Sebi board clears proposal to ease delisting norms in boost to M&A activity

Related party transactions' rules tightened to prevent abuse; startup founders get more leeway to retain control

The Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) on Tuesday eased the delisting framework — a move seen as boosting merger and acquisition (M&A) activity in the country. It also cleared the framework to roll out social stock exchanges and gold spot exchanges.

The Sebi board also tightened the norms on related-party transactions (RPTs) to prevent their abuse. Besides, rules on the issuance of shares with superior voting rights were relaxed to allow the founders of unlisted technology companies more leeway to retain the control of their firms by raising capital.

Acceding to the long-pending industry demand, the market regulator allowed an