SEBI Advances Tokenised Bonds and AI Supervision as Pandey Calls for Stronger Tech Governance

The Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) is actively advancing the modernization of capital markets through the integration of AI-driven supervision and the pilot of tokenized corporate bonds. In collaboration with the Reserve Bank of India, SEBI has launched the Demat 2.0 project, which utilizes tokenized securities settled via central bank digital currency (CBDC) and smart contracts. Three issuers have already successfully issued tokenized corporate bonds under this framework, signaling a shift toward faster settlement and automated asset servicing. SEBI Chairman Tuhin Kanta Pandey emphasized that while financial institutions are encouraged to innovate, they retain full regulatory accountability for their technology vendors and AI systems. By adopting the IOSCO AI supervisory toolkit, the regulator aims to enhance predictive market monitoring and identify systemic risks more efficiently. This dual focus on technological adoption and strict governance is intended to bolster market integrity as India’s financial sector scales its digital infrastructure. These developments are critical for the RWA market as they demonstrate a sovereign-level commitment to integrating blockchain-based settlement with traditional corporate debt instruments.