Markets regulator Sebi on Wednesday launched the Securities Market Trainers (SMARTs) program, an initiative aimed at enhancing investor education and awareness.
“In the present scenario of uncertainty in economic growth and extra ordinarily buoyant market, there is a dire need to further ramp up the investor education and awareness efforts,” Sebi Chairman Ajay Tyagi was quoted as saying in a statement.
“In that sense there couldn’t have been any better time to launch SMARTs – an initiative of Sebi to strengthen the existing investor education framework,” he added.
Tyagi raised concern over convoluted distribution of active investors across the country and said that the SMARTs program would aim to address this by increasing investor outreach in far flung areas.
He exhorted SMARTs to keep abreast of developments in the securities market and expressed confidence that they would take investor education to all parts of the country, the statement said.
The launch of SMARTs program comes when World Investor Week is being celebrated across the country.
Complimenting the trainers who have been empanelled as SMARTs, Tyagi highlighted the need for hand holding retail investors since there has been a surge of new investors in the securities markets in the last few months. He recounted Sebi’s efforts towards financial education through its empanelled resource persons and investor education in association with exchanges, depositories and recognized investors associations.