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Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) has announced launching 'SEBI check' tool to validate UPI handles and registered bank accounts for secured payments by investors. The "Validated UPI Handles" and "SEBI Check" will enhance Investor Protection and Combat deepfakes and cyber frauds. Investors can check on 'SEBI Sheck" whether a UPI handle or bank account is registered or not before making any payment. Investors can Verify the authenticity of UPI IDs either by scanning a QR code or by entering the UPI ID manually.For bank details, investors can confirm the bank details such as bank account number and Indian Financial System Code (IFSC) of a registered intermediary.The core of this new framework will be a mandatory, structured UPI address for intermediaries, composed of a username and a unique handle.
Username, will be a readable name chosen by the intermediary, followed by a mandatory suffix that clearly identifies their category, for example, brk for a Stock Broker or mf for a Mutual Fund.Valid handle will feature a unique and exclusive identifier, "@valid", combined with the name of the self-certified syndicate bank. These "validated" handles will be exclusively allocated by the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) only for payment collection by SEBI-registered intermediaries.SEBI Check will be available to investors for use from October 1, 2025. SEBI Chairman Tuhin Kanta Pandey said, "In recent years, unregistered entities have increasingly misled investors by collecting funds without authorization, often siphoning off these amounts for personal gain. This new framework is designed to proactively curb such fraudulent activities, enabling investors to easily identify legitimate SEBI-registered market intermediaries and make payments to them securely and efficiently."To address cyber frauds, Deepfakes and issue of impersonation, SEBI says new tool will enhance investor confidence, as investors can now find out whether intermediaries who is asking for funds are registered or not. SEBI Chairman said, "This innovative mechanism is set to significantly improve the safety and accessibility of financial transactions within the securities market by providing a verified and secure payment channel."SEBI Chairman added that the regulator will work with online play stores to show only validated Apps for payments. (ANI)
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