Accessibility Compliance
SEBI Accessibility Requirements for Regulated Entities
SEBI-regulated entities - stockbrokers, asset management companies, registrar and transfer agents, depositories - carry a specific accessibility duty on top of the general RPwD Act obligation every Indian organization has. This guide covers what SEBI actually expects, which investor journeys matter most, and how to build evidence that holds up to scrutiny.
Where the obligation comes from
The Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016 (Section 46) is the general legal foundation - it makes accessibility of services and information a statutory duty across Indian organizations. SEBI has extended that mandate specifically to its regulated entities' investor-facing digital platforms, on the basis that investors with disabilities have the same right to independently access trading and investment services as any other investor.
Which investor journeys SEBI cares about most
- Onboarding and eKYC - document upload, identity verification and form completion
- Trading terminals and order placement - including real-time price data
- Portfolio access, holdings and statements
- Grievance and complaint filing
- Investor communication - notices, corporate actions, circulars
What "accessible" actually means for financial platforms
Generic accessibility testing misses the issues specific to financial interfaces. Real-time price ticks need to be announced to screen readers without overwhelming the user with constant interruptions. Complex data tables - holdings, P&L, transaction history - need to be structured so a screen reader can navigate them as a table, not just a visual grid. Authentication flows (OTP, biometric steps) need an accessible fallback that doesn't lock out assistive-technology users entirely.
Building a defensible compliance position
- WCAG 2.2 AA as the technical baseline, tested with real assistive technology on the specific financial-data-heavy interfaces - not a generic page scan
- Documented evidence mapped to SEBI's own expectations, not just a general WCAG report
- A grievance-redressal process that itself works for users of assistive technology
- Testing built into the release process, since a UI redesign can reintroduce barriers a previous audit cleared
Need help with this in practice?
A5 Cyber Nexus audits, remediates and certifies against these frameworks.
Frequently asked questions
Does SEBI require a specific accessibility certification?
SEBI doesn't operate its own certification scheme; it expects demonstrable WCAG 2.2 AA conformance as evidence of your RPwD Act obligation, documented well enough to produce on request.
Do we need to retest after every product update?
Any journey change - a new onboarding flow, a UI redesign - can reintroduce accessibility barriers, so testing should be part of your release process, not a one-time event.
Make it accessible.
Make it attack-ready.
Prove both before launch.
Bring us your app, audit deadline, or security concern. We'll map the fastest path to WCAG conformance, VAPT coverage, and regulator-ready evidence.
