SEBI Mandates a Colour-Coded 'Credit Risk-o-Meter' for Debt Securities
SEBI has mandated a colour-coded Credit Risk-o-Meter so that retail investors can read the credit risk of a debt issue at a glance. Modelled on the mutual fund Riskometer, it maps existing AAA-to-D credit ratings onto six colour-coded risk levels and must be displayed in offer documents, abridged prospectuses, private placement memoranda, issuer advertisements and on online bond platform providers (OBPPs). It covers non-convertible securities, commercial papers, securitised debt instruments, security receipts and market-linked debentures, and takes effect 45 days after the circular's issuance, around 21-22 November 2026, extending SEBI's recent retail-protection push.
SEBI was set up in 1988 and given statutory status by the SEBI Act, 1992; its headquarters are at Bandra Kurla Complex, Mumbai | The mutual fund Riskometer has six levels, from Low to Very High | Credit rating agencies in India are registered and regulated by SEBI