Initial public offers, corporate bonds and commodity markets, where a view would soon be taken on allowing mutual fund investments, will be the focus areas for SEBI this year.
For 2018 and next year, a priority would be on putting in place facilities to further encourage raising funds from the primary market, according to SEBI chairman Ajay Tyagi.
Talking to reporters after meeting of its board, which was also addressed by Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, Tyagi said the regulator would look at listing time, IPO (Initial Public Offer) process and further simplification of norms. “(We) want to facilitate that as the capital are raised for development,” he added.
The SEBI chief noted that so far this fiscal, around Rs 1.9 lakh cr has been raised through equity and about Rs 4 lakh crore through debt. As many as 150 IPOs have come in this fiscal.
Jaitley on Saturday asked SEBI to take more steps to deepen the corporate bond market and hoped that continuing uptrend in IPOs would help in meeting the disinvestment targets.
Following the Government proposal to mandate listed firms to meet at least 25 per cent of their fund requirements from corporate bonds, SEBI would soon be coming out with norms in this regard.