A SEBI Accredited Investor is an individual, HUF, trust, or institution that holds a valid certificate from a SEBI-authorised accreditation agency — confirming they meet prescribed income or net worth thresholds set by the Securities and Exchange Board of India.
Introduced under the SEBI (Alternative Investment Funds) Regulations in August 2021, the Accredited Investor framework formally recognises a class of investors sophisticated enough to evaluate and absorb the risks of investment products that are off-limits to ordinary retail participants.
Think of it as SEBI's official answer to the question every HNI investor eventually asks: "Why can't I access the same opportunities my fund manager talks about?"
Now you can. Now you can, with a certificate that is also a status symbol.
You qualify if you meet any one of the following criteria:
Individual or HUF — Income Route
Annual income of ₹2 crore or more
Individual or HUF — Net Worth Route
Net worth of ₹7.5 crore or more
Individual or HUF — Hybrid Route
Annual income of ₹1 crore or more, plus net worth of ₹5 crore or more — with at least ₹2.5 crore held in financial assets
Trusts and Corporates
Net worth of ₹50 crore or more
If any of these describe you, you are likely eligible right now. Most people who qualify never apply — not because the process is complicated, but because assembling proof of net worth has always been the hard part.
At FOLO, we have made that part take under two hours.
This is not a certificate for your filing cabinet. It is a key to a different investment universe.
Access to AIFs without the ₹1 crore minimum
The mandatory minimum investment threshold for Alternative Investment Funds is waived for Accredited Investors. You enter on your terms, not the fund's standard ticket size.
Angel and startup investment schemes
Accredited Investors can invest between ₹10 lakh and ₹25 crore per startup through angel fund schemes giving you real capacity to back early-stage businesses with meaningful capital.
AI-only AIF schemes
SEBI is actively building a new category of AIF structures exclusively for Accredited Investors lighter compliance, more flexibility, and product design calibrated for sophisticated capital.
Lighter regulatory compliance
Reduced disclosure requirements, exemptions from standardised PPM formats in certain schemes, and faster onboarding with fund managers who recognise your accreditation as pre-verified due diligence.
Global credibility
India's framework now mirrors the accredited investor standards of the US, EU, Singapore, and Hong Kong. Your SEBI certificate is a credential that speaks to international fund managers and co-investors without translation.
Priority access and trust signals
Fund managers can onboard Accredited Investors faster and with fewer friction points. Your certificate signals seriousness before the first conversation ends.
For the first three years after introduction, SEBI Accreditation was a voluntary credential. Useful, but not urgent.
That changed.
June 2025: SEBI made accreditation mandatory for all angel fund investors. No accreditation, no angel fund participation regardless of net worth.
January 2026: SEBI further simplified documentation requirements. A CA no longer needs to list and itemise every asset you own. The certificate simply needs to confirm that you cross the threshold. This removed the single biggest paperwork bottleneck in the process.
September 2026: Existing angel fund platforms must have only accredited investors on their books. The transition window is closing.
The regulatory direction is clear and it is moving in one direction only: accreditation is becoming the baseline credential for serious investors in India. Waiting is no longer a neutral choice.
Here is what actually holds most eligible investors back.
You know you are worth ₹8 crore. Your CA knows it roughly. Your banker knows it approximately. But when the SEBI accreditation agency asks for a verified, CA-certified, consolidated net worth picture — the scramble begins.
Mutual funds across four AMCs. Fixed deposits at three banks. Stocks in a demat account. EPF. NPS. A property. A plot. Life insurance policies you half-remember buying.
Gathering this into one clean, certifiable document used to mean weeks of chasing statements, coordinating with your CA, and hoping nothing was missing when the application landed at processing agency.
This is the problem FOLO was built to solve. And we solved it in under two hours.
FOLO is India's first NetWorth app - SEBI registered, built on the RBI Account Aggregator framework, read-only, encrypted, and fully consented by you at every step.
Step 1 — Organise Your NetWorth
Connect your accounts via the RBI-regulated Account Aggregator network with OTP consent. No statements. No uploads. No visits. FOLO pulls your balances, holdings, mutual funds, EPF, NPS, loans, and liabilities from 500+ financial institutions automatically and reconciles everything into one verified NetWorth number.
Step 2 — Generate Your NetWorth Certificate
FOLO prepares your CA-certified, UDIN-approved, tamper-proof NetWorth Certificate and declarations entirely paperless, entirely digital. The CA receives a clean consolidated view of your finances through FOLO's secure sharing feature and issues the certificate without the usual back-and-forth. This takes under two hours.
Step 3 — Receive Your Accredited Investor Certificate
Your completed application is processed digitally under the SEBI accreditation framework through NDML. Your Accredited Investor Certificate is delivered within 24 hours and lives in your FOLO app ready to view, download, or share with your broker, fund manager, or family office with a single tap.
500+ verified sources
Every bank, AMC, depository, and retirement fund you have — connected through the RBI Account Aggregator framework. Your NetWorth number is real-time, complete, and automatically updated.
CA-certified and UDIN-approved
Your NetWorth Certificate carries a valid UDIN the Unique Document Identification Number issued by ICAI making it tamper-proof and verifiable by any accreditation agency, embassy, fund manager, or institution worldwide.
Zero documentation
OTP consent only. No statement uploads. No forms. No follow-ups.
Secure sharing
Share your NetWorth with up to four trusted people your CA, financial advisor, spouse, or family office — without sharing login credentials. Revocable at any time.
In-app certificate
Your Accredited Investor Certificate lives in FOLO permanently. One tap to share wherever it is needed.
Automatic refund
If your application is not approved, your refund is initiated immediately. Your CA-signed NetWorth Certificate remains yours regardless.
How long does SEBI accreditation take through FOLO?
Your NetWorth Certificate is generated in under two hours. Your Accredited Investor Certificate is delivered within 24 hours of a complete application.
What documents do I need?
None. FOLO connects to your accounts through the RBI Account Aggregator framework and various regualetd and credible data sources using OTP consent only. No uploads, no statements, no CA appointments to coordinate.
How much does NetWorth certificate cost?
NetWorth Cerificate ₹999 on FOLO. The traditional route costs ₹2,500 to ₹10,000 and takes weeks.
How much does Accreditation Certificate cost?
For Individuals for 2 years it is Rs 12999/-+ GST
Can I share my certificate with fund managers?
Yes. Your certificate lives in the FOLO app and can be shared digitally with a single tap with your broker, AIF manager, angel platform, or private banker. no more searching in inbox or asking your ca or wealth manager always.
Is my financial data safe?
FOLO is built on the RBI Account Aggregator framework read-only, encrypted, and revocable at any time. Your data is never sold, never shared without consent, and never stored beyond what you authorise.
What if my application is rejected?
Your refund is initiated automatically. Your CA-certified NetWorth Certificate remains yours to keep and use independently.
Your NetWorth, organised. Your certificate, generated. Your accreditation, delivered. In 24 hours, from your phone, with nothing to upload and nothing to chase.
The credential is real. The investment opportunities it unlocks are real. The only thing between you and both of them is a process that now takes less time than most meetings.
FOLO is a SEBI Registered Investment Adviser (INA000019521). Built on the RBI Account Aggregator framework.
