IEPF Authority
August 2026
IEPF Authority Proposes Fast-Track Settlement for Small Value Claims
The Ministry of Corporate Affairs (MCA) and IEPF Authority have proposed new streamlined guidelines to expedite small-value unclaimed dividend and share refund claims, aiming to reduce the verification cycle from 9 months down to 90 days for low-value folios.
RBI DEA Fund
August 2026
RBI DEA Fund Crosses ₹98,000 Crore: UDGAM Portal Expands Bank Coverage
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) reported that unclaimed bank deposits transferred to the Depositor Education and Awareness (DEA) Fund reached ₹98,073 crore. The UDGAM portal now covers 30 major banks representing over 90% of total unclaimed bank accounts in India.
IEPF Campaign
July 2026
'Saksham Niveshak' 100-Day Drive Urges Investors to Update KYC Before Transfer
The MCA launched a nationwide investor awareness drive advising shareholders to update their bank accounts, PAN, and Demat Client Master Lists with corporate RTAs before historical unpaid dividends for FY 2018–19 reach the mandatory 7-year IEPF transfer threshold.
SEBI Regulations
June 2026
SEBI Standardizes Transmission & Folio Normalization for Physical Share Certificates
SEBI issued updated operational guidelines for Registrars and Transfer Agents (RTAs) to process physical share certificate transmission, duplicate share requests, and signature mismatches under a unified document checklist.
Legal & Judicial
May 2026
Supreme Court Directs Simplified Recovery Protocols for Legal Heirs of Deceased Depositors
The Supreme Court of India monitored progress on legal heir claim simplifications across commercial banks, post office schemes, and corporate entities, emphasizing hassle-free settlement when legal heir certificates or probate documents are established.
Legal Framework
April 2026
Understanding Section 124(5) of the Companies Act: The 7-Year IEPF Transfer Rule
Under Indian corporate law, if dividends remain unpaid or unclaimed for seven consecutive years, both the accumulated dividend funds and the underlying shareholdings must legally be transferred by the company to the IEPF Authority.
