Sebi bars LS Industries from securities market for ‘stock manipulation’

He was speaking at Moneycontrol Global Wealth Summit 2025 on Match 7 and reiterated the regulator’s trust, transparency, teamwork and technology

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Corporates

Sebi has issued a temporary order prohibiting LS Industries Ltd (LSIL), along with its promoters and key individuals, from engaging in the trading of its shares and participating in the securities market until further notice, due to allegations of manipulating stock prices

Transparency is important even for SEBI and therefore the market regulator will now reveal conflict of interest of its employees, said the new Chairperson Tuhin Kanta Pandey.

At Moneycontrol Global Wealth Summit 2025, Pandey was making his first public address since taking over as the chief of Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI).

“Maintaining trust and transparency is paramount to instill confidence in investors. Regulatory bodies and market participants need to uphold the highest standards of governance, transparency… maintaining trust and transparency extends to SEBI as well. Therefore, we need to be more transparent on the conflict of interest of the Board. We will be coming forward with our own plan to further transparently reveal these conflicts of interests, etc., to the public,” he said.

By reiterating the regulator’s focus on the four T’s — trust, transparency, teamwork and technology —he spoke about the importance of teamwork within SEBI as well as teamwork with market participants. “When I say teamwork, teamwork includes teamwork within SEBI. It also includes teamwork with various participants, investor bodies, the market participants, the market infrastructure institutions,” he said.

Pandey said that he looks forward to engaging with all stakeholders to discuss what more measures need to be taken to encourage voluntary compliance. Later in his speech, he encapsulated his idea of teamwork, by saying, “SEBI plus others”.

The Chairperson gave a broad idea on SEBI’s future approach to policymaking, technology adoption, investor awareness, financial inclusion.

He said that reforms need not necessarily be “big bang” ones and that small, incremental reforms can also be important. “All reforms need not be a big bang. Many times, small reforms cumulatively are more effective. Going forward, SEBI will use a right mix to both to achieve the objective,” he said.

He said that the regulator will support innovation, and improve efficiency and transparency to protect investors with the support of technology.

Pandey said, “SEBI has taken measures to reduce risk in the system to protect investors. Broadly, the reforms are aimed at improving efficiency and transparency in the market. For this, the regulator has used technology in a big way.”

The regulator will also continue to work on investor awareness. Pandey said, “An informed investor is well protected. SEBI’s effort in the days ahead is to create awareness among both existing and prospective investors.”

He said that there is a need to make people aware of risk, wealth management and how to balance the two by knowing how best to allocate their capital across segments, both equity and debt.

Pandey acknowledged the role that domestic investors are playing in improving the resilience of the capital markets and said that the regulator also wants to support foreign investments. He said that, to grow at the speed that is aimed for, “we need both domestic and foreign investments”.

” We at SEBI are conscious about the need to create a conducive environment to attract foreign capital. We will be happy to engage with FPI and AIF industry participants to address their difficulties and further rationalise regulations to promote ease of operation,” he said.