Who is Avadhut Sathe, the Bollywood-style trading guru now under Sebi lens?

Pune-based finfluencer Avadhut Sathe, who has reportedly come under the Securities and Exchange Board of India’s scanner after a search at his Karjat academy this week, is known as much for his trading lessons as for the unique way he delivers them, breaking into dance mid-lecture, pointing at charts on giant screens, and urging students to join him on stage.

According to reports, Sebi officials conducted a search-and-seizure operation at Sathe’s Karjat Trading Academy in the early hours of August 20. The operation, led by a deputy general manager, was said to have been long prepared and meticulously planned, part of the regulator’s broader crackdown on financial influencers who train or advise investors without a licence.

The Economic Times has reached out to Sebi to confirm the searches, but there was no immediate response from the regulator.

A trainer with a following

Over the years, the flamboyant market coach has trained more than 18,000 people, many from middle-class backgrounds, offering courses in Hindi, Marathi and English at a fraction of what rival trainers charge.

An engineer by qualification and a trader by passion, Sathe, 52, has positioned trading as both a livelihood and a form of national pride. He often describes the global financial system as a battlefield. “There are financial wars being fought in the information arena where trading can be one’s biggest weapon,” he told The Economics Times earlier this year.

Humble beginnings

Sathe grew up in a chawl in Dadar, central Mumbai, later moving with his family to Mulund. With a degree in engineering, he started his career in the software industry, working at Hexaware Technologies, before moving abroad. He lived in Singapore, Australia and the United States, returning to India after a stint in Silicon Valley. “My sole aim of going to the US was to click a picture with my parents at Niagara Falls,” he recalled in an earlier interview with ET.

It was during this period that his interest in markets deepened. He began investing successfully, only to lose money in subsequent trades. “That is when I realised that this is not a game of analysis or probability. It’s a game of psychology,” said Sathe, who left his IT job in 2007 to pursue trading and teaching full time.

Building ASTA

In 2008, Sathe launched his first seminar in a small banquet hall with just 12 people, among them his former boss and colleagues. From those modest beginnings, the Avadhut Sathe Trading Academy (ASTA) has expanded to train thousands across India. His courses, which include four modules spread over four months, priced at about Rs 18,000 each, combine live trading, mentorship and technical analysis.

Unlike many trainers who rely on pre-recorded videos, Sathe insists on being present with students during market hours.

Sathe has also built a team-based system where students learn from each other, often staying on as volunteers. Many of his team leaders, he claims, have gone on to record regular trading profits.

From stagecraft to scrutiny

Sathe’s theatrical style, amplified by his YouTube channel with more than 9.36 lakh subscribers, has made him one of the most recognisable faces in India’s finfluencer circuit. His popularity among retail investors, especially from smaller towns, has helped him create a loyal following.

But that visibility has now invited regulatory attention. With Sebi intensifying its action against unregistered market educators, Sathe’s methods, which were once seen as unconventional but harmless, are now being tested against compliance standards.

With regulators watching closely, the man who turned trading lessons into a Bollywood-style stage act now faces his most serious test yet.

Also read | Stock market coach teaches trading basics in Bollywood style, video goes viral

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