How SEBI’s 2025 Digital Accessibility Rules Affect Small Brokers & Mutual Funds A Simple 6 - Step Checklist

The Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) introduced digital accessibility rules in 2025 that are reshaping how financial service providers operate online. For many small brokers and mutual fund managers, these rules may seem overwhelming at first glance. The idea of ensuring that websites and digital platforms are accessible to everyone - including people with disabilities - can feel technical, time-consuming, and expensive.

However, compliance doesn’t have to be complicated. With the right approach, you can make your website accessible, protect your business from regulatory risks, and create a better experience for all clients. In this blog, we break down SEBI’s 2025 digital accessibility rules into a simple 6-step checklist, along with FAQs and practical tips to make compliance manageable.

Why Digital Accessibility Matters

Digital accessibility is about more than just following rules - it’s about making your services available to everyone. Individuals with visual, auditory, cognitive, or motor impairments frequently encounter challenges when utilising digital platforms. Accessibility ensures that your website, apps, and online documents are usable by all clients.

For small brokers and mutual funds, the benefits include:

• Regulatory compliance: Avoid fines and penalties from SEBI.
  
• Improved client trust: Clients feel confident and valued when your platform is accessible.
  
• Wider reach: More clients can use your services, including those with disabilities.
  
• Enhanced SEO and usability: Accessible websites often rank better on search engines and are easier to navigate for everyone.
  

SEBI’s 2025 rules mandate that all financial service providers must ensure their websites and digital platforms meet specific accessibility standards, including readable content, navigable menus, accessible forms, and alternative text for images.

Who Needs to Comply?

While SEBI’s rules apply to all registered brokers and mutual funds, smaller organizations often struggle with implementation. Limited technical resources and smaller teams make it challenging to meet the standards.

This blog focuses on small brokers and mutual funds, providing practical, actionable steps to achieve compliance without unnecessary complexity or technical jargon.

6-Step Checklist to Become SEBI-Compliant

1. Audit Your Website

The first step in compliance is understanding where your website currently stands. Conduct an accessibility audit to identify gaps.

• Use free tools like WAVE (Web Accessibility Evaluation Tool) or axe Accessibility Checker to test your website.
  
• Check for common issues such as missing alt text for images, low contrast colours, inaccessible forms, and poorly structured headings.
  
• Document all issues so you have a clear roadmap for fixes.
  

Tip: Focus on high-traffic pages first, like your homepage, account login pages, and mutual fund transaction pages.

2. Implement Accessible Design

Design plays a major role in accessibility. Small adjustments can make a huge difference:

• Readable fonts: Use clear, legible fonts and maintain adequate size.
  
• Colour contrast: Ensure text contrasts strongly with the background for easy reading.
  
• Keyboard navigation: All website functions should be accessible via keyboard shortcuts.
  
• Consistent layout: Make navigation predictable so users can move easily between pages.
  

Pro Tip: Think about the user experience for someone who may rely on assistive technology like screen readers.

3. Update Content for Readability

Even if your design is accessible, content matters too. Focus on making your content easy to understand:

• Write in simple, clear language; avoid jargon.
  
• Use short paragraphs, headings, and bullet points for easier scanning.
  
• Provide captions for images and videos.
  
• Include transcripts for audio content and ensure downloadable documents are accessible.
  

Tip: Use tools like Microsoft’s Accessibility Checker or Adobe Acrobat’s accessibility features to ensure your documents are compliant.

4. Test with Assistive Tools

After making changes, testing is crucial. Your website should work seamlessly for users with different abilities:

• Test with screen readers like JAWS or NVDA.
  
• Check functionality using voice navigation and keyboard-only browsing.
  
• Involve real users with disabilities if possible; they provide insights that automated tools might miss.
  

Pro Tip: Schedule regular testing at least twice a year to ensure updates or new features remain accessible.

5. Train Staff and Update Policies

Accessibility is not just a website issue - it’s an organisational responsibility:

• Train your team on accessibility best practices.
  
• Include accessibility guidelines in your internal policies.
  
• Ensure that new content, updates, or software implementations follow accessibility standards.
  

Tip: Even a short internal training session can prevent accessibility mistakes in the future.

6. Monitor and Maintain Compliance

Digital accessibility is an ongoing process. Websites evolve, so monitoring is necessary:

• Regularly review your website for new accessibility issues.
  
• Maintain a compliance log to track updates and fixes.
  
• Stay informed about changes in SEBI regulations or accessibility standards.
  

Pro Tip: Use automated monitoring tools to alert you when accessibility issues arise.