SEBI launches Validated UPI Handles and SEBI Check for secure investor payments

The regulator said the rollouts underline its commitment to protecting investors, upholding market integrity and strengthening digital trust in India’s financial ecosystem.

The Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) has rolled out two new initiatives - Validated UPI Handles and SEBI Check to strengthen payment security and protect investors from fraudulent entities.

Under the new system, from October 1, UPI IDs of SEBI-registered brokers, mutual funds and other investor-facing intermediaries will now carry the exclusive “@valid” handle, issued by the National Payments Corporation of India. Each UPI ID will also include category-specific suffixes, such as “.brk” for brokers and “.mf” for mutual funds, allowing investors to easily identify legitimate entities. For instance, a broker’s ID may appear as abc.brk@validhdfc, while a mutual fund’s UPI ID could be xyz.mf@validicici.

SEBI confirmed that over 90 percent of brokers, covering the majority of investors, along with all mutual funds, have already adopted the new handle. Payments made through these IDs will display a distinctive “thumbs-up inside a green triangle” icon to confirm authenticity, while its absence will alert investors to the possibility of unauthorised transactions. Intermediaries will also issue specially designed QR codes featuring the same thumbs-up symbol at the centre, enabling convenient and verified payments.

Alongside the new UPI system, SEBI has also introduced SEBI Check, a digital verification tool that allows investors to independently confirm the bank account details and UPI IDs of registered intermediaries. By entering the account number and IFSC code or the @valid UPI ID, investors can verify authenticity through the SEBI Check platform or the Saarthi mobile app.

According to SEBI, these initiatives are expected to provide investors with greater security, reduce the risk of fraud and enhance trust in the digital transaction framework of the securities market. The regulator said the rollouts underline its commitment to protecting investors, upholding market integrity and strengthening digital trust in India’s financial ecosystem.

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