of contract that matters for the traders but the cost and liquidity since it will lead to an extended liability on the same.
Does cash settlement involve delivery of asset?
However, cash settlement does not involve any delivery of asset, but just net cash is settled on contract expiration.
What happens when a contract is cash settled?
When the contract is cash-settled, traders only are required to maintain the margin (SPAN +Exposure ) for the contract and can lead to short-sellers building up excessive short positions closer to expiry artificially bringing down the price. With the physical settlement, these traders will have to buy the stock from the equity market or borrow on the SLB markets to be able to deliver the stocks to the counterparty. This brings in balance to the price not allowing for price manipulation.
What does F&O mean?
It means all stock F&O contracts at expiry, are required to be given/taken delivery of the underlying security. From October 2019’s expiry, all stock F&O contracts are compulsorily settled physically.
What happens if you have a long futures contract with SBI?
For example, if you have an SBI June long futures contract and long ITM Put of strike 200 (SBI spot price at Rs 180), the long futures position will lead to a take delivery obligation and the long put option to a given delivery obligation. This will be netted off for your account and there won’t be any physical delivery obligation.
Do you have to maintain margin on F&O?
When you are trading in the F &O segment, for futures and short options, you will require to maintain only the margin amount in your account, for long options, just the premium required to buy. However, this changes with the physical settlement mechanism, where you are required to bring in 100% of the contract value to take delivery ...
Is equity futures cash settled?
Until recent times, trading in equity futures and options was cash settled in India. What this means is that upon expiry of the contract, buyers or sellers had to settle their position in cash without having to take delivery of the underlying security. On April 11, 2018, SEBI released a circular making physical delivery of stocks for all stock F&O contracts mandatory in a phased manner. The aim was to curb excessive speculation which would result in too much volatility in individual stocks.

Computation of Settlement Obligation
Delivery Margin on Physical Settlement
- The stocks that have been identified for physical settlement would attract the delivery margin as is currently being done in the Capital market segment. These margins will be part of the initial margin that would be additionally collected by the clearing member. In case of long options (put and call), the delivery margin would be levied 4 days before the expiry day i.e. preceding Friday …
timelines For Physical Settlement
- Physical settlement takes place on Expiry + 2 days. In case your securities obligation is at the receiving end, that means you would receive stock for which you would need to arrange for funds to pay to the exchange. In case your securities obligation stands at the delivery position, you would need to arrange for stock in your demat account for pay...
Failure to Meet The Obligation of Physical Settlement
- In case the clearing member fails to meet either the fund/securities obligation, the exchange penalizes the clearing member as per the below which may be further passed on to the client. Hence one must understand the physical settlement process well.
Physical Settlement Example
- Let's say a trader has the following open positions in April 2020 expiry contracts as on End of Day of April Expiry Day. Basis the above open positions, below is the obligation calculation for securities and fund for each stock with comments.
Physical Settlement Zerodha
- Zerodha policyfor physical settlement follows stock exchange rules. As per Zerodha 'If you hold a position in any Stock F&O contract, at expiry, you will be required to give/take delivery of stocks.' They advise their customers to close the open F&O positions before expiry to avoid physical settlement.
Physical Settlement Upstox
- As per the Upstox policyfor physical settlement, users don't have the option to opt for a physical settlement. On expiry day, Upstox squares off all open positions at 2.30 pm, hence it doesn't qualify for a physical settlement. More resources: 1. Physical Settlement NSE FAQ documents - 1 & 2.