News · Financial Services

Zerodha raises intraday trading fees for leveraged accounts

By Startup Enthusiast · 25 March 2026

What they do

Zerodha is a major Indian stock broker with over 1.8 crore customers

The firm increases intraday F&O charges to ₹40 per order starting April 1

This hike targets users with low cash collateral to cover the broker's funding costs

Zerodha will increase intraday F&O (futures and options) trading fees to ₹40 per order from April 1.
The previous fee was ₹20 per order for these specific types of trades.
This price change applies only to accounts holding less than 50% cash or cash-equivalent collateral against required margins.
Equity delivery brokerage remains free with no planned charges for this segment.
SEBI norms require traders to maintain at least 50% total margin in cash or cash-equivalent instruments.
Zerodha stated that pledging non-cash collateral creates a cash shortage that the broker must fund.
Funding user capital incurs costs without generating corresponding revenue for the broker.
Nithin Kamath explained the rationale on the company community forum.

The MTF (margin trading facility) book size exceeded ₹5,000 crore shortly after launch.
Rising margin trading volume may necessitate future borrowing to provide collateral for users.
The Budget 2026-27 increased STT (security transaction tax) on futures and options effective April 1.
Higher regulatory taxes likely contribute to the cost structure changes for brokers.

Zerodha serves over 1.8 crore customers across India.
It manages approximately ₹9 lakh crore in equity investments.
The platform contributes to 15% of daily retail exchange volumes in India.
Products include stocks, IPOs, derivatives, mutual funds, ETFs, and bonds.
The company has invested in over 30 fintech startups as part of its ecosystem.
Tools like Nudge and Kill Switch help users manage their money.
Kite Connect provides HTTP APIs for orders, market data, and account management.
Varsity offers online stock market education while TradingQ&A hosts a community.