Sebi amends debenture trustee norms to protect interests of investors

With an aim to protect the interest of investors, capital markets regulator Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) has strengthened the role of debenture trustees, asking them to independently evaluate and monitor the asset cover.

The decision comes as several defaults were seen in the debt markets. To give this effect, Sebi has amended debenture trustee norms and Issue and Listing of Debt Securities Regulations, the regulator said in two separate notifications on Thursday. Under the new norms, debenture trustees (DTs) would exercise independent due diligence of the assets on which charge is being created.

Before creating a charge on the security for the debentures, DTs will exercise independent due diligence to ensure that such security is free from any encumbrance or that it has obtained the necessary consent from other charge-holders if the security has an existing charge, Sebi said.