Reports of SEBI considering regulations on family offices are 'incorrect', market regulator clarifies
Oct 4, 2025
Synopsis
SEBI clarified it is not considering any regulatory framework for family offices, refuting media reports that suggested otherwise. This statement followed Bloomberg's report detailing alleged discussions by the market regulator to bring influential family offices under its oversight, seeking disclosures and potentially allowing them QIB status. SEBI explicitly stated it is not examining or pursuing this matter at present.
Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) on Friday issued a clarification on media reports that it is not considering any regulatory framework for family offices.
The clarification comes after media reports that mentioned the market regulator was exploring the possibility of bringing family offices under its purview. However, Sebi made it clear that no such proposal is currently under discussion.
In a statement, the market regulator said, "It has come to SEBI's attention that certain media reports have suggested that SEBI is considering regulatory oversight of family offices. These reports are factually incorrect.
Bloomberg reported that India’s markets regulator has begun discussions on bringing family offices under its oversight, as the nation’s billionaires become a growing force on exchanges.
People familiar with the matter told Bloomberg that SEBI's discussions include asking family offices to disclose their entities, assets and investment returns for the first time, as well as a separate category to regulate the investment vehicles.
The report stated that the market watchdog held meetings with some of the nation’s biggest family offices earlier this year, and asked for written submissions from others as it wants more visibility into how sprawling family-run conglomerates invest in publicly traded securities and the potential risks.
"SEBI is not examining or pursuing this matter at present," the market regulator said in a statement.
With no existence of specific regulation for family offices in India, sources told Bloomberg that the final shape and timing of the new rules are unclear.
SEBI's push shows how the country’s super-rich families have become dominant players with significant investments that can disrupt markets. In the Indian industry space, a handful of family offices have emerged as important financiers to startups, investors in private equity and initial public offerings.
India is home to some of the world’s richest people. According to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index, oil-refinery tycoon Mukesh Ambani has a net worth of $96.4 billion and Gautam Adani possesses a $89.6 billion fortune spanning ports to coal trading.
Several family offices are already anchor investors in initial public offerings such as Wipro billionaire Azim Premji’s Premji Invest, the Bajaj automobile dynasty’s Bajaj Holdings and Investment Ltd., and the private investment firms of tech billionaires Shiv Nadar and Narayana Murthy, reported Bloomberg, citing data from Prime Database, which is a capital markets data provider.
In discussions with several of India’s largest family offices, the markets regulator has also sought views on allowing the firms to participate as qualified institutional buyers, sources said.
This allowance would give them preferential allocation in IPOs, and bring family offices into line with other existing large market participants, such as mutual funds, insurance companies and big funds that invest from abroad.
Earlier, SEBI had sought to restrict unregulated family investors from obtaining such access.
[The Economic Times]
