SEBI on Tuesday proposed allowing online bond platforms to offer
products regulated by the country’s international financial
centres authority, a move aimed at broadening access to
overseas-listed debt and bolstering Gujarat’s GIFT City as a
global finance hub.
Here are some details:
Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) has proposed
in a consultation paper to allow online bond platforms to offer
products such as debt securities listed overseas that are
regulated by India’s International Financial Services Centres
Authority (IFSCA).
IFSCA, the regulator for international financial centres
including GIFT City, had asked SEBI to let online bond platforms
offer such products, seeking to align their regulatory framework
with that applicable to stock brokers operating in GIFT City.
While SEBI-registered brokers can operate in IFSCs after
registering with IFSCA, online bond platforms are currently
barred from offering IFSC-regulated products.
SEBI has also proposed permitting online bond
platforms to offer tax-saving bonds issued by state-owned
companies.
The regulator will invite public comments until May 26,
2026