Results of SEBI's survey to enhance investor awareness expected by July; to come out with an outreach programme

SEBI

The Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) is conducting a comprehensive nationwide survey to gain deeper insights into investor behavior and address key challenges hindering broader participation in the financial markets, SEBI's Whole-time Member Ananth Narayan said on March 21. The results of the survey are expected to be ready by July.

This initiative involves collaboration with major market infrastructure institutions.

"We are conducting a nationwide survey, using a very large agency along with our market infrastructure institutions to gather insights into two key areas," Narayan said. "The first question is, what does it take to get the 13 crore investors we have to increase even further? Is it a lack of awareness, access, or perhaps fear," he added while speaking at ARIA (Association of Registered Investment Advisors) Aspire 2025 event.

The survey also aims to explore how well current investors grasp critical concepts such as risk, volatility, and asset allocation, as well as how SEBI can more effectively deliver education on these topics.

The survey is expected to be completed by June or July 2025, with SEBI planning a systematic investor outreach program afterward. "The new chairperson has endorsed the need to go through this particular process," Narayan added. "We will use the survey results to push across tailored messages and enhance both investor awareness and risk education," he said.

"Since October 2024, SEBI has worked with social media companies to take down over 70,000 misleading handles," he said, proposing investors use the UPI pay-right handle to identify registered entities, and ensure investors make payments only to Sebi-registered entities. "If we can create this safe space, it will do so much to allow us to filter out the riffraff, and ensure that we do all the good things required for this gated safe community," Ananth Narayan further said.