The Yogi, The CEO & The Lesson – On Algo Scam

News: Recently, the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) has issued the final order on the “Algo scam” at the National Stock Exchange (NSE).

What is “algo scam” and what has happened?

Read more here: https://forumias.com/blog/governance-breakdown/

What does this reveal?

One, even if the information shared wasn’t price-sensitive, had nothing to do with trading positions, and the leak did not hurt investors, it was still a data breach from the corner office.

Two, NSE was formed to counter BSE, which in the early 90s had become a gamblers’ den. But now SEBI is dealing with a case where professional managers were acting as servants of ‘outsiders’ while NSE’s board of directors did not report it.

What is the way forward?

The matter was hidden as long as the exchange made money and stocks rose. This scam is a curious case that should be added as a chapter in the B-School syllabus. It is a story of personal flaws which shadowed transparency, the excesses of a company as it gains power, the pitfalls of monopoly, and inroads that outsiders like godmen or politicians can make in a business.

Source: This post is based on the article “The Yogi, The CEO & The Lesson” published in Times of India on 16^th Feb 2022.