Mumbai, Aug. 13 -- The Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) has proposed widening the Accredited Investor framework by introducing securities market assets as an additional eligibility criterion, a move that could expand the pool of eligible accredited investors to around 4 lakhs.

Under the proposal, individuals with securities market assets of at least Rs 5 crore and body corporates with assets of at least Rs 20 crore could qualify for accreditation, alongside the existing income and net-worth based criteria.

"This one proposal itself, has the potential to expand the pool of eligible Accredited Investors to around 4 lakh, compared to the existing AIF investor base of around 1 lakh," SEBI said in a press release issued on Thurs...