Zerodha
Leadership History
2 leaders · 2010 to present
Nithin Kamath is the CEO of Zerodha, in the role since 2010.
| Name | Role | From | To | Years in role |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nithin Kamath | Founder & Chief Executive Officer | 2010 | Present | 16 |
| Nikhil Kamath | Co-Founder | 2010 | Present | 16 |
Zerodha earns most of its money from trading and from client funds. Brokerage is charged only on intraday and futures and options orders, capped at ₹20 per executed order, while equity delivery trades are free. The second large stream is interest income, mainly on client margin money and on its own cash reserves. Since December 2024 the company has also run a margin trading facility (MTF), which Nithin Kamath said contributed around 10% of FY26 revenue. Smaller streams include demat annual maintenance charges, Kite Connect API subscriptions and fees at Zerodha Fund House. Until SEBI's 'true to label' rule took effect in October 2024, brokers also kept a margin on exchange transaction charges; for Zerodha that income fell from about $46.4 million (₹400 crore) in FY25 to nil in FY26.
Founder & Chief Executive Officer
2010 – Present
16 years (current)
Introduced flat-fee broking in 2010, made equity delivery free in 2015, kept the company self-funded, and launched margin trading funding in December 2024.
Has led Zerodha since founding and publishes regular updates on its finances and risks.
Co-Founder
2010 – Present
16 years (current)
Kamath executed the highly lucrative, deeply strategic expansion of the firm's asset management division, launching True Beacon and aggressive mutual fund offerings to diversify revenue away from volatile day trading.
As Co-Founder, he acts as the absolute financial mastermind, managing the incredibly profitable proprietary trading and investment arms of the massive, bootstrapped unicorn.
These officers report to the chief executive and are not part of the CEO timeline above.
SEBI's tighter rules on retail futures and options trading, introduced from late 2024, have reduced trading activity, and the end of exchange transaction-charge rebates removed a revenue line. Brokerage income fell in both FY25 and FY26 and new account growth slowed in a weak market. Groww has more active NSE clients and grew faster in FY26. Kamath has also flagged risk in the margin trading book, as customer borrowing equals roughly a quarter of Zerodha's net worth and could hurt in a sharp market fall. The company says it needs around $1.28 billion (₹11,000 crore) of capital to operate at its current size.
Nithin Kamath has served as Zerodha's Chief Executive Officer continuously since founding the firm on August 15, 2010, steering it into India's most profitable fintech corporation.
Kamath began trading stocks at age 17, worked at a call center at night to fund his day trading, managed money for high-net-worth clients, and spent over a decade as a Reliance Money sub-broker.
Kamath promotes employee wellness, bans late-night work communications, implements wellness and fitness bonuses, and refuses to impose unrealistic sales targets on staff.
Dr. Kailash Nadh joined Zerodha in 2013 as Chief Technology Officer, architecting Kite using open-source technologies, maintaining technical independence, and refusing vendor lock-in.
Kamath publishes completely transparent annual financial breakdowns on his personal blog, detailing revenues, profit margins, risks of regulatory changes, and broader market health.
Through the Rainmatter Foundation, Kamath has committed hundreds of crores of personal wealth toward climate change solutions, sustainable agriculture, and healthcare initiatives.
In early 2024, Kamath openly shared his experience suffering a mild stroke, sparking an impactful nationwide conversation on stress, physical exercise, and cardiovascular health.
Kamath aims to make financial markets accessible, honest, and educational for all Indians, steering retail savings away from unproductive physical gold into wealth-generating enterprise equity.
Compare executive leadership tenures and strategic transitions
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