Regulator Sebi on Friday approved a raft of relaxations for foreign portfolio investors, alternative investment funds and entities seeking to raise funds through initial share sales, as part of facilitating the ease of doing business in the securities market. Also, the board of Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) gave its nod for a uniform approach for verification of market rumours by entities that have listed their equities. In a move aimed at testing the feasibility of the optional T+0 settlement mechanism, a Beta version for a limited 25 scrips and limited brokers will be launched. Sebi will continue to do further stakeholder consultation, including with the users of the Beta version. The progress will be reviewed at the end of three months and six months, after which further course of action will be decided, Sebi said in a release. These proposals were cleared by the Sebi board at its meeting that ended late on Friday. Among other measures, the regulator decided to