India sees record investor surge, SEBI pushes for safety & literacy

Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) Chairperson Tuhin Kanta Pandey on Friday highlighted the growing confidence of Indian investors in the capital markets, backed by a sharp rise in participation across the country.

Pandey was speaking at the India International Trade Fair (IITF) 2025, a major multi-product trade and consumer event organised by ITPO, which showcases India’s industries, innovations and regional diversity. The 44th edition of the fair, held from November 14–27 in New Delhi, features business-to-business and business-to-consumer engagements under the theme “Ek Bharat, Shreshtha Bharat.”

At the event, Pandey noted that India now has 13.6 crore investors holding more than 21 crore Demat accounts as of October 2025. He added that nearly one lakh new Demat accounts are opened every day, reflecting strong participation from retail investors. The mutual fund industry’s assets have also surged to ₹80 trillion, growing more than seven times in a decade.

Despite this momentum, Pandey stressed that expanding participation brings new challenges. Citing SEBI’s 2025 investor survey, he pointed out that while 63% of Indian households are aware of securities market products, only 9.5% actually invest, indicating a major gap between awareness and action.

To address this, SEBI is intensifying investor education efforts through nationwide awareness programmes, regional-language workshops and digital tutorials. The regulator is also promoting key safety tools such as validated UPI handles, the SEBI Check facility and the MITRA platform to help investors verify intermediaries, track inactive folios and ensure KYC compliance. Measures to improve cybersecurity awareness, simplify KYC procedures and curb unregistered advisors and online fraud are also being prioritised.

Pandey emphasised that encouraging long-term investing habits and ensuring greater transparency from intermediaries will be critical to enhancing investor trust further.

Separately, he said the report of the High-Level Committee on Conflict of Interest, disclosures and governance norms involving SEBI officials will likely be taken up at the regulator’s next board meeting on December 17. The recommendations aim to strengthen transparency and institutional integrity within the regulatory framework.