CRED vs Zerodha: Revenue, Profit and Business Model
CRED had ~$317.3M of annual revenue in FY2025 and a net loss of ~$169M. Zerodha had ~$1B of annual revenue in FY2025 and ~$491.5M of net income.
Latest financial snapshot
Financial summary
CRED
CRED's revenue has climbed from ~$11 million (₹95 crore) in FY21 and ~$49 million (₹422 crore) in FY22 to ~$172 million (₹1,484 crore) in FY23 (total income), ~$287 million (₹2,473 crore) in FY24 and ~$317 million (₹2,735 crore) in FY25. Growth slowed to 16% in FY25, but the company cut its operating loss by 51% to ~$34.6 million (₹298 crore) and reported gross margins of about 70%. Total loss, which includes ESOP costs and depreciation, narrowed 11.5% to ~$169 million (₹1,457 crore). Funding history tracks the same arc: the valuation peaked at $6.4 billion in 2022, fell to about $3.5 billion in a $72 million GIC-led round in May 2025, and recovered to about $4.5 billion post-money when Meta led a $900 million Series H in June 2026 (roughly $500 million primary and $400 million secondary). Kunal Shah said at the time that annual revenue had crossed ~$371 million (₹3,200 crore), without naming the period.
Zerodha
Zerodha reported revenue of ~$1.03 billion (₹8,847 crore) and net profit of ~$491 million (₹4,237 crore) in FY25, down from about $1.16 billion (₹9,993 crore) and ~$638 million (₹5,496 crore) in FY24 after SEBI's F&O changes. FY26 profit was ~$497 million (₹4,283 crore) on roughly flat revenue, helped by margin trading income.
Revenue and profit by year
CRED
| Year | Revenue | Net income | Margin | Growth | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY2025 | ~$317.3M | ~-$169M | -53.3% | +10.6% | Source |
| FY2024 | ~$286.9M | ~-$190.7M | -66.5% | +66.6% | Source |
| FY2023 | ~$172.1M | ~-$156.3M | -90.8% | +251.7% | Source |
| FY2022 | ~$49M | ~-$148.4M | -303.1% | — | Source |
Zerodha
| Year | Revenue | Net income | Margin | Growth | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY2025 | ~$1B | ~$491.5M | 47.9% | -11.5% | Source |
| FY2024 | ~$1.2B | ~$637.5M | 55.0% | +45.3% | Source |
| FY2023 | ~$797.7M | ~$336.9M | 42.2% | — | Source |
Where the revenue comes from
CRED
- Lending distribution
Not formally reported
Fees on CRED Cash personal loans and other credit underwritten by partner banks and NBFCs.
- Payments
Not formally reported
CRED Pay checkout, UPI and bill payments, where merchants and partners pay processing or marketing fees.
- Financial product distribution
Not formally reported
Insurance, mutual funds through Kuvera and other products.
- Brand partnerships and commerce
Not formally reported
Advertising, rewards and the CRED Store. Total revenue was ~$317 million (₹2,735 crore) in FY25.
Zerodha
- Brokerage (intraday and F&O)
~$318M (₹2,738 Cr) in FY26
Flat fee of up to ₹20 per executed order on intraday and derivatives trades. FY26 brokerage income fell about 11% from ~$356 million (₹3,066 crore) in FY25.
- Interest income
~$263M (₹2,269 Cr) in FY26
Interest earned on client margin funds and the company's own reserves; down about 4% year on year in FY26.
- Margin trading facility (MTF)
~10% of FY26 revenue
Launched in December 2024. Kamath said the MTF book reached about $1.04 billion (₹9,000 crore), with customers borrowing around $696 million (₹6,000 crore).
- Demat annual maintenance charges
~$20.9M (₹180 Cr) in FY26
Annual charges on demat accounts, up from ~$18.6 million (₹160 crore) in FY25. Accounts opened from 1 June 2026 get the first year free.
Business model and strategy
CRED
How it makes money
Paying a credit card bill on CRED is free, and members earn CRED Coins and rewards for doing it. The bill-pay habit is the acquisition engine; revenue comes from what CRED sells to that audience. The largest streams are: (1) lending distribution, where CRED acts as a lending service provider and earns fees on CRED Cash personal loans and other credit underwritten by partner banks and NBFCs;
Growth strategy
CRED grows by selling more products to the same affluent members rather than chasing mass sign-ups. Bill payments bring users in; lending (CRED Cash), UPI and CRED Pay drive frequency; insurance, Kuvera mutual funds and travel raise revenue per user. Acquisitions have filled gaps: HipBar (a prepaid payment licence) and Happay in 2021, CreditVidya for underwriting data in 2022, and Kuvera for wealth in 2024.
Competitive advantage
CRED's edge is the quality of its audience. Membership is gated by a 750+ credit score, so every user is a proven, card-holding borrower. That makes CRED an efficient channel for lenders, insurers and premium brands, who pay to reach customers with high spending power and low default risk.
Zerodha
How it makes money
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.
Growth strategy
With retail derivatives activity slowing under SEBI's F&O rules, Zerodha is shifting its focus from adding traders to growing customer assets. Its levers are margin trading funding, the integration of mutual funds into Kite, Zerodha Fund House's passive funds, and new businesses in asset management, lending and insurance.
Competitive advantage
Zerodha keeps costs low through in-house technology, a team of fewer than 1,100 people and no advertising spend, which lets it stay highly profitable even as trading volumes slow.
Questions about CRED vs Zerodha
Which company has higher revenue — CRED or Zerodha?
CRED had ~$317.3M (FY2025), while Zerodha had ~$1B (FY2025). By latest annual revenue, Zerodha is the larger business, with CRED showing a smaller revenue base.
How does revenue per employee compare for CRED and Zerodha?
CRED has $264k / employee in revenue per employee, while Zerodha has $933k / employee. Headcounts may use different dates, so the ratio alone does not establish which business operates more efficiently.
How do CRED and Zerodha make money?
CRED and Zerodha generate revenue in fundamentally different ways. CRED: Paying a credit card bill on CRED is free, and members earn CRED Coins and rewards for doing it. Zerodha: Zerodha earns most of its money from trading and from client funds.
Is CRED bigger than Zerodha?
By last reported revenue, Zerodha (~$1B (FY2025)) is the larger company compared to CRED (~$317.3M (FY2025)). Revenue scale is one dimension of size — market capitalisation, employee count, and geographic reach are also relevant depending on the context.
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 CRED vs Zerodha overview