Starling Bank vs Zerodha: Founders, CEOs and History
Starling Bank was founded in 2014 by Anne Boden and is led by Raman Bhatia. Zerodha was founded in 2010 by Nithin Kamath, Nikhil Kamath and is led by Nithin Kamath.
Company facts
Starling Bank
- Founded
- 2014
- Headquarters
- London, England, United Kingdom
- Current CEO
- Raman Bhatia
- Employees
- 3,500
Zerodha
- Founded
- 2010
- Headquarters
- Bengaluru, Karnataka, India
- Current CEO
- Nithin Kamath
- Employees
- 1,100
Founders
Starling Bank
Anne Boden
Anne Boden founded Starling Bank in 2014. After an absolutely massive, 30-year career deeply entrenched in the rigid legacy infrastructure of massive global banks (like ABN AMRO and Allied Irish Banks), she became utterly frustrated by their terrible technolog…
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
Starling Bank
- Anne Boden2014–2023
Founder & CEO
Author of 'Banking On It' and appointed MBE for services to financial technology, Boden is widely hailed as the godmother of modern British fintech.
Source - Raman Bhatia2024–present
CEO
Bhatia previously served as CEO of OVO Energy and Head of Digital Bank for HSBC Retail Banking and Wealth Management in the UK and Europe.
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: Starling Bank and Zerodha side by side
2010Zerodha
Zerodha founded in Bengaluru
Nithin and Nikhil Kamath started operations on 15 August 2010.
2014Starling Bank
Anne Boden incorporates Starling Bank in London with the mission to build the UK's first cloud-native digital bank.
2015Starling Bank
Secures 48 million in early-stage backing from financial investor Harald McPike to fund regulatory capital requirements.
2015Zerodha
Free equity delivery and Kite
Zerodha dropped brokerage on delivery trades and moved clients to its own Kite platform.
2016Starling Bank
Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA) and Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) grant Starling a full UK banking license.
2017Starling Bank
Launches its mobile personal current account, featuring real-time notifications, in-app card locking, and zero foreign exchange fees.
2018Starling Bank
Launches Starling Business Accounts, introducing modern mobile banking to UK small and medium enterprises.
2019Zerodha
Largest Broker by Active Clients
Zerodha became the largest retail stockbroker in India by active clients in 2019.
2020Starling Bank
Accredited by the British Business Bank to distribute government-backed Coronavirus Business Interruption Loans (CBILS) and Bounce Back Loans (BBLS).
2021Starling Bank
Acquires specialist mortgage lender Fleet Mortgages for 50 million; secures 272 million Series D funding round led by Fidelity.
2022Starling Bank
Becomes the first major UK digital challenger bank to report a full-year operating profit, generating 32 million in pre-tax profit.
2023Starling Bank
Anne Boden steps down as CEO after nine years; Starling launches its global core banking SaaS business, Engine by Starling.
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.
2024Starling Bank
Raman Bhatia appointed Chief Executive Officer; Engine by Starling signs international core banking contracts with Salt Bank and AMP Bank.
2024Zerodha
Margin trading facility launched
Zerodha began offering margin trading funding in December 2024.
2026Starling Bank
Starling surpasses 300 million in annual pre-tax profit, 680 million in revenue, and 11 billion in customer deposits across 4.2 million accounts.
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
Starling Bank
- Ember2025Undisclosed
- Masthaven Mortgage Portfolio2022Undisclosed
- Fleet Mortgages2021Undisclosed
Questions about Starling Bank vs Zerodha
Who is the CEO of Starling Bank and Zerodha?
Starling Bank is led by Raman Bhatia 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 Starling Bank founded vs Zerodha?
Zerodha was founded in 2010 — 4 years before Starling Bank, which was founded in 2014. Zerodha's longer operating history gives it a deeper track record but also potentially more institutional inertia compared to the younger Starling Bank.
How many employees does Starling Bank have compared to Zerodha?
Starling Bank employs approximately 3,500 people, while Zerodha employs approximately 1,100. Starling Bank has the larger workforce at 3,500 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 Starling Bank and Zerodha headquartered?
Starling Bank is headquartered in United Kingdom and Zerodha is headquartered in India. Their different home markets mean they may face different regulatory frameworks, tax regimes, and currency exposure.
Who founded Starling Bank and Zerodha?
Starling Bank was founded by Anne Boden. Zerodha was founded by Nithin Kamath, Nikhil Kamath.
Which company has a longer operating history — Starling Bank or Zerodha?
Zerodha has been operating for approximately 16 years, making it the more established of the two companies. Starling Bank has been in operation for around 12 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 Starling Bank vs Zerodha overview