New Delhi, Nov. 6 -- The Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) is preparing a new framework to automate how pledged shares of initial public offering (IPO)-bound companies are managed, a move aimed at cutting listing delays and tightening compliance in India's primary markets. The system will make lock-in requirements self-enforcing, even when pledged shares are invoked or released, Sebi chairperson Tuhin Kanta Pandey said on Thursday.

"The process for IPO-bound companies whose pre-IPO shares are pledged is being streamlined. The proposed framework will ensure that lock-in requirements are automatically enforced, even if a pledge is invoked or released, thereby preventing listing delay," Pandey said at the 12th State Bank of Indi...