SEBI Imposes Market Ban on Finfluencer Avadhut Sathe Over Alleged Rs 546 Crore Unlawful Gains

Finfluencer and market trainer Avadhut Sathe has pledged to contest the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI)'s decision that prohibits him and his organization, Avadhut Sathe Trading Academy (ASTA), from participating in the securities market.

SEBI alleged that Sathe and ASTA conducted unregistered investment advisory and research analyst operations, ordering them to return "unlawful gains" of Rs 546 crore collected from their students.

According to SEBI's order, Sathe allegedly enticed participants to trade specific stocks under the guise of educational training.

The regulatory body stated this action was essential to prevent "misleading the public or influencing investors to deal in securities, collecting fees from the public, and engaging in unregistered investment advisory and research analyst activities."

SEBI's order revealed that ASTA "charged a fee of INR 6.75 lakhs" per student in the most recent two batches of its mentorship course.

The order noted that PAN details were only obtained for 186 of the 311 course participants. These participants reportedly suffered losses exceeding Rs 1.93 crore during the six months following course completion.

Sathe has denied all allegations and committed to challenging the market regulator's prohibition. His academy maintains it functions solely as a training institution, not as an investment adviser or research analyst. ASTA described itself as a victim of regulatory ambiguity, asserting that it does not provide stock analysis, recommendations, investment advice, or research to students.

"Our programmes focus exclusively on skill-building and decision-making training for financial markets. We do not issue stock recommendations or provide investment advice, nor do we monetize our social media platforms," ASTA stated.

Established in 2008, the Avadhut Sathe Training Academy was founded by Sathe upon his return to India after professional experiences in Singapore, Australia, and the United States. With market trading experience dating back to 1991, he has expanded his training operations to 17 centers throughout India.