(1) In these regulations, unless the context otherwise requires: -
(a) “Act” means the Securities and Exchange Board of India Act, 1992 (15 of 1992);
(b) “agent” means any person who is engaged in the activity of sale or distribution of securities on behalf of an issuer or a distributor for a commission or any other consideration;
(c) “associated person” means a principal or employee of an intermediary or an agent or distributor or other natural person engaged in the securities business and includes an employee of a 1[foreign portfolio investor] or a foreign venture capital investor working in India;
(d) “Board” means the Securities and Exchange Board of India established under section 3 of the Act;
(e) “certificate” means the certificate granted by NISM in accordance with these regulations;
(f) “Continuing Professional Education” (CPE) means any course, programme, training programme, activity, conference, seminar that has been accredited or approved by NISM to enhance the knowledge, skills and professional competency of associated persons in the areas of securities, governance and ethics;
(g) “distributor” means any person engaged by an intermediary or an issuer for the purpose of sale or distribution of securities;
(h) “intermediary” means an entity registered under sections 11 or 12 of the Act and includes any person required to obtain any membership or approval from a stock exchange or a self-regulatory organization;
(i) “issuer” means a company or a mutual fund or a collective investment scheme which has issued or proposes to issue securities to the public in accordance with the relevant regulations or guidelines made by the Board and 1 Substituted for "foreign institutional investor" by the SEBI (Foreign Portfolio Investors) Regulations, 2014, w.e.f. 7-1-2014.
also includes a venture capital fund registered under the relevant regulations or guidelines made by the Board;
(j) “NISM” means the National Institute of Securities Markets established by the Board;
(k) “principal” means persons who are actively engaged in the management of the intermediary’s securities business including supervision, solicitation, conduct of business, and includes:
(1) Sole Proprietors
(2) Managing Partners and
(3) Whole Time Directors
(l) “securities” means securities as defined in clause (h) of section 2 of the Securities Contracts (Regulation) Act, 1956 (42 of 1956).
(2) Words and expressions used and not defined in these regulations shall have the meanings, if any, respectively assigned to them by or under the Act or the Securities Contracts (Regulation) Act, 1956 (42 of 1956) or the Companies Act, 1956 (1 of 1956) or the Depositories Act, 1996 (22 of 1996) or rules and regulations made thereunder or any amendment thereto or re-enactment thereof.
CHAPTER II CERTIFICATION OF ASSOCIATED PERSONS Obligation to obtain certificate