NSE asks brokers to obtain client details by Aug 19

Leading bourse National Stock Exchange (NSE) has directed its trading members to obtain mobile number and email address of their clients by August 19.

The exchange said that failure to comply with the directive will be "viewed seriously".

"Members are hereby urged to obtain the mobile number and email ID for all the clients who have transacted during FY 2014-15 and upload the same latest by August 19, 2014," NSE said in a circular.

"As regards other clients, who may wish to trade, members are urged to first obtain their mobile number and email ID and upload the same," it added.

The exchange has reached out to stock brokers pursuant to a directive from the market regulator Sebi (the Securities and Exchange Board of India).

With an aim to reduce the number of investor complaints relating to unauthorised trading and to safeguard members' own interest, stock exchanges provide details of the transactions to all investors through mails and SMSes whose email address and mobile numbers are updated by the trading members in UCI (Unique Client Code) online.

Sebi, in 2012 had asked exchanges to send SMS/email alerts to every retail investor for all transactions in their names in a day.

The move followed complaints against brokers and other market entities conducting transactions through accounts of their clients without the knowledge of the investor concerned.

The market regulator had first proposed such a facility to alert investors about trades being conducted in their accounts in August 2011.