Investment apps on Google Play Store are getting a new badge as Google will soon label verified investment apps on its app store in India. SEBI Chairman Tuhin Kanta Pandey said that the move to label investment apps on Google Play Store is aimed at helping users spot legitimate trading platforms and avoid scams. Chairman, SEBI this week launched the investor protection measure in the form of ‘Verified Label’ for stock trading apps of brokers registered with SEBI, on Google Play Store. The proliferation of fraudulent trading apps has posed a serious threat to retail investors, with scammers impersonating genuine apps that eventually deceive gullible investors in believing that their investments done through the fake apps are directed to the regulated securities market. SEBI, in collaboration with Google, has taken this initiative to implement a first-of-its-kind “Verified” badge on Google Play, to start with, for all stock trading apps in India that are offered by entities that are registered with SEBI. Verified stock trading apps associated with SEBI registered entities will now display a ‘Verified’ label in the Google Play Store. Subsequently, the ‘Verified’ label will also be extended to apps of other regulated intermediaries. SEBI chairman advised investors to follow ‘Pehle Pechaan Kare, Fir Nivesh Kare!’ principle. He also requested investors to follow SEBI ‘CVV’ where ‘C’ is: Check (Bank Accounts through “SEBI Check” available in the Saa₹thi app of SEBI);* First ‘V’ stands for: Validate (UPIID handles having the word “Valid”, which can be checked through “SEBI Check”),* Second ‘V’ is Verify (Verified Labels for Stock trading apps in Google Play store) SEBI chairman further mentioned that this collaboration between SEBI and Google represents a major breakthrough in the ongoing battle against bad actors in the investment space. Google Play, MD, Aditya Swamy, said that this is a unique public-private partnership towards the shared objective of investor protection and that Google would be keen to further collaborate for further such initiatives.Amit Relan, CEO and co-founder of mFilterIt while calling Verified Badges a step in right direction said that more is need. “While verified badges for investment apps are a step in the right direction, they address only a fraction of the risk investors face today. The real threat is no longer just fake apps; it’s the growing volume of misleading claims being amplified through influencers and social platforms. With AI now enabling hyper-realistic content at scale, even compliant apps can be promoted in ways that distort reality and mislead investors. This is where the industry needs to rethink its approach. Safeguarding investors today requires continuous, cross-platform monitoring, tracking not just who is verified, but how they are being represented and promoted in real time. Without that layer of oversight, trust can be easily manufactured and just as easily exploited,” said Relan.
