Meta financial services verification in India: how finance firms verify before they advertise

Meta financial services verification is the step most Indian finance firms skip, and it's why so many ad accounts get stuck. Good creative and a clean landing page don't help if Meta can't confirm who you are. This guide covers who must verify on Facebook and Instagram, which details to use, and how to do it before you spend on ads.

What Meta financial services verification is

There are two checks, and finance firms often need both.

1. Verification for securities and investment ads in India. Since July 2025, every advertiser running securities and investment ads aimed at people in India, including global campaigns, must verify the person or organisation that benefits from the ad and the one that pays for it. You verify with your SEBI registration details. Advertisers exempt from SEBI registration use alternative identity or business verification instead.

2. Business verification and licensing for other financial ads. Meta's financial services policy says advertisers promoting financial products may need to verify their business or identity and show that the relevant regulator authorises them. Loan, credit card and insurance ads must also target people 18 or older.

After verification, Meta shows a disclaimer on each ad with the verified names and, where there is one, the SEBI registration number. That information stays public in Meta's Ad Library for up to seven years.

Who must verify, by type of business

If you aren't sure whether an ad counts as a securities or investment ad, assume it does. An unverified investment ad is a bigger problem than one extra verification step.

What you need before you start

Most delays come from details that don't match. Get these lined up first.

Matching contact details. SEBI's March 2025 advisory asks every registered intermediary to sign up on Google and Meta with the email and mobile number registered on SEBI's SI Portal. MFDs use the details registered against their ARN. If those records are old, update them with the regulator before you start, or the one-time code goes to an inbox nobody checks.

Your legal name, exactly as registered. Use the same name, with the same spelling and punctuation, in Meta Business Suite, on your website and in your registration.

Business documents. If Meta asks for documents, have one of these ready: GST certificate, Udyam registration, company PAN, certificate of incorporation or LLP agreement.

A website that matches. Your site should show your legal name, registered address, contact details, registration number and the disclaimers your regulator requires. Remove guaranteed-return, risk-free and pressure language before Meta's reviewers see it. Our free Landing Page Compliance Check reads your page against SEBI, RBI, IRDAI, Google and Meta rules in about 30 seconds.

How to verify, step by step

1. Verify your business. In Meta Business Suite, open the Security Center and start business verification. You need full control of the business portfolio.
2. Verify for securities and investment ads. Open Authorizations and Verifications in Meta Business Suite. Meta also shows banners such as "Verification required for securities and investment ads in India" to eligible advertisers. Enter your SEBI registration details (or ARN), then confirm the one-time code sent to your registered email or phone.
3. Set the beneficiary and payer. In Ads Manager's advertising settings, choose the verified beneficiary and payer as your default for ads delivered to India. You can also set them for each ad set.
4. Check the disclaimer. Preview an ad and confirm the names and registration number it shows match your website.

In our experience, a name or address mismatch can add one to two weeks, which is why the matching step matters most.

If an agency runs your ads

The licensed firm verifies, not the agency. Meta recommends that advertisers complete verification themselves and that clients keep at least partial access to any account an agency runs for them.

In practice, that means three things. Your firm owns the business portfolio. Your agency gets partner access to the ad account. And every ad runs under your firm's verified name, never the agency's or an employee's.

Ads that don't need verification

Meta's policy lists a few types of finance ad that can run without authorisation:

• Brand ads for banks or insurance companies
• Ads for news articles that don't make an offer
• Education or training about applying for or managing loans
• Ads that mention a financial product without a way to get it or connect with it

Ads focused only on financial education may not need SEBI verification, but Meta's alternative verification can still apply. Once an ad links to a product or a sign-up form, treat it as a product ad.

What usually goes wrong

Skipping verification because Meta shows it as optional. In our experience, unverified finance accounts tend to get flagged once spend rises. Verify before the first campaign, not after the first rejection.

Details that don't match. A different email, an old phone number or a shortened company name is the most common cause of delay.

A landing page that contradicts the ad. If the ad is compliant but the page promises guaranteed returns, the ad still gets rejected.

Raising spend too fast. In our experience, new finance accounts do better when spend rises in steps of about 20 to 30% once approvals are steady, rather than in sudden jumps.

Running Google Ads too?

Meta verification doesn't carry over to Google. Google's financial services verification for Google Ads is a separate process, run through its outside partner G2RS. Read our guide to G2RS and Google's Financial Services Verification for the steps.

Checklist before your next Meta campaign

• Email and phone on SEBI's SI Portal (or your ARN record) are current.
• Legal name matches across Meta, your website and your registration.
• Business verified in Meta Business Suite.
• Securities and investment verification done, if your ads promote investments.
• Beneficiary and payer set for ads delivered to India.
• Loan, credit card and insurance ads target people 18 or older.
• Landing page checked for guaranteed-return and risk-free language.
• Your firm owns the business portfolio; your agency has partner access.

For the wider picture of finance advertising in India, see our guide to digital marketing for financial services. For PMS and AIF ad rules, read our guide to SEBI's Common Advertisement Code.