Remitly vs Zerodha: Founders, CEOs and History
Remitly was founded in 2011 by Matthew Oppenheimer, Josh Hug, Shivaas Gulati and is led by Sebastian J. Gunningham. Zerodha was founded in 2010 by Nithin Kamath, Nikhil Kamath and is led by Nithin Kamath.
Company facts
Founders
Remitly
Matthew Oppenheimer
Matthew Oppenheimer co-founded Remitly in 2011 and was its CEO for nearly 15 years, taking it through a 2021 Nasdaq IPO and its first full year of GAAP profit in 2025. He handed the CEO role to Sebastian Gunningham on February 19, 2026 and became chairman.
Josh Hug
Josh Hug co-founded Remitly with Matthew Oppenheimer and Shivaas Gulati in 2011 and held senior operating roles as the company scaled, bringing startup experience from Shelfari. (Exact birth year remains publicly undisclosed).
Shivaas Gulati
Shivaas Gulati co-founded Remitly in 2011 alongside Matthew Oppenheimer and Josh Hug and worked on the early product and engineering of the remittance platform. (Exact birth year remains publicly undisclosed).
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
Remitly
- Matt Oppenheimer2011–2026
Co-founder and Chief Executive Officer
Led Remitly for nearly 15 years; became chairman when Sebastian Gunningham took over on February 19, 2026.
Source - Vikas Mehta2025–present
Chief Financial Officer
Leads financial planning, accounting, tax, investor relations and treasury; joined as CFO in 2025.
Source - Sebastian J. Gunningham2026–present
Chief Executive Officer
Gunningham took over a company coming off its first GAAP-profitable year and in Q2 2026 reported record revenue, adjusted EBITDA and net income while active customers passed 10 million.
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: Remitly and Zerodha side by side
2010Zerodha
Zerodha founded in Bengaluru
Nithin and Nikhil Kamath started operations on 15 August 2010.
2011Remitly
Remitly is founded as BeamIt Mobile
Matthew Oppenheimer founded the company that became Remitly after seeing the pain of cross-border money movement while working abroad; Josh Hug and Shivaas Gulati joined as co-founders.
2012Remitly
BeamIt becomes Remitly
The company sharpened its focus on digital remittances and adopted the Remitly name.
2013Remitly
Philippines corridor validates the model
Early remittance service to the Philippines helped Remitly test a digital-first alternative to agent-led money transfer.
2015Zerodha
Free equity delivery and Kite
Zerodha dropped brokerage on delivery trades and moved clients to its own Kite platform.
2019Zerodha
Largest Broker by Active Clients
Zerodha became the largest retail stockbroker in India by active clients in 2019.
2021Remitly
Remitly goes public on Nasdaq
Remitly became a public company under ticker RELY, giving it capital and visibility for corridor expansion.
2023Remitly
Rewire acquisition closes
Remitly completed its acquisition of Israeli migrant-finance platform Rewire, adding complementary geographies and account-based remittance capabilities.
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.
2024Zerodha
Margin trading facility launched
Zerodha began offering margin trading funding in December 2024.
2025Remitly
Remitly reports first full year of GAAP profitability
FY2025 revenue reached about $1.6 billion, send volume reached $74.9 billion, and net income was about $67.9 million.
2026Remitly
Sebastian J. Gunningham becomes CEO
Remitly appointed Sebastian J. Gunningham CEO effective February 19, 2026; co-founder Matt Oppenheimer continued as Chairman.
2026Remitly
Active customers pass 10 million
Q2 2026 revenue rose 20% to $495.2 million, send volume rose 27% to $23.5 billion and quarterly active customers reached 10.2 million.
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
Remitly
- Rewire2022$80M
- Passbook Digital Banking Platform2020Undisclosed
- Symphoni2019Undisclosed
Questions about Remitly vs Zerodha
Who is the CEO of Remitly Global, Inc. and Zerodha?
Remitly Global, Inc. is led by Sebastian J. Gunningham 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 Remitly Global, Inc. founded vs Zerodha?
Zerodha was founded in 2010 — 1 year before Remitly Global, Inc., which was founded in 2011. Zerodha's longer operating history gives it a deeper track record but also potentially more institutional inertia compared to the younger Remitly Global, Inc..
How many employees does Remitly Global, Inc. have compared to Zerodha?
Remitly Global, Inc. employs approximately 3,600 people, while Zerodha employs approximately 1,100. Remitly Global, Inc. has the larger workforce at 3,600 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 Remitly Global, Inc. and Zerodha headquartered?
Remitly Global, Inc. is headquartered in United States and Zerodha is headquartered in India. Their different home markets mean they may face different regulatory frameworks, tax regimes, and currency exposure.
Who founded Remitly Global, Inc. and Zerodha?
Remitly Global, Inc. was founded by Matthew Oppenheimer, Josh Hug, Shivaas Gulati. Zerodha was founded by Nithin Kamath, Nikhil Kamath.
Which company has a longer operating history — Remitly Global, Inc. or Zerodha?
Zerodha has been operating for approximately 16 years, making it the more established of the two companies. Remitly Global, Inc. has been in operation for around 15 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 Remitly vs Zerodha overview