Tuhin Kanta Pandey, Chairman of the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI), while speaking at the Global Fintech Fest 2025 said- “India’s capital markets have become one of the most technologically advanced in the world: fully digital, dematerialised, and transparent.”
He also mentioned that the participation of investors has surged to 134 million, which is marking an exceptional multi-fold rise in just five years. The growth is driven by digital innovations like e-KYC, seamless paper onboarding and mobile-first investment platforms that have made market participation faster, simpler and more inclusive.
He highlighted a few key measures that illustrate how technology led reforms have taken shape across three broad dimensions that are investor protection, market efficiency and regulatory oversight. Know in detail below:
- From 1 October 2025, SEBI has introduced two new initiatives: ‘Validated UPI Handles’ and ‘SEBI Check’ that are aimed at protecting investors from payment related frauds and ensuring safer, more reliable transactions in the securities market.
- To protect the investors during buying and selling of securities, shares are now directly credited to the investor’s demat account by Clearing Corporations (CC). This will ensure greater safety and transparency in every transaction.
- If a broker’s system goes down, investors can now close their open trades directly through the exchange using SEBI’s Investor Risk Reduction Access(IRRA) platform, protecting them from trading disruptions.
- The Unified Investor App lets the investors see all their investments, past transactions. It’s a simple, tech driven tool that makes investing more convenient and clear.
- SEBI enabled investors to voluntarily freeze their trading accounts much like blocking an ATM card, if they detect suspicious activity.
- A new version of SEBI Complaint Redress System (SCORES) is launched to strengthen the investor complaint redress process.
- The investors can now use Digilocker to access and store statements of their mutual fund and demat holdings, making it easier to track unclaimed or unidentified assets.
- India has shifted to a T+1 settlement cycle that is becoming one of the first major markets to do so, giving investors faster access to funds and improving liquidity.
- SEBI has developed a two-way portability module across clearing corporations (CC) in the securities market.
- The Application Supported by Blocked Amount (ASBA) system, initially for IPOs, now works in the secondary market using UPI-blocked payments. It will make buying and selling safer, smoother and hassle-free for investors.
- Using technology, SEBI checks intermediaries, supervises market institutions and conducts offsite inspections to keep the markets safe and transparent.
- SEBI has launched system-driven disclosures to monitor markets in real-time and make reporting easier for businesses.
- SEBI’s Data Analytics and Digital Forensics Lab uses AI and advanced analytics to spot market manipulation and complex frauds quickly.
- SEBI’s social media monitoring tracks and takes action against unregistered financial influencers and misleading content.
Strengthening cybersecurity in India’s markets
As markets go digital, cyber risks are rising. SEBI’s cybersecurity framework ensures regulated entities can prevent, respond to, and recover from threats, keeping investors safe.
