Archive · 13 Dec 2025
Zerodha Won’t Enter Personal Loans, Credit Cards
Zerodha, a big company that helps people buy and sell stocks, has said it won't start offering personal loans or credit cards.
The CEO, Nithin Kamath, explained that it's hard for them to compete with banks and other companies because they have to pay higher interest rates to borrow money.
This means they can't offer loans at low rates, and they don't want to deal with the problems that come with unsecured lending, like chasing people for payments.
Instead, Zerodha offers something called Loan Against Securities, which is safer and fits better with their business.
They believe in being careful and only doing things they're good at, rather than trying to grow quickly by taking big risks.
Zerodha's CEO Nithin Kamath stated the company won't enter the personal loans or credit cards market due to structural disadvantages in interest rates.
Zerodha's cost of funds is 8.5%, higher than banks (3.5%) and large NBFCs (7%), making it hard to compete on rates.
Unsecured lending involves collections and recovery agents, which Zerodha wants to avoid to maintain its brand and customer trust.
Zerodha offers Loan Against Securities (LAS) at 10-11% interest, which is safer and aligns with its risk philosophy.
LAS is seen as a natural extension of Zerodha's broking services, supporting its belief that credit should be used responsibly.
- Who
- Zerodha co-founder and CEO Nithin Kamath
- What
- Zerodha's decision to not enter the personal loans or credit cards market
- When
- Not specified
- Where
- India
- Why
- Due to structural disadvantages in interest rates and a focus on risk control and reputation
- Company
- Zerodha
- CEO
- Nithin Kamath
- Cost of Funds
- 8.5%
- Banks' Borrowing Rate
- 3.5%
- Large NBFCs' Borrowing Rate
- 7%
- LAS Interest Rate
- 10-11%
- RBI Mandated Haircut
- 50%