Wise vs Zerodha: Founders, CEOs and History
Wise was founded in 2011 by Kristo Käärmann, Taavet Hinrikus and is led by Kristo Käärmann. Zerodha was founded in 2010 by Nithin Kamath, Nikhil Kamath and is led by Nithin Kamath.
Company facts
Founders
Wise
Kristo Käärmann
Kristo Käärmann co-founded TransferWise with Taavet Hinrikus in 2011 and has been chief executive since 2017, when Hinrikus stepped back from the CEO role.
Taavet Hinrikus
Taavet Hinrikus co-founded TransferWise in 2011 and served as its first chief executive until 2017. He later chaired the board before stepping down from that role, and has since focused on investing in early-stage companies. Taavet Hinrikus was born in 1981.
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
Wise
- Taavet Hinrikus2011–2017
Co-founder and CEO
As Co-Founder (and the absolute first employee at Skype), he provided the critical early vision and venture capital networking required to turn a simple idea into a massive global fintech giant.
Source - Kristo Käärmann2017–present
Co-founder and CEO
As Co-Founder and CEO, he acts as the absolute driving operational force, maintaining the company's fanatical obsession with forcing transfer fees as close to zero as mathematically possible.
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: Wise and Zerodha side by side
2010Zerodha
Zerodha founded in Bengaluru
Nithin and Nikhil Kamath started operations on 15 August 2010.
2011Wise
TransferWise launches
Kristo Käärmann and Taavet Hinrikus launch TransferWise in London.
2013Wise
Valar Ventures Investment
Peter Thiel's Valar Ventures led a $6 million investment in TransferWise in 2013.
2014Wise
Series B Funding
TransferWise raised $25 million in 2014 in a round that included Richard Branson.
2015Wise
$58 million round led by Andreessen Horowitz
TransferWise raised $58 million in a Series C round led by Andreessen Horowitz in January 2015, taking total funding past $90 million.
2015Zerodha
Free equity delivery and Kite
Zerodha dropped brokerage on delivery trades and moved clients to its own Kite platform.
2017Wise
Multi-currency account
The Borderless account, now the Wise Account, lets customers hold balances in several currencies.
2019Wise
$3.5 Billion Valuation
A secondary share sale in May 2019 valued TransferWise at $3.5 billion.
2019Zerodha
Largest Broker by Active Clients
Zerodha became the largest retail stockbroker in India by active clients in 2019.
2020Wise
$5 Billion Valuation
A secondary share sale in July 2020 valued TransferWise at $5 billion.
2021Wise
Rename and London direct listing
TransferWise becomes Wise and lists directly on the London Stock Exchange in July.
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.
2026Wise
Nasdaq primary listing
Wise begins trading on Nasdaq under WSE on May 11, 2026, keeping a secondary LSE listing.
2026Wise
FY2026 results
Wise reports net revenue of $2,502.8 million and net income of $498.7 million for the year ended March 31, 2026.
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
Questions about Wise vs Zerodha
Who is the CEO of Wise Group plc and Zerodha?
Wise Group plc is led by Kristo Käärmann 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 Wise Group plc founded vs Zerodha?
Zerodha was founded in 2010 — 1 year before Wise Group plc, 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 Wise Group plc.
How many employees does Wise Group plc have compared to Zerodha?
Wise Group plc employs approximately 5,499 people, while Zerodha employs approximately 1,100. Wise Group plc has the larger workforce at 5,499 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 Wise Group plc and Zerodha headquartered?
Wise Group plc 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 Wise Group plc and Zerodha?
Wise Group plc was founded by Kristo Käärmann, Taavet Hinrikus. Zerodha was founded by Nithin Kamath, Nikhil Kamath.
Which company has a longer operating history — Wise Group plc or Zerodha?
Zerodha has been operating for approximately 16 years, making it the more established of the two companies. Wise Group plc 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 Wise vs Zerodha overview