𝐒𝐄𝐁𝐈 𝐁𝐨𝐚𝐫𝐝 𝐌𝐞𝐞𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐇𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬

The Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) on 27th June, 2024, held its 206th Board meeting in Mumbai, approving several significant measures aimed at enhancing investor protection, easing business processes, and improving market infrastructure. Key decisions include:

1.    𝐑𝐞𝐠𝐮𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐀𝐬𝐬𝐨𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐨𝐟 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐨𝐧𝐬: SEBI has restricted associations between regulated entities and unregistered advisors to prevent misleading claims, while promoting genuine investor education.

2.    𝐕𝐨𝐥𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐲 𝐃𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐅𝐥𝐞𝐱𝐢𝐛𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲: Amendments to the delisting framework introduce a fixed price process and alternate frameworks for Investment Holding Companies, along with adjustments to the Reverse Book Building process.

3.    𝐅𝐚𝐜𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐅𝐏𝐈𝐬: Exemptions for certain university funds and endowments registered or eligible to be registered as Category-I FPI, from additional disclosure requirements have been approved to ease their business operations in India.

4.    𝐒𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐦𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐝 𝐏𝐮𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐜 𝐈𝐬𝐬𝐮𝐞 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐜𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐃𝐞𝐛𝐭 𝐒𝐞𝐜𝐮𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐞𝐬: SEBI has introduced measures to accelerate and simplify the public issue process for debt securities and NCRPS, including reduced subscription periods and faster listing timelines.

5.    𝐄𝐚𝐬𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐃𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐁𝐮𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐈𝐧𝐯𝐈𝐓𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐑𝐄𝐈𝐓𝐬: Several amendments have been made to simplify operations for Infrastructure Investment Trusts and Real Estate Investment Trusts, including reduced trading lots and clarified voting procedures.

6.    𝐁𝐨𝐫𝐫𝐨𝐰𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐆𝐮𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐀𝐈𝐅𝐬: New guidelines allow Category I and II AIFs to borrow for short-term needs, with a cap on tenure extensions for Large Value Funds to protect investor interests.

7.    𝐎𝐩𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐅𝐞𝐞 𝐂𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐌𝐞𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐬𝐦 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐈𝐀𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐑𝐀𝐬: SEBI has introduced an optional mechanism for fee collection to ensure investors interact with registered advisors, enhancing trust in the ecosystem.

8.    𝐂𝐲𝐛𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐞𝐜𝐮𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐅𝐫𝐚𝐦𝐞𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤: A comprehensive Cybersecurity and Cyber Resilience Framework has been approved to bolster the security posture of SEBI-regulated entities.

9.    𝐄𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐢𝐛𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐂𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐚 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐃𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐯𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐬 𝐒𝐞𝐠𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭: Revised criteria for the entry and exit of stocks in the derivatives segment have been established to ensure market vibrancy and investor protection.

These steps underscore SEBI’s commitment to fostering a robust, transparent, and investor-friendly securities market in India.

For further details, refer to SEBI’s official press release attached.