Mumbai is buzzing as ANMI, the biggest group of stock brokers in India, sends a spicy letter to Sebi! They want a brand-new category called 'training assistants/academies (TAs)' to pop up in the country, just like investment advisors (IAs) and research advisors (RAs). These TAs would be officially registered by Sebi and tasked with teaching new investors the ABCs of trading and investing. Why this sudden push? Well, ANMI is worried about retail investors burning their fingers in the futures & options (F&O) market, a headache for the government and financial watchdogs alike. A recent Sebi survey revealed a shocking truth: in the fiscal year ending March 31, 2025, over 90% of retail traders in the equity derivatives market lost money! And this isn't new – the same trend showed up the year before. Many retail investors treat F&O as a 'quick-money' game, recklessly speculating instead of hedging or managing risks prudently. Sebi had already tightened the rules on F&O trading back in October 2024 to cool down the speculation frenzy. In their letter to Sebi chief Tuhin Kanta Pandey, AMNI's national president K Suresh also pleaded to bring back weekly options trading for the Bank Nifty index, which NSE had stopped after the new rules. "ANMI believes that the most effective and sustainable way to reduce the number of retail investors incurring losses in the market is through investor education and investor eligibility criteria to avoid mis-selling of derivatives (against) expiry-date changes or product tinkering," the letter boldly states. It cites the Sebi survey again, noting that while trading volumes soared, people's knowledge and risk awareness didn't follow – no surprise that without understanding, losses pile up. ANMI promotes a powerful idea: make training mandatory so investors truly get the risks and rewards before diving in. They draw a sharp comparison: just like drivers must learn to operate vehicles to avoid accidents, traders should be trained before joining the market race. "Trading without training is like driving without learning the brakes," the letter quips. Around the globe, investor education and eligibility rules cut down retail investor losses, and ANMI wants India to follow suit. They propose a special license for these 'Trading Academies' to run multilingual, step-by-step programs tailored for everyone—from first-timers to seasoned traders. This, they argue, will ensure participants know both the golden opportunities and lurking dangers before stepping into the market. If Sebi nods to this spicy suggestion, market newbies could finally get the safety net they need to protect their money and trade smartly!