Who is Avadhut Sathe? The techie trading guru, and why Sebi’s Rs 500 crore recovery order is a wake-up call for investors and finfluencers
Who is Avadhut Sathe?
Avadhut Sathe is a Pune-based financial influencer who has built a huge following by educating retail investors on stock market trading. He claimed to have educated thousands of people, mostly from middle-class families, over the years through courses offered in Hindi, Marathi and English. His programs were priced lower than many competing market instructors, which helped him attract students from smaller towns and humble origins.
Trained as an engineer, Sathe worked in the software industry before becoming a full-time trader and trainer. He joined Hexaware Technologies early in his career and later worked abroad in countries such as Singapore, Australia and the United States. After spending some time in Silicon Valley, he returned to India. In a previous interview, Sathe had said that his real dream of traveling to the US was just to take pictures with his family in Niagara Falls.
From IT professional to full-time trader
During his time abroad, Sathe’s interest in stock markets increased. He started investing and initially made a profit, but later incurred a loss. This phase, he said before, changed his perspective on business. He eventually left his IT career in 2007 to focus entirely on business and teaching.
How was the Trade Academy shaped?
Sathe held his first stock market seminar in 2008 in a small banquet hall with only 12 participants, including his former colleagues. From this small beginning, Avadhut Sathe Commerce Academy (ASTA) has expanded rapidly in India. Its flagship course lasted four months and included four separate modules costing around Rs 18,000. The training combined live trading sessions, technical analysis and direct mentoring.
Unlike many online instructors who rely heavily on recorded videos, Sathe projects himself as a hands-on coach who stays with students during live market hours. He also created a team-based learning structure where senior students mentor new participants. Some students then stayed behind as volunteers and instructors.
Popular finfluencer with massive connectivity
Sathe’s dramatic speaking style and emotional messages helped him quickly gain popularity on social media. His YouTube channel has reached one million subscribers, making him one of the most recognized faces in India’s finfluencer world. Their messages often associated business with discipline, mentality and national pride. Its small-town appeal and strong appeal among first-time investors have played a key role in building its loyal following.
What did Sebi find in its investigation into Avadhut Sathe?
According to the PTI report, Sebi conducted a review for FY 2023-24 and later expanded the probe to cover the period from July 1, 2017 to October 9, 2025. The regulator found that Sathe and his academy selectively showcased participants’ profitable trades and marketed educational programs, claiming that participants were consistently earning high returns.
“The investigation prima facie revealed that the funds were collected in the accounts of ASTAPL and AS,” Sebi said in its 125-page interim order and show cause notice.
The order quoted by PTI states that it was primarily Sathe who devised the scheme under which course participants were encouraged to trade in certain stocks. Buying and selling advice was given for a fee in the name of education.
Why did Sebi order recovery of Rs 546.16 crore?
Sebi said the academy and Sathe have raised Rs 601.37 billion from more than 3.37 lakh investors. The money was made by providing investment advisory and research analyst services without mandatory registration, the regulator said.
Next, Kamlesh Chandra Varshney, full-time member of Sebi, said: “…so far as attachment of proceeds to the tune of Rs 5,46,16,65,367 is concerned, ASTAPL and AS are jointly and severally liable for the same.”
Sebi further said, “It is clear that none of the postings (ASTAPL and AS) are registered with Sebi as investment advisors or research analysts. However, despite not being registered, the postings are providing investment advisory and research analyst services to a large number of investors under the guise of stock market training programmes.”
Bans from markets and strict restrictions
In one of its most significant orders against a stock market influencer, Sebi directed two entities to stop providing unregistered advisory and research services and barred them from the securities market until further orders.
The regulator also ordered them to stop using live market data for any purpose and not to promote their own or their course participants’ performance or profits.
“Preventive measures must be taken urgently in this regard to prevent ASTAPL/AS from misleading the public or influencing investors to buy or sell securities, collecting fees from the public, engaging in unregistered investment consultancy and research analyst activities,” Sebi said.
What has Sebi said about future education activities?
While Sebi has taken strict action against unregistered operations, it has clarified that if organizations want to conduct educational activities in the future, they must do so strictly in accordance with securities laws.
The regulator also noted that the academy used live market trading data during training sessions and charged large fees to unsuspecting investors while projecting stock market education as an essential service.
Why is this order seen as a warning to financiers?
The action against Avadhut Sathe and his academy is among the largest enforcement actions ever taken against a person influential in the stock market. With an order to evacuate Rs 546.16 billion and the imposition of a complete market ban, this case sends a strong message to unregistered trading educators and financial influencers operating outside Sebi’s rules.
For many retail investors, this case illustrates how stock market “education” can quietly turn into paid investment advice without legal safeguards.
