On June 11, 2025, the Securities and Exchange Board of India
("SEBI") issued a circular1 introducing
a secured unified payment interface
("UPI") mechanism, specifically for
investor-facing intermediaries to receive/collect funds from their
investors ("SEBI Circular"). The SEBI
Circular seeks to create a more structured framework towards
increasing investor confidence in such systems.
Brief background
UPI, as a mode of payment in the securities market was first
introduced in 20192. However, in the last few years, SEBI has
observed a significant increase of unregistered entities
impersonating legitimate market intermediaries and misleading
investors into transferring funds to unauthorised accounts for
personal gains.