An RTA (Registrar & Transfer Agent) is a SEBI-registered intermediary — firms like KFin Technologies or Link Intime — that maintains the official register of a company's shareholders and processes share transfers, dividends, bonus issues, splits and other corporate actions on the company's behalf.
Why it matters to you
For unlisted shares, the RTA is the authority that records who owns what. When you buy unlisted shares, the transfer is reflected through the depository, and the RTA's records are what corporate actions (dividends, bonuses, the eventual IPO allotment) rely on. If your details are wrong at the RTA, you can miss out on benefits.
Example: An investor's bonus shares were delayed because their bank details at the RTA were outdated — fixing the CMR resolved it. Related: how unlisted share prices are determined.