“We are looking at double the number of investors. So that is more than the population of several countries combined. If we add another 100 million investors to that,” Pandey said, responding to a specific question on what will make him happy in the next three to five years.As of October, the total number of unique investors in India was 12.2 crore and this number has grown very rapidly since 2020 with the emergence of the Covid pandemic.
Speaking at the CII Financing Summit, Pandey said the onus is on the capital markets ecosystem, comprising the regulator and the issuers, to ensure that good quality paper comes into the market, which attracts the attention of investors.
Meanwhile, responding to another question on the possible impact on India if the US markets were to correct, Pandey said the domestic investors are playing a very strong role in the Indian markets, indicating limited impact. Clarifying that the India story is “not a bubble”, Pandey said investor interest is driven by aspects such as high economic growth, government reforms and investments, and ease of doing business. “The (domestic investors) will be the shields against the shocks that may come.”
He said Sebi’s agenda is not to add new rules, but the approach is about shaping a smarter rulebook that is easier to understand, commensurate with the risks it aims to address and supports innovation.
Pandey said there have been a slew of signs of maturity in the markets and people’s confidence in them, citing some figures to illustrate the same.
“In FY26, equity has crossed the Rs 2.5 lakh crore mark, while corporate bonds have touched nearly Rs 5.5 lakh crore in seven months. These numbers reflect something deeper than capital resilience. They reflect public confidence that public markets can efficiently and reliably meet long-term financing needs,” he said. PTI
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