The SEBI Investor Charter for Research Analysts (2026)
The investor charter is a small piece of compliance that inspectors check first because it is public and easy to verify. If it is missing from your website, or the complaints table next to it is six months stale, that is a quick, avoidable finding. Here is what to publish and how to keep it current.
Note: General information, not legal advice. Use the current charter format prescribed by SEBI or RAASB.
What goes in the charter
The charter is mostly prescribed, so you adapt the standard text rather than write your own. It covers:
- The vision and mission of the service.
- The services you provide and the ones you do not.
- The rights of investors and your service-standard timelines.
- The grievance redressal mechanism, including SCORES and the ODR portal.
- The dos and donts for investors dealing with a Research Analyst.
- Your registration details and contact.
Where it goes
Publish the charter on your website and display it in your office. Put it where a client would actually look: the footer, next to your grievance and SCORES links, and on your terms page. Aim for one click from the homepage.
The complaints disclosure beside it
The charter travels with a periodic complaints disclosure: a simple table of complaints carried forward, received, resolved and pending for each period. Keep it updated on schedule. This data lines up with the complaint register from your SCORES and ODR process, so if you maintain the register properly, the public disclosure is a copy-paste, not a fresh exercise.
Make it a standing task, not an afterthought
The charter is static, but the complaints table is not. Set a recurring reminder to refresh it, and tie it to the same monthly rhythm as the rest of your compliance. A current charter and a current complaints table signal a practice that takes its obligations seriously, which is exactly the impression you want an inspector to form in the first five minutes.
FAQ
What is the investor charter for a Research Analyst?
It is a SEBI-prescribed document that sets out your services, the rights of your investors, the timelines you commit to, the grievance redressal process, and the dos and donts for investors. You publish it so clients know what to expect and how to complain.
Where do I publish the investor charter?
On your website, and display it in your office. It should be easy to find, not buried. Many RAs put it in the footer alongside the grievance and SCORES links.
Do I have to publish complaints data?
Yes. Alongside the charter you publish a periodic complaints disclosure: complaints carried forward, received, resolved and pending for the period, usually month by month. Keep it current; an out-of-date table is a common inspection finding.
How is the charter different from the MITC?
The MITC is the summary of the contract terms you share with each client. The investor charter is a public statement of your service standards and the investor grievance process. You need both, and they serve different jobs.