<h1>Regulation of stock brokers and intermediaries under new 2026 rules reshapes licensing, reporting, penalties and tech oversight</h1> SEBI announced regulatory reforms centered on intermediaries and market supervision: adoption of the Stock Brokers Regulations, 2026, which recalibrate licencing and conduct obligations for stock brokers, resulting in revised compliance duties and supervisory standards for broker firms. Introduction of a common reporting platform simplifies statutory reporting obligations, reducing duplicative filings and standardising disclosure processes. Rationalisation of penalties adjusts enforcement gradations, leading to proportionate monetary sanctions and streamlined sanctioning procedures. A revised framework addressing technical glitches prescribes incident classification and remediation timelines, imposing operational resilience and reporting obligations on market intermediaries. Expanded use of AI and SupTech enhances real-time surveillance and market-abuse detection, strengthening supervisory enforcement capabilities.