Convert physical shares into demat at the earliest: All you need to know

Once Sebi's deadline of December 5 lapses, you will not be able to transfer or sell these securities

Financial planners say there are many clients who keep shares in physical form. These investors believe that having them in bank lockers insulates them from any fraud. They are wrong. There is a big chance that such shares may be duplicated, and fraudsters might claim dividends and other benefits that would have been theirs.

Against this backdrop, the Securities and Exchange Board of India's (Sebi’s) recent directive to shareholders that their share certificates should be converted into dematerialised (demat) form by December 5, 2018, comes at the right time. The regulator has also amended the Listing Obligations and Disclosure Requirement (LODR)