Sebi board takes measures to curb fraudulent trades in mutual funds

Sebi to amend MF rules; AMCs to have an institutional mechanism for deterrence of potential market abuse

Sebi board on Tuesday decided to amend norms governing mutual funds, whereby asset management companies (AMCs) need to put in place an "institutional mechanism" for identification and deterrence of potential market abuse, including front-running and fraudulent transactions in securities.

The mechanism should consist of enhanced surveillance systems, internal control procedures, and escalation processes to identify, monitor and address specific types of misconduct, including front running, insider trading, and misuse of sensitive information, Sebi said in a statement issued after the conclusion of the board meeting.

With a view to address the issues faced by venture capital funds (VCFs) registered under the erstwhile VCF norms with respect to their inability to fully liquidate the investments of their schemes within the tenure of the scheme, the Sebi's board has approved a proposal to provide an option to such VCFs to migrate into AIF (Alternative Investment Fund) rules and avail the facilities available for AIFs to deal with unliquidated investments.

Sebi has also said that foreign funds set up at GIFT City in Gujarat state can take full investment from non-resident Indians and other Indian-origin citizens.

 

However, they will need to make granular disclosures about their investors if the fund holds more than 33% of its equity assets under management in a single Indian group.
 

Sebi also said that asset management companies should put in place a mechanism to prevent front-running and market abuse.