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New Delhi : As per the information provided by Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI), as on October 31, 2021, there are around 2.75 crore mutual fund (MF) investors, 7.38 crore Demat account holders, and 1,324 SEBI Registered Investment Advisors (RIA).
This was stated by Union Minister of State for Finance Pankaj Chaudhary in written reply to a question in Lok Sabha on December 13, 2021. The ratio of Mutual Fund investors and Demat Account holders to the Registered Investment Advisors (RIA) in India is around 76,510 : 1, the Minister added, according to a PIB release.
The total number of Demat Accounts at the end of last three years and increase in number of Demat Accounts therein are as follows:
| Data for the Financial Year | Total Number of Demat Accounts (in Lakh, at the end of year) | Increase in number of Demat Accounts compared to previous year (in Lakh) |
| 2018-19 | 359 | 39 |
| 2019-20 | 409 | 50 |
| 2020-21 | 551 | 142 |
| 2021-22 (up to October 31, 2021) | 738 | 187 |
The Minister further stated that SEBI (Investment Advisers) Regulations, 2013, were notified on January 21, 2013, in order to strengthen the regulatory framework for Investment Advisers. Subsequently, certain amendments to the Investment Advisers Regulations were notified on July 3, 2020, the Minister added.
Answering a question on whether the high barriers to entry have led to the reduced number of authorised financial advisors in India, the Minister stated that as per the information provided by SEBI, the registered Investment Advisers have increased from 1,298 (as on June 30, 2020) to 1,324 (as on October 31, 2021).