The Chairman, Securities and Exchange Board of India (“SEBI”) in a Press Release dated 25th November, 2020 has launched Securities Market Trainers (SMARTs) Program i.e., a new SEBI initiative for enhancing Investor Education activities.
As there is a surge of new investors in the securities markets in the last few months there has been a need of hand holding the retail investors. Therefore, in the present scenario of uncertainty in economic growth and extra ordinarily buoyant market, there was a dire need to further ramp up the investor education and awareness efforts. In that sense SMARTs – an initiative of SEBI to strengthen the existing investor education framework has been launched.
SMARTs is a new initiative of SEBI to enhance its investor education and awareness activities. The First batch of SMARTs empanelled by SEBI includes 40 individuals across 16 States and Union Territories covering 31 Districts on a Pan-India basis, who have also undergone four days training in National Institute of Securities Market (“NISM”). The SMARTs will conduct investor education programmes in their respective geographical areas. Though SEBI has been conducting investor awareness programme in association with stock exchanges, depositories, etc. the SMARTs program is unique as under this initiative programmes are conducted under the aegis of SEBI and are monitored by SEBI directly. These programmes will also be conducted in the local language.
Therefore, SMARTs programme is likely to be a game changer as investor education programmes are taken directly to the investors and the education programs to be conducted will be free of cost to investors and the costs will be met from SEBI’s Investor Protection and Education Fund.
Source : Securities and Exchange Board of India
