Worldpay vs Zerodha: Founders, CEOs and History
Worldpay was founded in 1971 by Nick Ogden and is led by Cameron Bready (CEO of parent Global Payments). Zerodha was founded in 2010 by Nithin Kamath, Nikhil Kamath and is led by Nithin Kamath.
Company facts
Founders
Worldpay
Nick Ogden
Nick Ogden founded WorldPay in 1997 as one of the early services for accepting card payments online in multiple currencies. The business later became part of Royal Bank of Scotland's card processing operations. The current Worldpay, Inc.
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
Worldpay
- Philip Jansen2013–2018
Chief Executive Officer, Worldpay Group plc (2013 - 2018)
Serving as CEO, he aggressively modernized the incredibly complex, legacy payment routing infrastructure before moving on to lead BT Group.
Source - Charles Drucker2024–2026
Chief Executive Officer (2024 - 2026)
Guided Worldpay's separation from FIS and its sale to Global Payments.
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: Worldpay and Zerodha side by side
1971Worldpay
Fifth Third Bank forms Midwest Payment Systems.
1997Worldpay
Nick Ogden launches the original WorldPay online payment service in the UK.
2010Worldpay
Worldpay Sold by RBS
Royal Bank of Scotland sold a majority of Worldpay to Advent International and Bain Capital in 2010.
2010Zerodha
Zerodha founded in Bengaluru
Nithin and Nikhil Kamath started operations on 15 August 2010.
2011Worldpay
Fifth Third Processing Solutions adopts the Vantiv name.
2012Worldpay
Vantiv lists on the NYSE.
2013Worldpay
Philip Jansen becomes CEO
Philip Jansen became CEO of Worldpay in 2013. Took the UK business from private equity ownership to a public listing and sale.
2014Worldpay
Acquired Mercury Payment Systems
Worldpay acquired Mercury Payment Systems for $1.65 billion.
2015Worldpay
Worldpay Group London IPO
Worldpay Group listed on the London Stock Exchange in October 2015.
2015Zerodha
Free equity delivery and Kite
Zerodha dropped brokerage on delivery trades and moved clients to its own Kite platform.
2018Worldpay
Vantiv acquires Worldpay Group and becomes Worldpay, Inc.
2019Worldpay
FIS acquires Worldpay.
2019Zerodha
Largest Broker by Active Clients
Zerodha became the largest retail stockbroker in India by active clients in 2019.
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.
2024Worldpay
GTCR closes its purchase of a 55% stake; Charles Drucker returns as CEO.
2024Zerodha
Margin trading facility launched
Zerodha began offering margin trading funding in December 2024.
2026Worldpay
Global Payments completes its $24.25 billion acquisition of Worldpay.
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
Worldpay
- Worldpay Group plc2018$10.4B
- Mercury Payment Systems2014$1.6B
- Litle & Co.2012$361M
Questions about Worldpay vs Zerodha
Who is the CEO of Worldpay, Inc. and Zerodha?
Worldpay, Inc. is led by Cameron Bready (CEO of parent Global Payments) 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 Worldpay, Inc. founded vs Zerodha?
Worldpay, Inc. was founded in 1971 — 39 years before Zerodha, which was founded in 2010. Worldpay, Inc.'s longer operating history gives it a deeper track record but also potentially more institutional inertia compared to the younger Zerodha.
How many employees does Worldpay, Inc. have compared to Zerodha?
Worldpay, Inc. employs approximately 8,500 people, while Zerodha employs approximately 1,100. Worldpay, Inc. has the larger workforce at 8,500 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 Worldpay, Inc. and Zerodha headquartered?
Worldpay, 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 Worldpay, Inc. and Zerodha?
Worldpay, Inc. was founded by Nick Ogden. Zerodha was founded by Nithin Kamath, Nikhil Kamath.
Which company has a longer operating history — Worldpay, Inc. or Zerodha?
Worldpay, Inc. has been operating for approximately 55 years, making it the more established of the two companies. Zerodha has been in operation for around 16 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 Worldpay vs Zerodha overview