Misinformation Control
- Since October 2024, over 70,000 misleading online posts and accounts have been removed.
- Sebi worked closely with social media platforms to curb deceptive financial content.
Key Regulatory Focus
- Strong crackdown on unregistered investment advisors and research analysts.
- Addressing the growing concern of finfluencers and unauthorized stock recommendations.
New Initiatives
- Proposal to introduce a UPI ‘Payright’ handle to help investors easily identify registered financial entities and avoid fraud.
- Plans for a nationwide survey to help shape Sebi’s investor outreach strategy.
- Aim to use the accredited investor model to focus on risk-aware and capable investors.
Collaborative Approach
- Call for ongoing dialogue between Sebi and stakeholders to address overlaps between:
- Investment advisors
- Non-discretionary portfolio management services (PMS)
- Mutual fund distributors
- Incidental advisory services
- Encouragement for ARIA (Association of Registered Investment Advisors) to evolve into a quasi self-regulatory organisation.
Foreign Portfolio Investment (FPI)
- Emphasis on attracting and sustaining FPI flows.
- Noted higher FPI debt flows compared to equity, following India’s inclusion in global debt indices.
- As of February 2025:
- FPI holdings: ₹62 trillion in equity and ₹5.9 trillion in debt.
Market Development
- Highlighted the need for an adequate supply of new securities to meet investor demand and support stable capital formation.
- Focus on maintaining stable macroeconomic conditions and good governance to sustain growth.
Source: Mint
