N26 vs Zerodha: Founders, CEOs and History
N26 was founded in 2013 by Valentin Stalf, Maximilian Tayenthal and is led by Mike Dargan. Zerodha was founded in 2010 by Nithin Kamath, Nikhil Kamath and is led by Nithin Kamath.
Company facts
Founders
N26
Valentin Stalf
Valentin Stalf co-founded N26 in 2013 with Maximilian Tayenthal and ran it as CEO and later co-CEO for about twelve years, leading product, brand and fundraising, including the $900 million Series E in 2021.
Maximilian Tayenthal
Maximilian Tayenthal co-founded N26 and oversaw finance, regulatory, legal and operations, including securing the 2016 banking license and the remediation under BaFin's 2021-2024 growth cap.
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
N26
- Valentin Stalf2013–2025
Co-founder & Co-CEO
Led N26 from founding until stepping down as co-CEO in 2025.
Source - Maximilian Tayenthal2013–2025
Co-founder & Co-CEO
As Co-Founder and Co-CEO, he manages the massive venture capital funding rounds and internal regulatory compliance structure of the neobank.
Source - Arnd Schwierholz2023–present
Chief Financial Officer (interim co-CEO late 2025-April 2026)
As CFO, he manages the bank's liquidity and is aggressively working to resolve the severe anti-money laundering (AML) compliance issues that led to growth caps by BaFin.
Source - Mike Dargan2026–present
Chief Executive Officer
As a senior executive, he aims to professionalize the startup's chaotic internal systems, bringing them up to the standards required by the European Central Bank.
Source - Aytac Aydin2026–present
Chief Operating Officer
They lead the core software engineering teams that maintain the high reliability and sleek user interface that forms N26's primary competitive advantage against legacy banks.
Source - Marcin Pakulnicki2026–present
Chief Technology Officer
They lead the core software engineering teams that maintain the high reliability and sleek user interface that forms N26's primary competitive advantage against legacy banks.
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: N26 and Zerodha side by side
2010Zerodha
Zerodha founded in Bengaluru
Nithin and Nikhil Kamath started operations on 15 August 2010.
2013N26
Valentin Stalf and Maximilian Tayenthal found the company in Berlin as Papayer.
2015N26
Launches as Number26 in Germany and Austria with accounts issued by Wirecard Bank.
2015Zerodha
Free equity delivery and Kite
Zerodha dropped brokerage on delivery trades and moved clients to its own Kite platform.
2016N26
Receives its own German banking license and rebrands as N26; Valar Ventures leads a $40 million Series B.
2018N26
Raises $160 million Series C led by Tencent and Allianz X; launches in the UK.
2019N26
Series D led by Insight Partners values N26 at $3.5 billion; launches in the US.
2019Zerodha
Largest Broker by Active Clients
Zerodha became the largest retail stockbroker in India by active clients in 2019.
2020N26
Closes UK accounts after Brexit ends EU passporting.
2021N26
Raises $900 million Series E at about $9 billion led by Third Point Ventures and Coatue; BaFin caps new customers at about 50,000 a month.
2022N26
Exits the US market and launches crypto trading with Bitpanda.
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.
2024N26
BaFin lifts the growth cap in June; N26 reports its first quarterly profit in Q3.
2024Zerodha
Margin trading facility launched
Zerodha began offering margin trading funding in December 2024.
2025N26
First full-year net profit (~$1.81M (€1.6M)) on ~$567M (€501.6M) revenue; both co-founders step back from executive roles.
2026N26
Former UBS executive Mike Dargan becomes CEO in April; new COO, CTO and CGMO appointed.
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
N26
No verified acquisitions are listed.
Questions about N26 vs Zerodha
Who is the CEO of N26 and Zerodha?
N26 is led by Mike Dargan 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 N26 founded vs Zerodha?
Zerodha was founded in 2010 — 3 years before N26, which was founded in 2013. Zerodha's longer operating history gives it a deeper track record but also potentially more institutional inertia compared to the younger N26.
How many employees does N26 have compared to Zerodha?
N26 employs approximately 1,600 people, while Zerodha employs approximately 1,100. N26 has the larger workforce at 1,600 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 N26 and Zerodha headquartered?
N26 is headquartered in Germany and Zerodha is headquartered in India. Their different home markets mean they may face different regulatory frameworks, tax regimes, and currency exposure.
Who founded N26 and Zerodha?
N26 was founded by Valentin Stalf, Maximilian Tayenthal. Zerodha was founded by Nithin Kamath, Nikhil Kamath.
Which company has a longer operating history — N26 or Zerodha?
Zerodha has been operating for approximately 16 years, making it the more established of the two companies. N26 has been in operation for around 13 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 N26 vs Zerodha overview