Business Desk mumbai

In a move to further strengthen the risk management systems, the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) has raised the minimum net worth requirement for custodians from Rs 50 crore to Rs 75 crore. The market regulator said, existing custodians can achieve new networth requirements within three years.

“A custodian, who was granted a certificate of registration prior to the commencement of the Sebi Custodian (Amendment) Regulations, 2025, shall, within three years from such commencement, raise its net worth to not less than Rs 75 crore, separately and independently, of the capital adequacy requirements, if any, for each activity undertaken by it under relevant regulations,” Sebi said in a notification on September 18.

Additionally, Sebi has put in place custodians' responsibilities, including maintaining an appropriate governance structure, risk management policies, and scalable infrastructure and appropriate technical capacity.

Sebi panel to urge asset disclosure for leadership

An external panel set up by SEBI will recommend that its chairman and senior officials disclose their assets publicly to preempt concerns related to conflict of interest, two sources with direct knowledge of the matter said, Reuters reported. The panel's recommendations, if accepted, would bring SEBI in line with global practices. The panel was set up after previous SEBI chief, Madhabi Puri Buch, faced allegations of conflict of interest from the now-shuttered Hindenburg Research.

In the U.S., Securities and Exchange Commission officials publicly file their assets, liabilities and transactions annually. The SEBI chairman and full-time members - the second rung of leadership - will be asked to disclose assets and shares held before joining the regulator, one of the source said. The recommendations will be submitted to the regulator next month and will become law if accepted by its board, the sources added.