Which all investors and institutions come under the regulatory purview of SEBI in the Indian context?

Does SEBI regulate only capital markets or also commodity markets? Till 2015, the commodity markets were regulated by the Forwards Markets Commission (FMC). Effective the beginning of September 2015, the finance minister, Mr. Arun Jaitley, has shifted the regulation of commodity markets also under SEBI. Now all commodity futures and commodity options trading come under the regulatory purview of SEBI. However, commodity spot markets continue to be outside the purview of SEBI regulation and they are under the purview of respective states. That is the reason, in delivery transactions, the SEBI does not guarantee any deliveries but only facilitates the creation of an appropriate environment for the same.

Does SEBI regulation apply to retail and small investors also?

All market participants and market intermediaries come under SEBI regulation. This includes investors, traders, stock exchanges, brokers, sub-brokers, portfolio managers, financial advisors, fund managers, mutual funds, investment banks etc. As an individual trader, the SEBI has the powers to penalize you, issue a warning to you or even bar you from participating in the stock markets altogether if it finds sufficient grounds for the same.