Adyen vs Zerodha: Founders, CEOs and History
Adyen was founded in 2006 by Pieter van der Does, Arnout Schuijff and is led by Pieter van der Does and Ingo Uytdehaage. Zerodha was founded in 2010 by Nithin Kamath, Nikhil Kamath and is led by Nithin Kamath.
Company facts
Founders
Adyen
Pieter van der Does
Pieter van der Does co-founded Adyen in 2006. Leveraging his massive experience from building his previous payments startup (Bibit), he served as Adyen's CEO, aggressively targeting highly complex, multinational tech companies (like Uber and Netflix) that desp…
Arnout Schuijff
Arnout Schuijff co-founded Adyen and served as its Chief Technology Officer. He personally architected the company's single-platform backend, completely avoiding the 'spaghetti code' of acquisitions that plagued legacy processors like Worldpay.
Zerodha
Nithin Kamath
Nithin Kamath co-founded Zerodha in 2010. Having started day trading at age 17 and suffering massive losses during the 2001 dot-com crash and 2008 financial crisis, he was deeply furious at the astronomically high brokerage fees charged by legacy Indian banks.…
Nikhil Kamath
Nikhil Kamath co-founded Zerodha in 2010. A highly skilled, aggressive day trader who dropped out of school at age 14, he provided the absolute critical trading expertise to ensure the platform catered perfectly to high-volume derivative traders, who generate…
CEOs and their tenures
Adyen
- Pieter van der Does2006–present
Co-CEO and Co-Founder
Co-founded Adyen, led it through its 2018 Euronext Amsterdam listing, and continues to oversee the company under the co-CEO structure.
Source - Ingo Uytdehaage2023–present
Co-CEO
Serving as CFO before becoming Co-CEO, he navigated the severe 2023 stock crash caused by massive hiring investments, successfully reassuring investors of the company's long-term profitability.
Source
Zerodha
- Nithin Kamath2010–present
Founder & Chief Executive Officer
Has led Zerodha since founding and publishes regular updates on its finances and risks.
Source - Nikhil Kamath2010–present
Co-Founder
As Co-Founder, he acts as the absolute financial mastermind, managing the incredibly profitable proprietary trading and investment arms of the massive, bootstrapped unicorn.
Source - Kailash Nadh2013–present
Chief Technology Officer
As the legendary CTO, he built an absolutely world-class, ultra-lean engineering team capable of processing millions of concurrent trades with virtually zero downtime, severely crippling legacy banking rivals.
Source
Timeline: Adyen and Zerodha side by side
2006Adyen
Adyen founded in Amsterdam
A group of payments entrepreneurs including Pieter van der Does and Arnout Schuijff founded Adyen.
2010Zerodha
Zerodha founded in Bengaluru
Nithin and Nikhil Kamath started operations on 15 August 2010.
2012Adyen
North American office opened
Adyen opened its San Francisco office as it expanded its international merchant business.
2014Adyen
Growth investment announced
General Atlantic and Temasek joined existing investors in a $250 million funding round.
2015Zerodha
Free equity delivery and Kite
Zerodha dropped brokerage on delivery trades and moved clients to its own Kite platform.
2017Adyen
European banking license obtained
Adyen obtained a European banking license, expanding its ability to provide acquiring and settlement services.
2018Adyen
eBay payments partnership announced
eBay selected Adyen as a primary payments processing partner for its managed-payments transition.
2018Adyen
Euronext Amsterdam listing
Adyen began trading on Euronext Amsterdam on June 13, 2018 at an offer price of €240 per share.
2019Zerodha
Largest Broker by Active Clients
Zerodha became the largest retail stockbroker in India by active clients in 2019.
2021Adyen
US banking branch launched
Adyen launched its US banking branch after receiving federal and state approvals.
2022Adyen
Embedded financial products expanded
Adyen introduced business accounts and capital products for platform customers in addition to issuing.
2023Adyen
Co-CEO structure established
Ingo Uytdehaage became co-CEO alongside Pieter van der Does after shareholder approval.
2023Zerodha
Zerodha Fund House launches its first funds
After announcing a mutual fund joint venture with smallcase in April 2023, Zerodha Fund House opened its first two passive index funds, with the offer period running to November 3, 2023.
2024Adyen
Annual processed volume exceeded ~$1.13 trillion (€1 trillion)
Adyen reported ~$1.45 trillion (€1.286 trillion) of processed volume and ~$2.28 billion (€2.015 billion) of net revenue for 2024.
2024Zerodha
Margin trading facility launched
Zerodha began offering margin trading funding in December 2024.
2025Adyen
Net revenue reached ~$2.67 billion (€2.3642 billion)
FY2025 net revenue rose 18% to ~$2.67 billion (€2.3642 billion); processed volume was separately reported at ~$1.58 trillion (€1.3943 trillion).
2026Adyen
Talon.One and Orb acquisitions closed
Adyen completed both acquisitions on July 1, adding loyalty and incentives technology from Talon.One and enterprise billing from Orb.
2026Zerodha
FY26 profit of ~$497 million (₹4,283 crore)
Profit rose about 1.2% while revenue stayed roughly flat.
2026Zerodha
Merchant banking registration
Zerodha Corporate Advisors received a Category-I merchant banking registration from SEBI.
Acquisitions
Questions about Adyen vs Zerodha
Who is the CEO of Adyen N.V. and Zerodha?
Adyen N.V. is led by Pieter van der Does and Ingo Uytdehaage and Zerodha is led by Nithin Kamath. Both serve as the top executive responsible for the company's strategy, operations, and financial performance.
When was Adyen N.V. founded vs Zerodha?
Adyen N.V. was founded in 2006 — 4 years before Zerodha, which was founded in 2010. Adyen N.V.'s longer operating history gives it a deeper track record but also potentially more institutional inertia compared to the younger Zerodha.
How many employees does Adyen N.V. have compared to Zerodha?
Adyen N.V. employs approximately 4,771 people, while Zerodha employs approximately 1,100. Adyen N.V. has the larger workforce at 4,771 employees, compared to Zerodha's 1,100. A higher headcount does not necessarily imply greater efficiency — it often reflects differences in business model (e.g., manufacturing vs. software).
Where are Adyen N.V. and Zerodha headquartered?
Adyen N.V. is headquartered in Netherlands and Zerodha is headquartered in India. Their different home markets mean they may face different regulatory frameworks, tax regimes, and currency exposure.
Who founded Adyen N.V. and Zerodha?
Adyen N.V. was founded by Pieter van der Does, Arnout Schuijff. Zerodha was founded by Nithin Kamath, Nikhil Kamath.
Which company has a longer operating history — Adyen N.V. or Zerodha?
Adyen N.V. has been operating for approximately 20 years, making it the more established of the two companies. Zerodha has been in operation for around 16 years. A longer operating history often signals greater institutional resilience and brand recognition, though it can also mean slower adaptation to new market conditions.
Figures come from each company's filings and the sources linked beside them. Amounts reported in another currency are shown in US dollars at an approximate rate and marked with ~. Back to the Adyen vs Zerodha overview