Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman delivered the keynote address at SEBI’s 38th Foundation Day in Mumbai, urging the regulator and market entities to strengthen cybersecurity measures against evolving global threats.
She warned that a single cyberattack on an exchange, depository, clearing corporation, or broker could disrupt markets nationwide, erase wealth, and damage public confidence for years. She noted that AI‑driven tools make cyberattacks faster, adaptive, and harder to detect, demanding equally advanced defence mechanisms.
The Finance Minister also launched SEBI’s nationwide investor awareness initiative, Mission Jagrok. She emphasised the need for campaigns in regional languages and rapid takedown mechanisms against fraudulent content, including deepfake investment videos.
Sitharaman praised SEBI’s Cybersecurity and Cyber Resilience Framework, introduced in April 2025 and commended its Data Analytics and Digital Forensics Laboratory for using AI/ML to detect market manipulation and fraud. She highlighted “SEBI Check,” which allows investors to verify payment details of registered intermediaries, and urged its expansion.
She appreciated SEBI’s actions against unregistered “fin‑fluencers,” stressing the importance of frameworks for responsible financial education. She said monetising uninformed investor trust for personal gain should not be tolerated.
Sitharaman also called for common KYC norms and digital simplification across securities markets. She noted SEBI’s credibility and scale make it well‑positioned to lead reforms.
SEBI Chairman Tuhin Kanta Pandey outlined reforms, including screen‑based trading, dematerialisation, rolling settlements, and corporate governance. He reported India’s market capitalisation growth at 15 per cent CAGR over the past decade, mutual fund assets expanding at 20 per cent annually, and capital formation of nearly Rs 10 trillion each year.
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