Markets reforms: Govt to table Securities Markets Code Bill in Winter session; unified law to merge Sebi, Depositories & trading Acts – The Times of India

The government has listed the Securities Markets Code Bill 2025 for introduction in the Winter session of Parliament starting December 1, according to a Lok Sabha bulletin. The unified legislation is aimed at boosting ease of doing business and reducing regulatory friction across India’s financial markets. The Bill proposes merging key securities laws, including the Securities and Exchange Board of India Act, 1992, the Depositories Act, 1996, and the Securities Contracts (Regulation) Act, 1956, into a single code. The unified framework was first announced in the Union Budget 2021-22, when Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman proposed consolidating multiple laws governing securities markets — including the Government Securities Act, 2007 — into a rationalised code. Experts said the move could reduce compliance costs and minimise overlaps between rules enacted by Sebi, depositories and the central government. Bringing the Government Securities Act within a unified code could also strengthen credibility of sovereign borrowing and help channel more foreign capital, they noted.