Finance, RBI, SEBI (Securities and Exchange Board of India), IRDA (Insurance
Regulatory and Development Authority), and PFRDA (Pension Fund Regulatory and
Development Authority) etc.
But for the Indian Stock Market, SEBI is the regulator. Let’s understand the major role
and functions of Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI)
1. Protects investor’s interests in securities by conducting awareness programs
2. Regulates stock market activities
3. Prevents fraud or malpractices
4. Helps develop the Indian Stock Market
5. Grants investment advisory licenses
2. Stock exchanges
The stock exchange also known as a securities exchange is a trading platform. It
facilitates the registered stockbrokers and investors to transact in securities
electronically. India has two premier stock exchanges include National Stock Exchange
(NSE) and BSE Limited (BSE).
3. Companies
Every share that you see available to be purchased or sold in the stock market today
are those issued by publicly traded companies. When a company makes an Initial
Public Offer (IPO), it becomes publicly traded, which means it introduces itself in
the stock exchange.
Now we come to the most important participant in the stock market — investors and
traders such as you.
4. Investors and traders
You may know that trading and investing are two very different activities. But when
you invest in a publicly listed company in the stock exchange, you are regarded as
an investor. On the other hand, if you are looking to buy into a security for a short-
term horizon with the intention of profiting from price fluctuation in a stock, you are
regarded as a trader.
In the stock market, traders and investors have different objectives, strategies and modes
of approaching financial markets.
Within investors, there are two types. These include:
1. Retail investors – These are investors who invest in the stock market directly.