Overview
- The regulator has formally asked leading social media and search companies to fast-track verification so only SEBI-registered entities can advertise investment products.
- SEBI urged app stores to add a distinct verified label for genuine, regulated trading applications to help users avoid fakes.
- More than 100,000 misleading posts and messages have been flagged for removal as SEBI intensifies digital surveillance and escalates takedown requests.
- Exchanges have been directed to publish regularly updated whitelists of verified broker apps, alongside new investor tools such as Valid UPI and Sebi Check for authenticating payments and intermediaries.
- Chair Tuhin Kanta Pandey warned that unregulated financial influencers pose a major risk, citing a SEBI survey showing 62% of investors rely on influencer recommendations, and announced expanded education efforts across digital, regional and on-ground outreach.