Veteran investor Shankar Sharma has voiced strong concerns over the growing speculative nature of India’s equity derivatives market, cautioning that the country must not allow its financial ecosystem to resemble a “casino.” His remarks center on the Securities Transaction Tax (STT) imposed on futures and options trades, which he argues reflects deeper structural issues in market participation and regulatory priorities. Sharma emphasized the need to rebalance India’s capital markets toward long-term investing rather than short-term speculation.
