New Delhi, July 3 -- The Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) on Friday introduced a comprehensive regulatory framework governing the treatment of clients' unpaid securities by trading members (TMs), bringing in an auto-pledge mechanism while strengthening safeguards to protect investors.

Under the new framework, securities purchased outside the Margin Trading Facility (MTF) that remain unpaid will continue to be credited directly to the client's demat account. However, instead of retaining these securities, an automatic pledge will be created in favour of a dedicated account maintained by the trading member, known as the Client Unpaid Securities Pledgee Account (CUSPA), without requiring any separate consent or instruction from...