Investor participation surges to 13.4 crore in 5 years: SEBI Chairman

Mumbai, Oct 8 (IANS) The focus of the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) on digital transformation, such as e-KYC, simplified onboarding and mobile-first investment platforms, has led to investor participation rising to 134 million over the past five years, SEBI Chairman Tuhin Kanta Pandey said on Wednesday.

Participating in a panel discussion during the Global Fintech Fest (GFF) 2025 here, Pandey said several technology-led initiatives, such as the Investor Risk Reduction Access Platform and a Unified Investor App, have strengthened investor protection and market efficiency.

It has led to consolidated access to holdings, transaction history, e-voting, and proxy advisory recommendations. "Grievance resolutions too have been streamlined with Digital Locker and an upgraded SEBI Complaints Redressal System (SCORES)," the SEBI Chairman added.

Talking about market efficiency, Pandey highlighted India’s transition to the "T+1 settlement" that has shortened the financial transaction settlement cycle, making it one of the fastest globally. He also drew attention to the expansion of Application Supported by Blocked Amount (ASBA) through UPI for secondary markets, ensuring safer and smoother transactions.

"SEBI has reduced compliance burdens while enhancing transparency through the increased use of advanced analytics and AI-based models to detect complex manipulation patterns and network-based fraud," he said.

He also spotlighted the importance of cybersecurity and operational resilience, and emphasised the need for continuous learning, adapting, and anticipating to mitigate risks.

Pandey said that the future of India’s capital markets depended on collaboration between regulators, market infrastructure institutions, intermediaries, and fintech innovators.

"The collaboration between fintech innovation and regulatory foresight will determine not just how fast we grow, but how safely we grow," he added.

The session was moderated by Uday Kotak, Founder, Kotak Mahindra Bank. Other panellists were Tuang Lee Lim, Assistant Managing Director, Monetary Authority of Singapore, and Dr Marlene Amstad, Chairperson, FINMA - Swiss Financial Market Supervisory Authority.

--IANS

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