Name the intermediary who is authorised to maintain the accounts of dematerialised shares :

Depository Participant (DP) 

The correct answer is option 2- Depository Participant (DP).

The securities held by the investor in the physical form are cancelled and the investor is given an electronic entry or number so that she/he can hold it as an electronic balance in an account. This process of holding securities in an electronic form is called dematerialisation. For this, the investor has to open a demat account with an organisation called a depository

The depository participant (DP) serves as an intermediary between the investor and the Depository (NSDL or CSDL) who is authorised to maintain the accounts of dematerialised shares.

In India, there are two depositories. National Securities Depositories Limited (NSDL) is the first and largest depository presently operational in India. It was promoted as a joint venture of the IDBI, UTI, and the National Stock Exchange. The Central Depository Services Limited (CDSL) is the second depository to commence operations and was promoted by the Bombay Stock Exchange and the Bank of India. Both these national level depositories operate through intermediaries who are electronically connected to the depository and serve as contact points with the investors and are called depository participants.