SEBI Proposes Allowing Depositories To Use Up To 5% Of IPF Investment Income For Administrative Expenses

The Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) has floated a consultation paper proposing to allow depositories to use up to 5% of the annual interest or income earned from investments of their Investor Protection Fund (IPF) corpus to meet expenses related to the IPF Trust. The move would align the framework applicable to depositories with that currently applicable to stock exchanges. SEBI noted that stock exchanges are currently permitted to utilise up to 5% of the interest or income...

SEBI Proposes “GARUDA” Fast-Track Framework To Cut AIF Launch Timeline To 10 Days

The Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) has issued a consultation paper proposing a new fast-track mechanism titled “Green-Channel: AIF Rollout Upon Document Acknowledgement” (GARUDA) for processing Placement Memorandums (PPMs) filed by Alternative Investment Funds (AIFs). SEBI noted that the AIF industry has been growing rapidly and that the inflow of applications for registration and scheme launches has increased significantly. The proposals aim to facilitate faster and more...

SEBI Proposes Scrapping Mandatory Merchant Banker Requirement For Buy-Backs; Seeks Public Comments

The Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) has proposed dispensing with the mandatory requirement of appointing merchant bankers for buy-backs, as part of a wider review and rationalisation of the SEBI (Buy-Back of Securities) Regulations, 2018. The proposals also include changes relating to shareholder intimation, promoter participation, minimum public shareholding compliance, interval between buy-backs, and open market buy-backs through stock exchanges. SEBI said it had earlier...

SEBI Eases Norm For Educational Use Of Market Price Data, Cuts Lag To 30 Days From 3 Months

The Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) has issued a circular revising norms governing the sharing and usage of market price data for educational purposes, prescribing a uniform 30-day lag for both sharing and usage of such data. SEBI had earlier issued circulars dated May 24, 2024 and January 29, 2025 regulating the sharing and use of real-time market price data by Market Infrastructure Institutions (MIIs) and intermediaries. While the 2024 circular permitted sharing of such data...

“Structurally Redundant”: SEBI Discontinues IRRA Trading Access Platform Nearly Two Years After Introduction

The Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) on Thursday discontinued the Investor Risk Reduction Access (IRRA) platform, an alternative trading access mechanism introduced for stock brokers to handle disruptions in trading services. SEBI said stock exchanges had informed it that the IRRA platform had become “structurally redundant”. The regulator said the platform had not been accessed by stock brokers since inception because of robust regulatory measures, technological innovations and...

Four Entities Settle Indiabulls Real Estate Fund Diversion Case With SEBI For ₹10.49 Crore

Four entities have settled proceedings initiated by the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) arising out of alleged diversion and siphoning of funds from Indiabulls Real Estate Limited (IBREL) through conduit entities. The entities collectively paid ₹10.49 crore towards settlement. SEBI's Quasi Judicial Authority N Murugan passing the settlement order, noted, "...In exercise of the powers conferred under Section 15JB read with Section 19 of the SEBI Act and in terms of Regulations...

SEBI Settles ₹25.50 Lakh Case Against Unicorn India Ventures Over AIF Investment, Disclosure Lapses

On 4 May, the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) disposed of proceedings through a settlement order, resolving alleged violations of the SEBI (Alternative Investment Funds) Regulations, 2012 by Unicorn India Ventures Fund III, its manager, and key managerial personnel, after the parties opted for settlement under SEBI's regulatory framework. SEBI Whole Time Members Kamlesh Chandra Varshney and Amarjeet Singh approved the settlement and closed the enforcement proceedings arising from...

SEBI Issues Advisory On AI-Based Vulnerability Detection Risks, Sets Up cyber-suraksha.ai Task Force

On 5 May 2026, the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) issued an advisory on emerging advanced Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools for vulnerability detection. SEBI stated that AI-driven vulnerability detection tools heighten risks for regulated entities by enabling rapid identification and possible exploitation of vulnerabilities, while also raising concerns around data confidentiality, application integrity, and reliability of outputs. It observed that the interconnected nature of...

SEBI Proposes Early Pay-In Benefit To Options Contracts In Commodity Derivatives, Invites Comments

Today, the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) issued a consultation paper proposing to extend the applicability of early pay-in, currently available for futures contracts, to options contracts in the commodity derivatives segment. SEBI noted that under the existing framework, market participants can deposit certified goods in accredited warehouses as early pay-in against futures contracts, which enables margin benefits, except for mark-to-market margins. It further stated that this...

SEBI Proposes Allowing OBPPs To Offer IFSCA-Regulated Products, Seeks Public Comments

The Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) on Tuesday, 5 May, issued a consultation paper proposing to allow Online Bond Platform Providers (OBPPs) to offer products regulated by the International Financial Services Centres Authority (IFSCA), along with other changes aimed at improving ease of doing business. SEBI stated that the proposals are intended to refine the existing regulatory framework governing OBPPs, which are currently regulated under the SEBI (Issue and Listing of...

SEBI Proposes To Permit Single-Asset Securitisation By Relaxing 25% Cap For RBI-Regulated Entities

The Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) has proposed to relax its rules to allow securitisation transactions where the exposure to a single obligor exceeds the existing 25% limit, in respect of RBI-regulated entities. Securitisation involves pooling financial assets and issuing securities backed by their cash flows. The proposal forms part of a consultation paper issued on Monday to amend the SEBI (Issue and Listing of Securitised Debt Instruments and Security Receipts) Regulations,...

SEBI Imposes ₹40 Lakh Penalty On 4 For Unregistered Investment Advice Through Telegram Channels

The Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) has imposed a total penalty of ₹40 lakh on four individuals for engaging in unregistered investment advisory activities through Telegram channels such as “Intraday Jackpot” and “Professional Day Trading Institute”. SEBI's Quasi Judicial Authority N Murugan passed the order. “The prescriptions the IA/RA Regulations are intended to safeguard the interest of investors and to curb the perpetration of unregistered entities entering the field of...