How to buy Rigetti Computing (RGTI) stock from India

Yes, an Indian resident can buy Rigetti Computing — legally, in US dollars, under the RBI's Liberalised Remittance Scheme (LRS). RGTI trades on NASDAQ. It pays no dividend. Rigetti is a superconducting quantum computing company — it builds quantum processors, operates the Quantum Cloud Services (QCS) platform for cloud access, and sells quantum consulting services. RGTI is smaller and earlier-stage than IonQ, with a superconducting qubit approach similar to IBM and Google. This is the highest-risk name in the quantum computing space.

The 30-second version

• Legal and simple. Buy RGTI via Vested, INDmoney, or Interactive Brokers India.
• No dividend. No US withholding or Form 44 complexity.
• India tax: hold more than 24 months → 12.5% LTCG; shorter hold → slab rate. Section 112.
• Estate-tax trap: US-situs asset — above $60,000 of total US-situs assets, up to 40% US estate tax, no treaty relief.
• The honest framing: RGTI is a micro-cap (~$500M–$1B) quantum computing company with sub-$20M annual revenue and ongoing dilutive equity raises. It is the most speculative quantum bet available on public markets. Own IONQ first if you want listed quantum exposure — RGTI is a secondary position at 0.5–1% of a technology portfolio at most.

Quick facts

Can an Indian resident buy it?	Yes — fully legal under the LRS
Ticker / exchange	RGTI / NASDAQ
How	IBKR, Rovia, INDmoney, or Vested
Minimum	A fraction of one share
Dividend	None
India tax on gains	12.5% LTCG after 24 months; else your slab (Section 112)
Estate-tax risk	US-situs above $60k → up to 40%, no treaty relief
Annual compliance	Schedule FA every year you hold

How to buy it — 3 steps

1. Open an account and finish KYC. Use IBKR for the widest access and best execution, Rovia for a combined RSU + LRS experience, or INDmoney / Vested for a simple India-funded flow.
2. Fund via the LRS. Cap: $250,000/year. 20% TCS above ₹7 lakh — creditable against income tax.
3. Place the order. RGTI is highly volatile with low average daily volume. Always use limit orders. Never chase momentum — RGTI can move 30–50% on quantum computing news cycles regardless of company-specific developments.

What Rigetti Computing actually is

The technology: Rigetti uses superconducting transmon qubits — the same fundamental approach as IBM Quantum and Google Quantum AI. Superconducting qubits operate at ~15 millikelvin (near absolute zero) in dilution refrigerators. They have fast gate speeds (~50–100 nanoseconds per gate) but higher error rates than trapped-ion approaches (IonQ). Rigetti's current flagship processor is the 84-qubit Ankaa-3 system, with a tunable coupler architecture designed to improve gate fidelity.

Quantum Cloud Services (QCS): Rigetti offers cloud access to its quantum processors through QCS and through partnerships with AWS (Amazon Braket), Microsoft Azure Quantum, and other cloud providers. Revenue comes from QCS usage, professional services, and government contracts.

Revenue profile: Annual revenue is in the $10–15M range — primarily government grants and contracts (DARPA, AFRL, DOE) and QCS subscription revenue. This is not a commercial-scale business yet.

Competition: Rigetti competes with IBM Quantum (1,000+ qubit systems, far larger resource base), Google Quantum AI (Willow processor, breakthrough results), IonQ (trapped-ion, more commercial traction), and Quantinuum (Honeywell spin-off, trapped-ion). Rigetti is the smallest publicly listed player in this group.

Cash burn and dilution: RGTI burns ~$50–60M annually and raises capital through equity offerings. Dilution is ongoing — the share count has grown substantially since the SPAC listing. This is standard for pre-commercial quantum companies but depresses the stock when raises occur.

The tax that actually matters

Holding period	Treatment	Rate
24 months or less	Short-term	Your slab rate
More than 24 months	Long-term	12.5%, no indexation

Full rules: how US stocks are taxed in India.

The $60,000 estate-tax trap

Directly-held RGTI is a US-situs asset. Above $60,000 of total US-situs holdings at death, US estate tax of up to 40% — no India-US treaty protection. See the estate-tax trap guide.

RGTI vs IONQ vs IBM — quantum computing spectrum

If you want…	Best route
Most advanced listed quantum company (trapped-ion)	IONQ
Superconducting approach, micro-cap bet	RGTI (0.5–1% max)
Quantum computing with diversified business (profitable)	IBM
Full quantum picture	Quantum computing stocks guide for Indian investors