HDFC Bank vs Zerodha: Revenue, Profit and Business Model
HDFC Bank reported ~$32.9B of revenue in FY2026 and ~$8.8B of net income. Zerodha reported ~$1B of revenue in FY2025 and ~$491.5M of net income.
Latest financial snapshot
Financial summary
HDFC Bank
For FY2025-26 HDFC Bank reported net revenues of ~$22.2 billion (INR 1,91,218.60 crore) (+13.6%) and standalone profit after tax of ~$8.66 billion (INR 74,671.30 crore) (+10.9%), with net interest margin of 3.34% and gross NPAs of 1.15%. The board recommended a final dividend of INR 13 per share. Q1 FY2026-27 standalone profit was ~$2.21 billion (INR 19,060 crore), up about 5% (around 9.8% excluding one-off items in the prior-year quarter), with net interest income up 7%, deposits of ~$368 billion (INR 31.71 lakh crore) (+14.7%), gross advances of ~$355 billion (INR 30.61 lakh crore) (+15.4%) and a capital adequacy ratio of 19.6%. Margin pressure was the main reason the shares fell after the results.
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
HDFC Bank
| Year | Revenue | Net income | Margin | Growth | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY2026 | ~$32.9B | ~$8.8B | 26.8% | +3.8% | Source |
| FY2025 | ~$31.7B | ~$8.2B | 25.9% | +19.2% | Source |
| FY2024 | ~$26.5B | ~$7.4B | 28.0% | +102.5% | Source |
| FY2023 | ~$13.1B | ~$5.3B | 40.7% | +24.0% | Source |
| FY2022 | ~$10.6B | ~$4.4B | 41.7% | — | 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% | — | Source |
Where the revenue comes from
HDFC Bank
- Net Interest Income
67.3% of net revenues
Spread income from loans, investments, and funding after interest expense.
- Other Income
32.7% of net revenues
Fees, commissions, foreign exchange, derivatives, investment income, and other banking income.
- Digital, Cards, Payments, and Distribution
Embedded in fee income
Transaction, card, payment, wealth, and distribution income tied to customer relationships.
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
HDFC Bank
How it makes money
HDFC Bank makes money mainly from the spread between what it earns on loans and investments and what it pays depositors. Net interest income was roughly two-thirds of FY2025-26 net revenues; the rest came from fees and commissions on cards, payments, third-party distribution and transaction banking, plus treasury and foreign-exchange income.
Growth strategy
Since the July 2023 merger with HDFC Ltd, the strategy has shifted from maximising loan growth to rebuilding the funding mix. Management deliberately let advances grow more slowly than deposits in FY2025 and FY2026 to bring the credit-to-deposit ratio down, then resumed faster lending: gross advances grew 15.4% and deposits 14.7% year on year in Q1 FY2026-27.
Competitive advantage
HDFC Bank's edge is a low-cost retail deposit base gathered through nearly 9,700 branches and DBUs, a long record of tight underwriting (gross NPA ratio of 1.15% at March 2026), and enough digital scale that 98% of financial transactions run online. Salary accounts, credit cards and home loans tie customers into multiple products, which lowers acquisition cost and raises switching friction.
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 HDFC Bank vs Zerodha
Which company has higher revenue — HDFC Bank Limited or Zerodha?
HDFC Bank Limited reported ~$32.9B (FY2026), while Zerodha reported ~$1B (FY2025). By last reported revenue, HDFC Bank Limited is the larger business, with Zerodha reporting a smaller revenue base. Note: these are from different fiscal years and are not a direct like-for-like comparison.
What is the market cap of HDFC Bank Limited vs Zerodha?
HDFC Bank Limited has a market capitalisation of $118.8B. A public market cap figure for Zerodha was not available (it may be privately held).
Which is more financially efficient — HDFC Bank Limited or Zerodha?
HDFC Bank Limited generates $156k / employee in revenue per employee, while Zerodha generates $933k / employee. Zerodha shows higher revenue efficiency per headcount, though this reflects business model differences — capital-light software companies routinely outperform labour-intensive manufacturers on this metric.
How do HDFC Bank Limited and Zerodha make money?
HDFC Bank Limited and Zerodha generate revenue in fundamentally different ways. HDFC Bank Limited: HDFC Bank makes money mainly from the spread between what it earns on loans and investments and what it pays depositors. Zerodha: Zerodha earns most of its money from trading and from client funds.
Is HDFC Bank Limited bigger than Zerodha?
By last reported revenue, HDFC Bank Limited (~$32.9B (FY2026)) is the larger company compared to Zerodha (~$1B (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 HDFC Bank vs Zerodha overview