Debasish Basu is an leading Indian financial journalist who is also an acclaimed author and founder of ‘Moneylife’.
Debashis Basu is known for his relentless pursuit of being transparent and has a high financial literacy in terms of investor awareness and capital markets and his career has been remarkable, and it has shaped Indian financial discourse and inspired policy changes, thus making him a pivotal figure.
In this biography will cover major topics on Sucheta Dalal husband, like his Debashis Basu age, Professional career, Social Media presence, net worth, his book, and much more.
Debashis Basu: Biography
Debashis Basu is a renowned Indian financial journalist, author, and Chartered Accountant with over 35 years of experience as a journalist and columnist.
He is the author of several books and is also the founder, editor, and publisher of ‘MoneyLife’. He has written several columns for Business Standard and the Economic Times.
| Name | Debashis Basu |
| Birthdate | 1 August 1960 |
| Birth Place | Kolkata, West Bengal |
| Hometown | Kolkata |
| Known For | Founder of ‘MoneyLife’ and writing ‘The Scam: From Harshad Mehta to Ketan Parekh’ |
| Nationality | Indian |
| Religion | Hindu |
| Net Worth | Not disclosed |
| Spouse | Sucheta Dalal |
Debashis Basu Age (As of 2025)
Having been born on 1st August 1960, Debashis is currently 65 years old. His birth month is August, so his zodiac sign is Leo.
| Age | 65 Years |
| Date of Birth | 1 August 1960 |
| zodiac sign | Leo |
Debashis Basu Height, Weight and Physique
With a height of 5 feet 10 inches, which is equivalent to 178 cm, Debashis is currently weighing around 77 kg approximately. He has black eyes and salt and pepper hair color, which gives him the edge and a rather distinguished appearance.
| Physique | Details |
| Height | 178 cm 1.78 m 5 Feet 10 Inches |
| Weight | Not Known |
| Hair Colour | Salt & Paper |
| Eye Colour | Black |
Family Members
Debashis Basu was born and raised in Kolkata, India. Although he was raised in a culturally rich family, details about his family and siblings are not available as they are largely kept private. It is, however, known that he spent his foundational years in Kolkata.
| Relation | Details |
| Father | Not Known |
| Mother | Not Known |
| Wife | Sucheta Dalal (Journalist) |
Educational Qualifications
He went on to complete his early schooling from Dumdum Airport High School, and then he enrolled at Goenka College of Commerce and Business Administration. He completed his higher education and graduated with a Bachelor of Commerce. He further expanded his skills and knowledge by qualifying as a Chartered Accountant in 1982, thus earning a top-tier financial degree.
| Qualifications | School/Collage/University |
| School | Dumdum Airport High School, Kolkata |
| College | Goenka College of Commerce and Business Administration, Kolkata |
| Post-Graduation | Chartered Accountancy |
| Institute | The Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI) |
Debashis Basu Wife “Sucheta Dalal”
- Debashis and Sucheta’s partnership is exemplified by their marriage, but it is marked by deep mutual respect and a shared commitment to financial journalism and consumer advocacy.
- Their story of togetherness started when they met for the first time. Their collaboration began in the early 1990s, especially during the 1992 Harshad Mehta scam.
- Basu was supporting Dalal’s groundbreaking reporting, and soon after, they co-authored ‘The Scam’.
- By this time, they had already gotten quite accustomed to each other, and they got married sometime in the 1990s, although the exact year is not disclosed.
- They currently live together in Mumbai as a couple.
Debashis Basu Professional Career
Early Phase (1984-1994)
Debashis Basu began his career soon after qualifying as a CA in 1982. From 1984 to 1994, he contributed to leading business and financial publications like Business India, Business World, and Financial Express. Among the bigger names, he worked for The Times of India and Business Today. During this period, he established himself as an analytical and investigative journalist who was focused on the Indian financial markets and corporate governance.
Career as a Columnist and Journalist (1994-present)
After giving 10 years to big financial publications, he started writing weekly and bi-weekly columns for prestigious newspapers like The Economic Times and Business Standard. His columns were all about discussing financial markets, investor protection, and corporate ethics. His format and style of writing made him a trusted voice amongst retail investors and policymakers.
He is known to have co-authored several books with his wife, Sucheta Dalal, including the best-selling ‘The Scam: From Harshad Mehta to Ketan Parekh’. The book was known to be an expose on major stock market scams, and it remains a landmark work in Indian financial history to date.
Career As a Entrepreneur and Become Moneylife Founder
In 2006, Debashis Basu co-founded ‘Moneylife’ magazines, India’s first personal finance magazine with an unbiased approach to investor education. As an editor and publisher, he managed to foster a platform that has offered in-depth analysis on stocks, mutual funds, insurance, consumer rights, etc. Moneylife has introduced innovations such as fund and stock screening methods. The magazine is known for its commitment to financial transparency and accountability.
In 2010, Basu also co-established the Moneylife Foundation, a not-for-profit organization dedicated to promoting financial literacy and ethical market practices. The foundation has organized over 385 seminars and workshops across India and is educating investors and advocating for regulatory reforms.
Apart from all this, he has also served on important regulatory bodies like SEBI’s mutual fund advisory committee. He has also served on its task force for the IndoNext market segment for smaller companies.
Debashis Basu Book The Scam: From Harshad Mehta to Ketan Parekh
- The Scam: From Harshad Mehta to Ketan Parekh, which was co-authored by Debashis Basu and Sucheta Dalal, provides a detailed chronicle on Indian financial scams.
- This is especially on two of India’s most notorious stock market scams.
- The book was first published in 1993, and it gives readers an inside view of the rise and fall of Harshad Mehta, aka the ‘Big Bull’ of Wall Street. It also gives a detailed view on Ketan Parekh.
- The book is divided into two main parts – the first one detailing Harshad Mehta’s scam, from how he exploited fake bank receipts to the manipulation of stock prices. It includes a detailed journaling of the massive losses that thousands of investors had to suffer, and it also sheds light on the nexus between banks, brokers, and more.
- The second part of the book covers the Ketan Parekh scam, which was related to financial scandals, thus explaining the systemic weakness in India’s financial markets.
- Interestingly, the book goes beyond stories of individual scammers to question whether lessons have been learned. This is done to prevent future scams, thus making it a critical educational resource for investors, policymakers, and students.
Debashis Basu Net Worth
As of 2025, Debashis Basu’s estimated net worth is not disclosed publicly. However, when combining his financial stature with his wife, Sucheta Dalal, who is also a prominent financial journalist, their net worth is expected to be quite high.
This wealth reflects earnings that are accrued from decades, which range from careers in journalism to founding and running ‘Moneylife’.
Controversies
Debashis Basu has been involved in a few controversies, but they are mostly centered around Moneylife. They are as follows:
- In June 2015, Moneylife published a whistleblower letter that exposed unfair advantages given by NSE to high-frequency traders.
- In July that year, NSE filed an INR 1 billion defamation lawsuit against Basu, Dalal, and Moneylife over this expose.
- This turned into a court case, and the Bombay High Court dismissed NSE’s lawsuit, condemning its legal action as an abuse of court process. NSE was thus ordered to pay compensation to Basu and Dalal.
- Both Basu and Moneylife have faced resistance and criticism from entrenched financial interests for their reporting on banking irregularities and financial scams.
Achievements and Recognition
- Debashis has co-authored the groundbreaking book ‘The Scam: From Harshad Mehta to Ketan Parekh’, which was widely recognized for its detailed and fearless examination of financial frauds.
- He is the founder of Moneylife, along with his wife, Sucheta Dalal. It is a publication in personal finance and financial literacy.
- He has been the recipient of the prestigious Shriram Sanlam Award for Excellence in Financial Journalism (2015).
- He has successfully led impactful investigations, including the National Stock Exchange’s trading system, which has upheld its journalistic integrity in terms of legal challenges.
Recent Updates
As of 2025, Debashis Basu continues to focus on critical financial market analysis and investor awareness and education. He is known to provide incisive commentary on the Indian economy and stock markets. He discusses how the growth rate has stabilized, which poses questions for several investors.
Conclusion
Debashis Basu has left a legacy that pioneers in financial journalism and advocacy on literacy of money markets. His work has shaped investor awareness and financial transparency in India.
His career has spanned over 3 decades, which naturally makes him a power player in his field, and, combining with his expertise, Basu is considered a financial guru.
FAQs
The book, which was co-authored by Debashis Basu and Sucheta Dalal, was published in April 1993.
He got married to Sucheta sometime in the mid-1990s – the exact month and year is not mentioned
Debashis Basu is currently 65 years old.
