Verify UPI IDs, QR codes on our app to prevent investment fraud: SEBI Chief

To combat various types of investment-related scams and cybercrimes that affect Indian investors, the Securities and Exchange Board of India(SEBI) Chief has urged investors to verify the authenticity of bank accounts, QR codes, and UPI IDs of SEBI-registered intermediaries, before making any payment towards investments. Tuhin Kanta Pandey, Chairman, SEBI was referring to the "SEBI Check" feature on SEBI's "Saarthi" mobile app, which allows users to upload QR codes, key in UPI IDs, Bank account numbers and IFSC codes, for instant verification of the credentials of SEBI-registered entities.

SEBI is the statutory regulatory body for the securities (stock) and commodity markets in India. It functions under the administrative domain of the Ministry of Finance, Government of India. Speaking in Chennai on the sidelines of an event hosted by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) in Chennai, Pandey said that SEBI is undertaking various initiatives to educate and safeguard investors. He said that this outreach would be done via multi-lingual Youtube channels of SEBI.

Describing the southern states as one of the principal growth engines of the national economy, contributing approximately 30 per cent of India’s GDP, the SEBI Chief highlighted the region’s deep integration with global value chains, its leadership in attracting foreign direct investment and its emergence as a hub for manufacturing, services, exports, research & development, data centres and artificial intelligence clusters. He noted that Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Telangana consistently rank among the top states in mutual fund assets under management and exhibit securities-market penetration levels well above the national average.

As part of the CII interaction, industrialists and business leaders from pharmaceuticals, healthcare, FMCG, engineering & capital goods, petrochemicals, automobiles & auto components, textiles, manufacturing, MSMEs, logistics, information technology, financial services, construction & real estate and agri-value-chain sectors raised a wide range of matters with the SEBI Chief. In response, he assured detailed examination of all written submissions and emphasized SEBI’s consultative, co-creative approach to regulation.

Presenting the latest market data, he informed the gathering that "equity capital raised between April and October 2025 has already crossed ₹2.5 lakh crore while corporate bond issuances have touched nearly ₹5.5 lakh crore during the same period. With 186 IPOs garnering around ₹700 billion, India continues to rank first globally in the number of IPOs and third in terms of value raised".

The SEBI Chief encouraged CII Southern Region to launch a structured mentorship programme to prepare high-quality Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises(MSMEs) for public listing over the next three to five years. He added that about 1,000 firms based in Southern India, specifically MSMEs could go public.