2025-12-04
The Securities and Exchange Board of India issued the Second Amendment Regulations, 2025, to modify the 2021 regulations governing share-based employee benefits and sweat equity. The amendments redefine 'valuer' to align with the Companies Act, 2013, and replace merchant bankers with independent registered valuers for valuation assignments, while allowing existing merchant banker assignments to be completed within nine months. These regulations came into force thirty days after their publication in the Official Gazette.
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE BOARD OF INDIA NOTIFICATION Mumbai, the 3rd December, 2025
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE BOARD OF INDIA (SHARE BASED EMPLOYEE BENEFITS AND SWEAT EQUITY) (SECOND AMENDMENT) REGULATIONS, 2025
F. No. SEBI/LAD-NRO/GN/2025/284.─In exercise of the powers conferred by sections 11, 11A and 30 of the Securities and Exchange Board of India Act, 1992 (15 of 1992) read with sections 54 and 62 of the Companies Act, 2013 (18 of 2013) and rules 8 and 12 of the Companies (Share Capital and Debentures) Rules, 2014, the Board hereby makes the following regulations to amend the Securities and Exchange Board of India (Share Based Employee Benefits and Sweat Equity) Regulations, 2021, namely, –
These regulations may be called the Securities and Exchange Board of India (Share Based Employee Benefits and Sweat Equity) (Second Amendment) Regulations, 2025.
They shall come into force on the thirtieth day from the date of their publication in the Official Gazette.
In the Securities and Exchange Board of India (Share Based Employee Benefits and Sweat Equity) Regulations, 2021, –
I. In regulation 2, in sub-regulation (1), the existing clause (ww) shall be substituted with the following clause, namely,-
“ww. “valuer” shall have the same meaning as assigned to it under section 247 of the Companies Act, 2013 (18 of 2013) as amended from time to time;”
II. In regulation 34,-
i. in sub-regulation (1), the words and symbol “a merchant banker.” shall be substituted with the words and symbol “an independent registered valuer:”, and thereafter the following proviso shall be inserted,-
“Provided that a merchant banker shall complete the ongoing valuation assignment which has been undertaken prior to the coming into force of the Securities and Exchange Board of India (Share Based Employee Benefits and Sweat Equity) (Amendment) Regulations, 2025 within a period of nine months from the date of coming into force of the said regulations.”;
ii. the existing sub-regulations (2) and (3) shall be omitted.
AMIT PRADHAN, Executive Director [ADVT.-III/4/Exty./522/2025-26]
Footnotes:
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