The National Securities Depository Limited (NSDL), on September 21, 2026, issued guidelines clarifying the requirements for Accessibility Audits of digital platforms of Depository Participants (DPs) under the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016 and applicable SEBI and NSDL circulars. All digital platforms of DPs are required to undergo an Accessibility Audit conducted by an IAAP-certified accessibility professional. For standard investor-facing platforms where no accessibility-impacting customization has been undertaken, DPs may rely on an Accessibility Audit Report/Certificate obtained from the platform vendor, subject to specified documentation and system-audit validation requirements.
For unique or customized digital platforms/applications of a DP—including websites, mobile/web applications, web portals, online account-opening platforms, KYC applications and client-facing back-office or in-house systems—the DP must continue to undertake an independent Accessibility Audit through an IAAP-certified accessibility professional. Vendors are not independently subject to a regulatory obligation under the Circular to obtain or provide such reports; the arrangement between the vendor and DP will be governed by their contractual terms. The DP may also independently engage an IAAP-certified professional instead of relying on a vendor-provided audit.
The ultimate responsibility for compliance remains with the concerned DP, including implementation of remediation measures and adherence to prescribed accessibility standards, irrespective of whether the platform is developed in-house or procured from a third-party vendor. DPs are required to submit the Initial Accessibility Audit Report and Final Accessibility Audit Report, including remediation of audit findings, to NSDL by October 31, 2026. Submission requirements are linked to NSDL Circular No. NSDL/POLICY/2026/0106 dated July 28, 2026, with modalities for submission to be shared separately.
[Circular No. NSDL/POLICY/2026/0137]
