Best Securities And Exchange Board Of India (SEBI) Regulated Brokers 2026
We’ve tested and ranked the top brokers regulated by the Securities And Exchange Board Of India (SEBI), providing local safeguards and peace of mind for Indian traders.
Royston Wild
Royston is a seasoned investor and financial writer with over a decade of experience analyzing brokers and investment markets. With a background in stocks, commodities, and forex reporting - he brings a fresh perspective to broker evaluations.
Royston Wild Profile PageJames Barra
James is an experienced broker analyst with a background in financial services. He has spent 2,500+ hours testing brokers, used 35+ different platforms and apps, audited 120+ broker T&Cs, and verified 300+ regulatory licenses.
James Barra Profile PageTobias Robinson
Tobias is committed to helping traders find the right brokerage for their needs. He has tested 200+ brokers, spent 2,600+ hours using different platforms, and placed 2,100+ trades.
Tobias Robinson Profile PageJune 29, 2026
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1Interactive Brokers (IBKR) is a leading brokerage offering access to over 170 markets in 40 countries and a range of investment services. With 40+ years in the industry, this Nasdaq-listed company follows strict regulations by the SEC, FCA, CIRO, and SFC, making it a trusted global trading broker.
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Safety Comparison
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Mobile Trading Comparison
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Comparison for Beginners
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Comparison for Advanced Traders
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Accounts Comparison
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Detailed Rating Comparison
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Broker Popularity
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| Broker | Popularity |
|---|---|
| Interactive Brokers |
|
Why Trade With Interactive Brokers?
Interactive Brokers is ideal for seasoned traders due to its robust charting platforms, updated data, and adaptability, especially with the IBKR Desktop application. Its exceptional pricing and advanced order features appeal to traders, and its variety of stocks remains unmatched in the market.
Pros
- IBKR is a highly regarded brokerage, regulated by prime authorities. This ensures the safety and reliability of your trading account.
- There's a large selection of free or paid research subscriptions available to all traders. If you subscribe to Toggle AI, you will also receive commission refunds from IBKR.
- Interactive Brokers has introduced a single platform combining prediction markets from Kalshi, CME Group, and ForecastEx. Users can trade yes/no contracts on political, economic, and climate events, with a fixed $1 payout per contract, 24/6 market access, and interest on qualified positions.
Cons
- In 2025, IBKR was fined $11.8 million by the US OFAC for offering services in restricted areas. It also faced a $125,000 fine from FINRA in 2025 for failing to disclose municipal bond information.
- IBKR offers many research tools. However, the tools are not uniformly distributed across trading platforms and the web-based 'Account Management' page, causing confusion for the users.
- Only one active session per account is allowed, which means you can't run the desktop version and mobile app at the same time. This can sometimes lead to a frustrating trading experience.
Filters
How We Chose The Top SEBI-Regulated Brokers
Our evaluation process comprises the following three stages:
- Checking the regulatory status of each service provider in our growing broker database. For SEBI-approved firms, this step involves verifying that those claiming regulatory approval are indeed included on the watchdog’s ‘Recognised Intermediaries’ directory.
- Regularly reviewing each company’s entry on the database. This is because SEBI can revoke or suspend licenses when it deems that service providers have breached regulations. We also search the regulator’s website to ascertain if any of the brokerages we cover have been investigated or sanctioned for breaches.
- Considering other factors outside the brokers’ regulatory status. These include fees and charges, the range of financial markets customers can trade, and the functionality of the broker’s trading platform. This blends real-world testing with the hundreds of data points we collect.
What Is SEBI?
The Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) is charged with regulating and supervising India’s financial markets and investment services industry. It can impose a range of sanctions to deter wrongdoing and order restitution to victims when rules have been breached.
Established in 1988 and given statutory powers in 1992, SEBI’s stated mission is “to protect the interests of investors in securities and to promote the development of, and to regulate the securities market.”
SEBI licenses and oversees the conduct of a wide range of businesses. These include:
- Brokerages.
- Investment advisers.
- Portfolio managers.
- Research analysts.
- Stock exchanges (including the National Stock Exchange (NSE) and Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE)).
- Merchant banks.
- Clearing companies.
- Credit rating agencies.
SEBI has been designated Category B status under BrokerListings.com’s Regulator Rating System. This indicates that traders and investors can expect relatively strong protections from fraud and bad business practices if they choose a broker that hols a SEBI license. It also means they can be confident in the integrity and efficiency of India’s financial markets. However, the safeguards they enjoy are lacking compared to those in some other parts of the world, such as the EU and UK.
What Powers Does SEBI Have?
SEBI has far-reaching legislative, judicial, and executive powers to regulate India’s capital markets. These are primarily set out in three key pieces of legislation:
- The Securities and Exchange Board of India Act, 1992.
- The Securities Contracts (Regulation) Act, 1956.
- The Depositories Act, 1996.
These acts act as the foundation for SEBI to regulate India’s financial markets, and to supervise the conduct of thousands of different service providers. When it suspects a licensed brokerage has breached market rules, it can launch investigations and impose sanctions on companies when misconduct is proven.
The regulator maintains an online Enforcement database where individuals can find details on thousands of corporate and individual sanctions. These include:
- Temporary and permanent bans.
- Financial penalties.
- Restrictions on trading activities.
- Cease-and-desist orders to stop unlawful or improper conduct.
- Disgorgement and restitution orders.
SEBI Actions Against Brokers
In June 2026, Angel One reached a settlement to pay INR42.8 million (roughly $450,000) after SEBI alleged inadequate supervision of authorized persons and a failure to detect unauthorized activities.
In March 2026, Anand Rathi Share and Stock Brokers was fined INR10 million (approximately $115,000) after SEBI discovered multiple cybersecurity and compliance failings during an inspection of the broker’s systems.
In September 2025, Motilal Oswal Financial Services agreed a settlement to pay INR3.485 million (roughly $37,000) after SEBI alleged the brokerage failed to keep documentation of client order instructions, and attempted to create supporting records after transactions had been executed.
What Rules Must A SEBI Broker Follow?
Brokerages must adhere to a comprehensive set of standards to obtain SEBI approval and maintain it. They must, for instance:
- “Maintain high standards of integrity, promptitude and fairness in the conduct of all investment business.”
- “Faithfully execute the orders for buying and selling of securities at the best available market price.”
- “Issue without delay to his client a contract note for all transactions in the form specified by the stock exchange.”
- Not “furnish false or misleading quotations or give any other false or misleading advice.”
- “Keep the money of the clients in a separate account and their own money in a separate account.”
- Ensure that “no conflict of interest arises between him and the client.”
- “Have adequately trained staff and arrangements to render fair, prompt and competent services to his clients.”
- “Carry out risk assessment to identify, assess and take effective measures to mitigate its money laundering and terrorist financing risk.”
Regulated brokers in India must also be signed up to the Investor Protection Fund (IPF). This mechanism allows traders and investors to seek compensation if their broker becomes insolvent or is unable to meet its financial obligations.
However, the scheme only covers customers of brokerages that operate on India’s main stock exchanges. The maximum compensation an individual can claim under IPF is INR3,500,000 (roughly $37,000).
How Can I Check That The Brokerage Is SEBI Approved?
Verifying whether the company you’re considering is regulated can be done in a few minutes. SEBI maintains a ‘Recognised Intermediaries’ database on its website comprising all brokerages approved to do business in India.
Let’s say I want to check the regulatory status of Interactive Brokers, a service provider whose origins can be traced back to 1977. I type the firm’s name into the ‘Search by Member Name, Trade Name’ box and hit the ‘Go’ button:

Source: SEBI
My search brings up 14 different entries, which makes the process a little less straightforward. However, I get around this problem by cross-referencing the registration number Interactive Brokers provides on its website (INZ000217730) with the corresponding entry in SEBI’s database:

Source: SEBI
My search also reveals additional information on the company, including its registered address, telephone number, and the date when its registration with SEBI commenced.
Unlike some regulators, SEBI does not publish a dedicated warning list of unauthorized firms that have been discovered doing business. However, currency traders can visit the Reserve Bank of India’s (RBI’s) ‘Alert List’ to find forex trading platforms, entities or websites that are:
- “Neither authorised to deal in forex… nor authorised to operate electronic trading platform (ETP) for forex transactions,” or
- “Which appear to be promoting unauthorised entities/ETPs, including through advertisements of such unauthorised entities or claiming to be providing training/advisory services.”
Bottom Line
Using a SEBI-approved broker is essential for traders and investors in India. Regulations in the Asian country may not be as robust as those in other parts of Asia, Europe or North America. However, using an officially-licensed service provider still provides strong safeguards against bad business practices and fraud.
Individuals should always consult the regulator’s online database of registered intermediaries before handing over any sensitive personal information or depositing funds to a broker. Citizens lost at least INR224,950,000,000 (approximately $2.4 billion) to online fraud in 2025, according to data, of which investment scams accounted for three-quarters.