SEBI chief outlines fundraising reforms with investor safeguards

Securities and Exchange Board of India Chairman Tuhin Kanta Pandey said the regulator is simplifying fundraising rules while maintaining investor safeguards, outlining measures intended to reduce costs and compliance burdens for companies. Pandey spoke at a Bharat Chamber of Commerce event in Kolkata on October 31. He said accessible, efficient and resilient capital markets should connect household savings with productive investment, support businesses seeking capital and protect investors. He also stressed the need for markets to withstand periods of stress as reliance on technology increases. The measures he described include streamlined initial public offering processes, shorter rights-issue timelines and revised listing requirements for large issuers. SEBI has also permitted certain founders to retain employee stock options after listing, subject to conditions. For debt markets, Pandey cited shorter listing timelines for public issues, securities with lower face values and relaxed merchant-banking requirements for some eligible private placements. He said the changes are intended to lower issuance costs while preserving safeguards and market integrity. Pandey reported...