In a move to increase transparency and comply with Indian regulations, Meta has announced a new ad policy for financial services advertisements targeting users in India. Beginning July 31, 2025, advertisers running securities and investment ads must verify both the beneficiary and the payer behind each ad campaign. This applies to ads from both domestic and international advertisers.
As part of the new policy, Meta will require advertisers to provide a valid SEBI registration number for the individual or organization:
Benefiting from the advertisement, and
Paying for the ad campaign.
This mandate covers all securities and investment-related promotions on Meta’s platforms — including Facebook, Instagram, and Audience Network — and applies even if the campaign is global but targets Indian users.
Advertisers exempt from SEBI registration will still need to complete Meta’s identity or business verification process. This allows non-registered entities to legally run ads, provided they follow alternative compliance measures.
Once verified, Meta will publicly display this information:
On the actual ad via disclaimers, and
In Meta’s Ad Library, where it will remain visible for up to seven years.
The updated verification process will be enforced for all advertisers from July 31, 2025. However, Meta will begin rolling out access to verification tools starting June 26.
The rollout is scheduled to be globally complete by July 28, giving advertisers sufficient time to initiate and finish the verification process. Once eligible, each advertiser will have at least one month to complete verification before the policy becomes mandatory.
To comply with the updated ad policy, advertisers must:
Using Meta Business Suite’s "Authorizations and Verifications" tab or other supported ad tools, advertisers need to confirm:
Who is paying for the ad
Who benefits from the promotion
These two roles may be the same or different, but both must be disclosed.
Once verification is complete, advertisers must:
Select the verified beneficiary and payer during the ad setup process
Include the SEBI registration number (if applicable) in the ad disclaimer
This disclaimer will be shown directly on the ad and in public transparency records.
Advertisers can simplify their workflow by setting a default beneficiary and payer in Ad Settings. Alternatively, they can define these using:
regional_regulated_categories, and
regional_regulation_identities
These parameters can be configured at the ad set level, providing more granular control over ad compliance.
According to Meta, active ads published before July 31, 2025, do not need to be updated with the new disclaimer — as long as the advertiser account completes the verification process. This allows ongoing campaigns to continue without disruption while maintaining regulatory alignment.
Meta recommends advertisers complete verification as early as possible to avoid last-minute delays. The process may require:
Uploading official business documents
Access to domain-based email accounts
Administrator permissions on the ad account
If a brand is using a third-party agency to run ads, they should ensure they have partial or full access to the ad account and verification tools.
This policy aligns Meta’s advertising practices with India’s financial regulations, particularly those set by the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI). It reflects the company’s ongoing effort to:
Increase ad transparency
Prevent misuse of financial advertising platforms
Protect consumers from misleading investment promotions
Conclusion
From July 31, 2025, Meta will enforce mandatory SEBI verification for all investment and securities-related ads targeting Indian users. By streamlining compliance through its Business Suite and verification tools, Meta aims to create a more secure and transparent advertising environment for financial services across India.