Under the initiative, apps operated by entities registered with SEBI will receive a “verified” badge on the Google Play Store. The program currently covers 600 broker apps, with plans to extend to registered investment advisors, online bond platforms, and other intermediaries.
SEBI Chairman Tuhin Kanta Pandey emphasised that fake apps are a “serious threat” capable of causing financial harm. He added that regulators, intermediaries, and technology companies must work together to safeguard investor trust.
The regulator has already removed 66 fake trading apps and over 1.3 lakh pages of potentially harmful content from various platforms.
To address misleading promotions, SEBI has asked Google to leverage artificial intelligence (AI) to monitor content by finfluencers and other channels that may misrepresent investment apps.
Amit Relan, CEO and co-founder of mFilterIt, noted that while verified badges are a positive step, they address only a fraction of the risks investors face today.
He said, “The real threat is no longer just fake apps; it’s the growing volume of misleading claims being amplified through influencers and social platforms. With AI now enabling hyper-realistic content at scale, even compliant apps can be promoted in ways that distort reality and mislead investors.”
Relan added that safeguarding investors requires “continuous, cross-platform monitoring, tracking not just who is verified, but how they are being represented and promoted in real time. Without that layer of oversight, trust can be easily manufactured and just as easily exploited.”
SEBI has advised investors to follow a simple principle: “pause, verify, and proceed” when using digital investment platforms.
