Archive · 22 Jan 2026
Zerodha's Kamath Warns of MTF Risks
Nithin Kamath, the founder of Zerodha, a big company that helps people buy and sell stocks, has warned about some risks.
He's talking about a service called MTF, which lets people borrow money to buy stocks.
The amount of money borrowed for this has grown a lot, almost doubling in a year and increasing more than four times in four years.
Kamath says managing the risks of MTF is harder than other types of trading.
He's worried that if the stock market goes down quickly, many people might have to sell their stocks at the same time, which could make things worse.
He also mentioned that people can borrow a lot of money using stocks they own as security, which can lead to bigger losses if the market falls.
Zerodha's outstanding MTF value reached a record 1.16 trillion, up 50% year-on-year and over four-fold in four years.
MTF loan book crossed 1 trillion for the first time in September 2025.
MTF allows investors to borrow funds to purchase securities, with brokers financing the rest at an interest cost.
Kamath highlighted the complexity of risk management in MTF compared to futures and options (F&O).
He warned of potential 'synchronised liquidations' during market corrections due to minimal short-selling and illiquid stocks.
- Who
- Nithin Kamath, founder of Zerodha
- What
- Warned about risks in margin trading facility (MTF) loan books
- When
- As of January 19, with a milestone in September 2025
- Where
- India
- Why
- Due to rapid growth and potential for synchronised liquidations during market corrections
- Outstanding MTF Value
- 1.16 trillion (as of January 19)
- Year-on-Year Growth
- 50%
- Growth Over Four Years
- Over four-fold
- MTF Loan Book Milestone
- Crossed 1 trillion in September 2025
- Number of Stocks Permitted for MTF
- Over 1,300
- Potential Leverage
- Shares worth 1 lakh can be leveraged into an MTF position of up to 5 lakh