How to Place Your First GIFT Nifty Trade on Belong
This guide walks through the exact sequence in the Belong app, from selecting a contract to monitoring your open position and squaring off. It does not assume any prior experience with GIFT Nifty specifically, though familiarity with futures concepts will help.
If you are new to futures or want to understand what GIFT Nifty futures actually are before placing a trade, start here: GIFT Nifty Futures vs India Nifty Futures: What Changes for an NRI Trader?
Quick answer: To place a GIFT Nifty trade on Belong, you need an active and funded account. Log in, select a GIFT Nifty contract, review the margin and charges, choose your order type and lot quantity, and confirm. Your position will appear in the positions screen immediately upon execution.
Quick look at how to trade
What you need to know before placing a trade
Three things must be in place before you can place any order:
Active trading account
Your KYC and derivatives eligibility assessment must be complete and approved. If your account is still under review, you will not be able to place orders. Contact Belong's support team if you are unsure of your account status.
Funded margin account
GIFT Nifty futures require margin to be deposited before you trade. The minimum account funding on Belong is USD 3,000 to be able to trade one lot. The margin required for a specific contract and number of lots is displayed in the app on the order screen.
Active trading session
GIFT Nifty futures trade in two sessions. Session 1 runs from 6:30 AM to 3:40 PM IST. Session 2 runs from 4:15 PM to 2:45 AM IST. Outside these windows, order placement is not available.
Tip: Session timings are set by NSEIX and may change. Always confirm the current session schedule within the app.
How to add trading margin
If your account is funded but your available trading margin is insufficient for the intended trade, you will not be able to place the order.
To add margin, use the fund transfer option within the Belong app. Transfers must be made through the supported funding route for your account. Processing time varies depending on your bank and transfer method. Do not assume same-day availability.
If you are uncertain about the funding process or your current available margin, contact Belong's support team before attempting to trade.
Finding GIFT Nifty contracts
Once logged in, navigate to the GIFT Nifty Futures section of the app. You will see a list of available contracts.
GIFT Nifty futures are available in monthly expiry cycles. The available contracts typically include the current month, the next month, and occasionally the following month. Scroll through the contract list to see each available expiry.
The price displayed next to each contract is the last traded price for that contract on NSEIX.
Choosing an expiry
Each contract expires on the last Tuesday of its contract month. After expiry, any open positions are automatically settled in USD at the exchange's final settlement price.
The current-month contract (the nearest expiry) typically has the highest liquidity and tightest spreads. Contracts further out in time may have lower open interest.
For your first trade, the current-month contract is usually the most practical choice in terms of liquidity and price transparency.
Note: If you are entering a position close to expiry (within a few days of the last Tuesday), the position may go to settlement before you have had time to square off manually.
Buy vs sell: GIFT Nifty Futures on Belong
In futures, you can open a position in either direction.
Buy (Long)
You profit if the Nifty 50 index rises. You lose if it falls.
Sell (Short)
You profit if the Nifty 50 index falls. You lose if it rises.
Both directions require the same margin process. The app will display the required margin for both a buy and a sell before you confirm.
Risk check: Both long and short futures positions carry the risk of loss that can exceed your initial margin. Futures are leveraged instruments.
Selecting lot quantity
GIFT Nifty futures are traded in lots. One lot equals 2 units of the Nifty 50 index.
The number of lots you enter determines both your total position size and the margin required. The app calculates and displays the required margin dynamically as you adjust the lot quantity.
Start with a quantity that is consistent with your available margin and your risk tolerance. You can always trade additional lots in subsequent orders.
Tip: The minimum order size is 1 lot. For reference, at a Nifty 50 level of approximately 25,000, one lot has a notional value of approximately USD 50,000 (25,000 x USD 2 per point x 1 lot). Margin required is a fraction of this notional value.
Choosing an order type
Four order types are available on Belong for GIFT Nifty futures:
Market
Executes immediately at the best available price. No price guarantee.
Limit
Executes only at your specified price or better. Not guaranteed to fill.
SL (Stop-Loss Limit)
Activates at a trigger price, then places a limit order.
SL-M (Stop-Loss Market)
Activates at a trigger price, then places a market order.
For most first trades placed during Session 1 (6:30 am IST - 3:40 pm IST), when liquidity is highest, a market order or a limit order priced close to the current market is the most straightforward option.
For a full explanation of each order type with examples, read: Market, Limit, SL and SL-M Orders in GIFT Nifty: A Practical Guide
Reviewing margin and charges
Before confirming any order, the app displays:
Required margin
The margin that will be blocked from your available balance upon order placement.
Available margin
Your current funded balance available for margin.
Estimated charges
The total cost of the trade is roughly USD 5.50 per lot per side (USD 3.95 brokerage, USD 1.50 NSEIX exchange fees, and USD 0.05 IFSCA fees) as of July 2026.
Review these figures before proceeding. If your available margin is insufficient, the order will be rejected.
A round-trip trade (opening and closing) on one lot costs USD 11 in charges, excluding any P&L on the position itself.
Confirming and submitting
After reviewing the order summary, tap the confirm button to submit the order to NSEIX.
For a market order, execution typically happens within seconds under normal trading conditions. The executed price appears in the order detail screen.
For a limit order, the order enters the NSEIX order book and remains open until it fills, is cancelled, or expires based on the validity setting.
Do not submit the order more than once if there is a delay. Check the order status screen first before attempting to resubmit.
Understanding order status
After submission, your order will show one of the following statuses:
Open
The order has been received but not yet filled. Normal for limit and SL/SL-M orders. For market orders, open status should resolve quickly.
Executed
The full quantity has been filled. Check the execution price in the order detail, not just the status.
Partially executed
A portion of the order has been filled. The remaining quantity is still open. You can cancel the open portion or leave it active.
Rejected
The order was not accepted. Check the rejection reason. Common causes include insufficient margin or invalid order parameters.
Tracking the open position
Once your order executes, the position appears in the positions screen.
The positions screen shows:
Contract and expiry
Direction (long or short)
Quantity in lots
Average entry price
Current market price
Unrealised P&L in USD
Unrealised P&L updates in real time as the market moves. Note that unrealised profits are not available for withdrawal until the position is closed and settlement is processed.
Mark-to-market (MTM) losses are deducted from your available margin in real time. If your margin falls below the required level, Belong's risk management system may issue a margin call or begin position reduction.
Squaring off
To close an open position, go to the positions screen, select the open position, and place an opposite order.
To close a long position: place a sell order for the same number of lots on the same contract.
To close a short position: place a buy order for the same number of lots on the same contract.
You can square off using any of the four order types. A market order exists immediately. A limit order exists at your specified price if the market reaches it.
You can partially square off by trading fewer lots than your total open position.
Note: If you do not square off before expiry, the position is automatically settled on the last Tuesday of the contract month at the exchange's final settlement price. The settlement amount (profit or loss) is credited or debited in USD.
After the trade
Once you square off, the position is removed from the open positions screen and appears in your closed positions screen for that trading session.
The P&L on the closed position is credited or debited to your trading balance as per settlement rules and regulations. A contract note is issued within 24 hours of execution, as required under IFSCA regulations. You can view trade history and contract notes within the app.
Funds available after a closed trade can be used to trade again or can be withdrawn to your linked bank account, subject to Belong's standard withdrawal process and applicable timelines.
First-trade checklist
Before placing your first GIFT Nifty trade:
Account is active and derivatives eligibility approved
Available margin is at least the amount required for the intended lot size (check the live figure in the app)
The current trading session is active (Session 1 or Session 2)
You have selected the correct contract and expiry
Direction (buy or sell) matches your view
Lot quantity is entered correctly
Order type is selected and understood
Estimated charges reviewed and accepted
Order reviewed on the confirmation screen before tapping confirm
Disclaimer: This article is for educational purposes only and does not constitute investment advice or a recommendation to trade. Trading futures involves significant risk of loss. Leverage magnifies both gains and losses. You may lose more than your initial margin deposit. Past performance is not indicative of future results. Consult a qualified financial adviser before trading.
Belong is operated by Betafront Securities (IFSC) Private Limited, an IFSCA-registered Broker-Dealer in GIFT City. IFSCA BD Registration No. CMI2025BDK0829. NSEIX Trading Member Code: 10087.
