Ans: No, entities desirous of becoming an accreditation agency would have to fulfil the eligibility criteria specified by SEBI. As per SEBI notification, recognised stock exchanges and their subsidiaries that meet the below criteria are eligible to become accreditation agencies - The entity should have a minimum presence of 20 years in the Indian securities market The minimum net worth should be Rs.200 crore The entity should have pan-India terminals The entity should have a grievance redressal mechanism for customer complaints as well as the facility for arbitration It should have Investor Service Centres (ISCs) in at least 20 Indian cities. Further criteria for the stock exchanges and other institutions is work in progress.