By BullScreen Editorial Team 
The Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) on Wednesday launched the Verified App Label Initiative, a move aimed at safeguarding investors from fraudulent mobile applications. The program provides a visual badge for SEBI-registered intermediaries on the Google Play Store, helping users quickly identify genuine investment platforms.
SEBI Chairman Tuhin Kanta Pandey said the initiative is a simple yet crucial step toward ensuring investor trust and safety. “Fake apps are now a serious threat and can cause irreparable financial harm,” he warned, emphasizing that India’s expanding investor base, now exceeding 140 million, is increasingly accessing markets through mobile devices.
The badge has already been implemented for over 600 apps of SEBI-registered stockbrokers, with plans to extend it to other intermediaries, including online bond platforms and registered investment advisors. Pandey stressed the importance of verification before investing: “Pehle pehchan karen, phir nivesh karen – first verify, then invest.”
This initiative complements SEBI’s existing digital safeguards, such as validated UPI handles and a whitelist of stockbrokers’ apps. The regulator has escalated more than 1.3 lakh suspicious apps and content to platforms for removal, resulting in the takedown of 66 fake trading applications. An API-based framework is also in place to ensure only verified intermediaries can advertise on Google and Meta.
While the badge is a significant step toward safer investing, Pandey cautioned that risks remain through side-loading and unofficial links. He encouraged investors to use SEBI tools like the Sebi Check and Saarthi app to verify credentials before committing funds.
With India’s securities market capitalization nearing Rs 423 trillion, SEBI’s Verified App Label Initiative underscores the regulator’s commitment to protecting a rapidly growing digital investor community, where trust and technology are closely intertwined.