The Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) on Friday suspended trading in Kamalakshi Finance Corp (KFCL), widening the crackdown against shell companies used to allegedly launder money through the stock exchange route.

In an interim order, the regulator barred a little more than 30 entities, including the promoters of Kamalakshi, from accessing the capital market. This is the fourth order by Sebi in its probe in this regard, where unscrupulous entities apparently attempted to launder up to Rs 20,000 crore.

Equity assets in B-15 cities almost doubled from March 2013 to December 2014, while the MF industry also saw an increase of 27 lakh folios from semi-urban and rural areas.

Investor awareness programmes, coupled with adoption of districts and steps to re-energise the MF industry by Sebi, have resulted in higher participation from beyond the top-15 (B-15) cities.

The Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) is considering keeping the stock markets open on Budget day. The Budget is set to be presented on February 28, Saturday, a market holiday.

Sebi will await a final cue from the finance ministry and an announcement is likely to be closer to the Budget day, said a person familiar with the developments.

A large number of listed firms, including top blue-chips, are facing heat of the stock market authorities for sudden surge in their share prices and trading volumes as also for ‘speculative’ information leaks leaving investors at large in the lurch.

In just about one and a half months since the beginning of this year, the stock exchanges have sought ‘clarifications’ from at least 19 Sensex blue chips including giants like Mahindra and Mahindra, Hindustan Unilever, SBI, Coal India, Wipro, Hero Motocorp, ICICI Bank, Cipla and L&T.

Capital market regulator Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) has directed Navi Mumbai-based Shah Group Builders to return money collected from investors through issue of equity shares. The regulator also has barred the company and its directors Nalin V Shah, Nirav N Shah and Neelam N Shah from accessing the securities market or issuing any advertisement for soliciting money from public.

Officials at Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi), seeking redress for millions of investors it says were burnt in conglomerate Sahara’s illegal bond scheme, say the group might not wholly own some of the properties in India it listed as proof of its ability to repay the savers.

An official and a separate source with direct knowledge of the situation said Sebi had been checking an affidavit filed by Sahara detailing property assets, as time runs out for the group to post $1.6 billion in bail to free its jailed founder.

Continuing to build on its fund portfolio, Ahmedabad-based venture capital firm GVFL, a pioneer of Venture Capital, has launched its new MSME Fund titled 'Value Multiplier Fund'. At a size of Rs 600 crore, the fund, which aims to invest in MSMEs / startup companies across sectors in India, bagged SEBI approval recently.

The fund will be invested in young companies with scalable business model, large target market, high entry barrier / first mover advantage, and supported by sound management team. Mihir Joshi, President & CEO, informed that its Value Multiplier Fund has received approval from SEBI as Category I (SME Fund) under AIF Regulations.

Looking to increase fund flows from overseas investors, the Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) on Thursday allowed Foreign Portfolio Investors (FPIs) to invest their coupons received on investments in government securities back into such bonds.

These investments would be allowed even after FPIs have fully utilised the applicable limits of $30 billion, Sebi said in a circular.

The government's move to relax regulations governing Offer for Sale (OFS) may hit a Sebi roadblock.

Sources close to the development indicate that Sebi may not be able to accept all the considerations for OFS mechanism while divesting stake in Public Sector Undertakings (PSU).

Capital markets regulator Sebi has sought clarification from the merchant banker of State Bank of Travancore on the firm's proposed Rs 485-crore rights issue.

Without disclosing the details, Sebi said "clarifications (are) awaited from lead manager" for the proposed rights issue.

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