GIFT Nifty trading hours extended as NSEIX launched 23.5-hour market operations on November 2. The morning session now starts at 5:15 am IST to help investors track global moves. V. Balasubramaniam said, "The extension to 23.5-hour trading at NSEIX is an important milestone in our endeavor to create a globally accessible marketplace."
Market Mastery
Webinar by Vishal Malkan
Find the weak links
in your portfolio by Vishal Malkan
GIFT Nifty trading hours have been extended, with the morning session now beginning at 5:15 am IST instead of 6:30 am, as NSE International Exchange (NSEIX) launched near round-the-clock market operations from Monday, November 2, 2026. The exchange has extended its overall operating window to 23 hours and 30 minutes a day, providing international investors greater access to markets across global time zones.
Under the revised schedule for NSE IFSC Nifty 50 Index Futures, popularly known as GIFT Nifty, the morning trading session now opens one hour and 15 minutes earlier, while the second session remains unchanged. The revised timings took effect on November 2.
What are the new GIFT Nifty trading hours?
The morning pre-open session now begins at 5 am IST, compared with 6:15 am earlier, with normal trading running from 5:15 am to 3:40 pm. The pre-close session begins at 3:40 pm, with order collection ending at 3:50 pm and the session concluding at 3:55 pm. The second session remains unchanged, with pre-open beginning at 3:58 pm and normal trading running from 4:05 pm until 2:45 am IST the following day.
Share Markets Live Updates | Sensex, Nifty, GIFT Nifty Today
The earlier opening allows market participants to respond to overnight international developments before India's domestic equity markets open. GIFT Nifty is widely tracked by investors and traders as an early indicator of the likely opening direction of the benchmark Nifty 50 index.
NSEIX launches near round-the-clock operations
In a press release issued on Tuesday, November 3, NSEIX said it had completed the first day of operations under its enhanced market timings. The exchange's overall operating window now extends from 3:15 am IST to 2:45 am IST the following day, covering Asian, European and American trading hours.
The initiative is aimed at offering international investors and trading participants greater flexibility to respond to global developments and manage market exposure across different time zones.
"The extension to 23.5-hour trading at NSEIX is an important milestone in our endeavor to create a globally accessible marketplace from GIFT City. By enabling market access across all time zones, we are providing participants with greater flexibility and strengthening GIFT City's connectivity with global financial markets," said V. Balasubramaniam, MD and CEO of NSEIX.
The exchange said its technology infrastructure allows system maintenance and updates to be completed within three minutes between sessions and in less than 15 minutes at the end of the day.