PTI New Delhi

Markets regulator Sebi on Wednesday said a settlement scheme for stock brokers, who traded on the now-defunct National Spot Exchange Ltd (NSEL) platform, will open on August 25. The settlement scheme would conclude on February 25, 2026, the Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) said in a statement.

The scheme aims to provide a settlement opportunity to stock brokers against whom Sebi has already passed orders for trading or facilitating trading on the NSEL platform and are currently pending before any authority or forum like the Adjudicating Officer, Securities Appellate Tribunal, or the courts. SEBI proposes permitting broader activities for credit rating agencies

Sebi on Wednesday proposed permitting credit rating agencies (CRAs) to undertake the rating of financial instruments that may come under other financial sector regulators, even if they have not issued any rating-related guidelines.  Under the current CRA regulations, credit rating agencies are only allowed to rate securities that are listed or proposed to be listed on a stock exchange recognised by Sebi.

However, the regulations do not stop CRAs from rating products, securities, or issuers if such ratings are done under the guidelines of another financial sector regulator or any authority specified by Sebi. In its consultation paper, Sebi proposed that CRAs may be permitted to undertake activities that are not regulated by it, subject to certain conditions. The regulator suggested that CRAs may undertake only those rating activities that are fee-based and non-fund-based.