Saarthi 2.0 is a free personal finance app from SEBI, launched in June 2024 for new and young investors. It has financial calculators, simple modules on KYC, mutual funds, ETFs and buying shares, and guides to SEBI's complaint and dispute systems. It is a learning tool, not a trading app. It gives no stock tips.
Saarthi 2.0 is the second version of the investor education app from SEBI, the market regulator. The first Saarthi app came out in January 2022 with basic explainers. The 2.0 version launched in June 2024. It was rebuilt around personal finance for first-time investors, many of them in their twenties and new to the market after the 2020 boom. The name means charioteer or guide in Hindi.
What the app contains
The app is built around the questions a new investor actually asks. There are calculators for SIPs, lump sums, loan EMIs and goals. A user can see what Rs 5,000 a month becomes over 15 years at a given return. There are plain-language modules on how KYC works, what a mutual fund is, how an ETF differs from a fund, and how shares are bought and sold. A section on grievances explains SCORES, SEBI's complaints portal. It also covers the Online Dispute Resolution platform, which handles disputes between investors and brokers or fund houses. Short videos sit next to the text. The app is free, runs on Android and iOS, and carries no ads.
Why SEBI built it
Between 2020 and 2024 the number of demat accounts in India roughly quadrupled. A large share of the new accounts belonged to people under 30 with no prior market experience. SEBI's own research found many of them learning from social media and unregistered tipsters. Saarthi 2.0 is one of several responses. Others include tighter rules on finfluencers and a crackdown on unregistered advice, covered in Telegram stock tips vs SEBI-registered research. The regulator wanted a neutral source that does not sell anything.
What it does not do
The app does not open accounts, place trades or recommend stocks. It does not replace a trading account with a broker. It does not give personal advice, which only a SEBI-registered investment adviser can do. It is a reference and a classroom. It is most useful before the first investment, not during one.
How it fits with a broker's tools
Most brokers now build learning content into their own apps. The better ones go further than Saarthi into charts, indicators and market data. Saarthi's edge is that it has no product to push. A sensible order is to learn the basics there, from what a SIP is to how settlement works, and then use the broker's platform for the practical side. Anyone who wants to check a broker before opening an account can follow the steps in how to verify a broker's SEBI registration.
FAQs
Is Saarthi 2.0 free?
Yes. SEBI publishes it. There are no charges, subscriptions or ads.
Can trades be placed through Saarthi?
No. It is a learning app. Trades go through a SEBI-registered broker.
Which languages does it support?
English and Hindi at launch. SEBI said more Indian languages would follow.
Where are complaints against a broker filed?
On SCORES, SEBI's online complaints system, which the app explains step by step. Unresolved cases can go to the Online Dispute Resolution platform.