SEBI Mandates Stock Brokers to Display Investor Awareness Warnings Under Project Jagrook — October 1, 2026

The Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) has directed all registered stock brokers to prominently display investor awareness messages on their websites and mobile trading applications under its nationwide investor education initiative, Project Jagrook.

The circular, issued to recognized stock exchanges, depositories, and trading members, comes ahead of World Investor Week 2026 and aims to safeguard retail market participants amid elevated trading volumes in equities and derivatives. The regulator noted that the messages are intended for investor education, safety, and financial awareness.

Building on Mandatory Risk Disclosures

The new framework expands upon SEBI's May 2023 mandate, which required brokers to display risk disclosures warning retail clients about trading hazards, particularly within complex derivatives and volatile market conditions. Rather than replacing the existing risk warnings, the regulator specified that these investor awareness alerts will augment the current disclosure architecture.

SEBI indicated that the designated awareness messages will be provided directly by the regulator and may be updated or modified periodically.

Phased Implementation Timeline

The market watchdog has laid out a phased transition for brokerage portals and trading applications to implement the changes:

Broker Websites:

• October 5 to October 31: Stock brokers must display both SEBI's investor awareness messages and their existing risk disclosures on their websites.
• From November 1: Brokers are mandated to display the prescribed investor awareness messages prominently on the landing page of their official websites.

Mobile Trading Applications:

• October 5 to October 31: Brokers may choose to display the investor awareness alerts on their mobile apps on a voluntary basis.
• If an app displays the awareness alerts on any given day during this transitional window, showing the existing risk disclosures on that day will be optional for the broker.

Directives for Exchanges and Depositories

Alongside stock brokers, recognized stock exchanges and depositories have also been instructed to disseminate the provisions of the circular to their trading members and participants. SEBI mandated that market infrastructure institutions must display the exact awareness communications on their own web portals without alterations and make the necessary amendments to their relevant bye-laws and regulations to ensure compliance.

Tags: SEBI BSE NSE Stock Brokers Retail Investors Project Jagrook