SEBI Investor Charter

A. Vision and Mission Statements for investors

Vision

Invest with knowledge & safety.

Mission

Every investor should be able to invest in right investment products based on their needs, manage and monitor them to meet their goals, access reports and enjoy financial wellness.

B. Details of business transacted by the Investment Adviser with respect to the investors

To enter into an agreement with the client providing all details including fee details, aspects of conflict of interest disclosure, and maintaining confidentiality of information.
To do a proper and unbiased risk profiling and suitability assessment of the client.
To conduct audit annually.
To disclose the status of complaints on its website.
To disclose the name, proprietor name, type of registration, registration number, validity, complete address with telephone numbers and associated SEBI Office details on its website.
To employ only qualified and certified employees.
To deal with clients only from official number.
To maintain records of interactions, with all clients including prospective clients (prior to onboarding), where any conversation related to advice has taken place.
To ensure that all advertisements are in adherence to the provisions of the Advertisement Code for Investment Advisers.
Not to discriminate in terms of services provided, among clients opting for same/similar products/services offered by investment adviser.

C. Details of services provided to investors (No Indicative Timelines)

Onboarding of Clients

Sharing of agreement copy
Completing KYC of clients

Disclosure to Clients

To provide full disclosure about its business, affiliations, compensation in the agreement.
To not access client’s accounts or holdings for offering advice.
To disclose the risk profile to the client.
To disclose any conflict of interest of the investment advisory activities with any other activities of the investment adviser.
To disclose the extent of use of Artificial Intelligence tools in providing investment advisory services.

To provide investment advice to the client based on the risk profiling of the clients and suitability of the client.
To treat all advisory clients with honesty and integrity.
To make adequate disclosure to the investor of all material facts such as risks, obligations, costs, etc. relating to the products or securities advised by the adviser.
To provide clear guidance and adequate caution notice to clients when providing investment advice for dealing in complex and high-risk financial products/services.
To ensure confidentiality of information shared by clients unless such information is required to be provided in furtherance of discharging legal obligations or a client has provided specific consent to share such information.
To disclose the timelines for the various services provided by the investment adviser to clients and ensure adherence to the said timelines.

D. Details of grievance redressal mechanism and how to access it

Investor can lodge complaint/grievance against Investment Adviser in the following ways:

Mode of filing the complaint with investment adviser

In case of any grievance / complaint, an investor may approach the concerned Investment Adviser who shall strive to redress the grievance immediately, but not later than 21 days of the receipt of the grievance.

Mode of filing the complaint on SCORES or with Investment Adviser Administration and Supervisory Body (IAASB)

SCORES 2.0 (https://scores.sebi.gov.in)
First review done by designated body (IAASB)
Second review done by SEBI
Email to designated email ID of IAASB

If the Investor is not satisfied with the resolution provided by the Market Participants, then the Investor has the option to file the complaint/grievance on SMARTODR platform for its resolution through online conciliation or arbitration.

For physical complaints:

Office of Investor Assistance and Education,
Securities and Exchange Board of India,
SEBI Bhavan, Plot No. C4-A, ‘G’ Block, Bandra-Kurla Complex, Bandra (E), Mumbai - 400 051

E. Rights of investors

Right to Privacy and Confidentiality
Right to Transparent Practices
Right to fair and Equitable Treatment
Right to Adequate Information
Right to Initial and Continuing Disclosure
Right to Fair & True Advertisement
Right to Awareness about Service Parameters and Turnaround Times
Right to be informed of the timelines for each service
Right to be Heard and Satisfactory Grievance Redressal
Right to Suitability of the Financial Products
Right to Exit from Financial product or service
Right to receive clear guidance and caution notice when dealing in Complex and High-Risk Financial Products and Services
Additional Rights to vulnerable consumers
Right to provide feedback on the financial products and services used
Right against coercive, unfair, and one-sided clauses in financial agreements

F. Expectations from the investors (Responsibilities of investors)

Do's

Always deal with SEBI registered Investment Advisers.
Ensure that the Investment Adviser has a valid registration certificate.
Check for SEBI registration number. SEBI IA List
Pay only advisory fees through banking channels and keep signed receipts. Prefer Centralised Fee Collection Mechanism (CeFCoM) if available.
Insist on risk profiling before accepting advice.
Ask relevant questions and clarify doubts before acting on advice.
Assess risk–return profile and liquidity before investing.
Insist on written and signed terms and conditions.
Be vigilant in transactions.
Approach proper authorities for grievances.
Report advisers offering assured/guaranteed returns.
Be aware of your right to exit the service and seek guidance or feedback.
Be aware you are not bound by clauses that contravene regulations.

Don'ts

Don’t fall for stock tips under the pretext of advice.
Do not provide funds for investment to the adviser.
Don’t believe promises of assured or high returns.
Don’t fall for advertisements or market rumors.
Avoid acting only on phone calls or messages from advisers.
Don’t act due to repeated calls/messages.
Don’t fall for incentives or gifts.
Don’t rush into investments not aligned with your goals or risk appetite.
Do not share credentials of trading/demat/bank accounts with the adviser.

Investor Charter in Respect of Investment Adviser (IA)