Zerodha is expecting a major revenue dip soon, Nithin Kamath shares
Zerodha CEO Nithin Kamath stated the company is experiencing a revenue plateau and anticipates a significant decline due to new Sebi regulations.
Zerodha co-founder and CEO Nithin Kamath said that the company is currently facing a plateau in revenue while preparing for a significant dip in the same later this year. In a blog post, Nithin Kamath pointed to new regulations from markets regulator Sebi, which are expected to impact the brokerage’s business operations starting October 1 this year.
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He noted, "We are already seeing revenue and profit plateau, and we are bracing for a big revenue hit later this year. Sebi's true-to-label circular will go live on October 1, 2024. We expect a 10% revenue dip".
Moreover, another regulation on index derivatives could lead to a 30% to 50% reduction in earnings, he said, adding, “Index derivatives today are a significant portion of our revenue, and any change will impact us.”
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Nithin Kamath also highlighted changes to the Annual Maintenance Charges (AMC) under the new Basic Services Demat Account (BSDA) thresholds and said, “We can charge full AMC from customers with a demat holding of ₹10 lakhs and more, as opposed to ₹4 lakhs today. Combined with us removing the account opening fee, this would be a meaningful drop in revenue.”
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Zerodha’s referral program has also taken a hit due to new guidelines from stock exchanges restricting payouts to only registered Authorised Persons, he said as the change has reduced the number of referrers from thousands to only a few registered partners.
Despite all this, Zerodha is at a strong position in the market although there is a tough road ahead for the company due to regulatory shifts, Nithin Kamath acknowledged.