Archive · 21 Aug 2026
Zerodha’s Nithin Kamath Seeks Radical Ideas to Transform Trading
Nithin Kamath thinks trading could work very differently in the future.
Today, people usually place orders through a broker, which sends them to an exchange.
He believes AI could create a personal interface for each investor.
This interface might become more important than a broker’s app.
Kamath is asking founders to build unusual ideas that could change investing.
He says some ideas may fail, but others could become popular.
Gaurav Udani agrees that trading interfaces may change.
However, he says brokers will still provide important systems for safe execution, rules and customer trust.
Udani also warns that faster tools could lead people to make faster and more emotional trades.
Nithin Kamath invited fintech founders to propose radical ways to change trading and investing.
Kamath said the broker-exchange model could eventually become less central to market access.
He suggested investors might use personalized, AI-built interfaces instead of broker apps.
Zerodha and Rainmatter are exploring ideas involving AI, tokenisation, prediction markets and other experiments.
Gaurav Udani said brokers may remain essential because execution, risk controls, compliance and trust still depend on them.
- Who
- Nithin Kamath, Zerodha and Rainmatter; Gaurav Udani of Thincredblu Securities offered a contrasting view.
- What
- Kamath invited fintech founders to develop radical products that could reshape trading and investing.
- When
- Kamath made the invitation in a post on X; no date was specified.
- Where
- The discussion took place through Kamath’s post on X and comments reported by NDTV.
- Why
- Zerodha and Rainmatter want to explore whether AI and other emerging technologies could change how people access financial markets.
Brokers May Become Less Visible
Brokers May Become More Important
Future role of brokers
Brokers May Become Less Visible
Nithin Kamath said a broker could eventually become little more than a pipe connecting customers with exchanges.
Brokers May Become More Important
Gaurav Udani argued that brokers may remain essential because their underlying infrastructure supports execution, risk management, compliance and capital adequacy.
Importance of trading apps
Brokers May Become Less Visible
Kamath suggested investors may use personalized AI interfaces instead of broker-provided apps.
Brokers May Become More Important
Udani said users are loyal to execution quality, uptime and trust with their capital rather than to a particular app.
Effect of better tools
Brokers May Become Less Visible
Kamath sees AI and new market structures as potential foundations for radically different trading experiences.
Brokers May Become More Important
Udani warned that slicker interfaces could make retail traders faster and more confident without improving their discipline, potentially increasing emotional trading.
- Main speaker
- Nithin Kamath, founder and CEO of Zerodha
- Organizations seeking ideas
- Zerodha and its investment arm Rainmatter
- Current trading model
- Customers generally place orders through a broker, which sends them to an exchange
- Possible future interface
- A personalized, AI-built interface for interacting with markets
- Emerging areas mentioned
- AI, tokenisation, prediction markets and other experiments
- Alternative view
- Gaurav Udani said broker infrastructure may become more valuable, not less
- Key risk
- Faster AI tools could amplify emotional or poorly disciplined trading