The NIFTY 50, launched on 22 April 1996 with a base value of 1,000, is India's benchmark stock index tracking the 50 largest companies on the National Stock Exchange (NSE), and is managed by its subsidiary NSE Indices. Representing 13 sectors, it guides investors, and its calculation shifted to a free-float methodology on 26 June 2009, with semi-annual rebalancing based on January 31 and July 31 cutoff dates. It was the world's most actively traded index options contract in 2016, was overtaken by Nifty Bank, but regained the title in 2024 after Nifty Bank's weekly expiries were discontinued. As of November 2025, financial services dominate the index at 36.84%, followed by oil and gas (10.39%) and information technology (10.23%). The index ecosystem includes derivatives, and global trading now occurs through GIFT Nifty (rebranded from SGX Nifty on 3 July 2023) hosted at the NSE International Exchange in GIFT City. A related index, the NIFTY Next 50 (or NIFTY Junior), tracks the next 50 companies, offering a broader view of India's large-cap equity market.