Zerodha was founded in 2010 in Bengaluru, India, and has grown into the country's largest retail stock broker by active clients. It revolutionised the Indian brokerage industry with its flat-fee, discount pricing model and its proprietary trading platform, Kite, which is known for its speed and reliability. While these innovations have won over millions of Indian investors, the relevance for Singapore traders is extremely limited.
Zerodha does not hold a MAS licence, does not open accounts for Singapore residents, and offers no local payment options such as PayNow, bank transfer, or credit card deposits from Singapore. Its product suite is tied to Indian securities, and its entire operational setup is designed for Indian residents with GST, PAN, and Indian bank accounts. For Singapore's sophisticated traders, Zerodha's absence of MAS oversight and lack of local support makes it a non-viable choice in 2026.
That said, the broker's educational platform, Varsity, is widely respected and freely accessible, which can benefit traders globally. But for actual trading and investing, Singapore traders are far better served by brokers who are regulated by the MAS and who offer local payment rails like PayNow.
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Founded | — |
| Headquarters | — |
| Regulated by | — |
| Min Deposit | $0 |
| Max Leverage | — |
| Platforms | — |
| Islamic Account | Not available |
| Copy Trading | Not available |
| Demo Account | Available |
| Instrument | Typical Spread | Commission/Lot | All-In Cost | Standard Spread |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| EUR/USD | Check broker | Varies | Varies | Check broker |
| Feature | Available |
|---|---|
| Demo Account | Yes |
| ECN/Raw Account | No |
| Islamic (Swap-free) | No |
| Scalping Allowed | Yes |
| Hedging Allowed | Yes |
| Expert Advisors (EA) | Yes |
| Copy Trading | No |
Zerodha does not offer Islamic accounts or swap-free trading in any of its account types. Its trading model is built around the Indian exchange ecosystem, where overnight positions are subject to exchange-mandated charges, carrying costs, or similar. The concept of a dedicated Islamic benchmark account is not part of Zerodha's product roadmap.
Singapore Muslim traders who require a Sharia-compliant trading option should look elsewhere. Several MAS-regulated brokers offer genuine Islamic accounts with no swap or interest, and importantly, they clearly disclose whether a wider spread replaces the swap fee. Zerodha is not a viable option for this segment in 2026.
| Feature | Details |
|---|---|
| Islamic Account Available | No |
| Swap Fees | May apply |
| Hidden Admin Fees | Verify with broker before trading |
| How to Apply | Contact support after opening standard account |
| Approval Time | Usually same business day |
| Asset Class | Examples | Available | Typical Spread |
|---|---|---|---|
| Forex Major Pairs | EUR/USD, GBP/USD, USD/JPY | All available | Check broker |
| Gold (XAU/USD) | Spot Gold | Available | — |
| Silver (XAG/USD) | Spot Silver | Available | Check broker |
| Oil CFDs | WTI Crude, Brent Crude | Available | $0.03–$0.05 |
| Stock Indices | S&P500, NASDAQ, DAX, FTSE | Available | 0.40 pts |
| Crypto CFDs | BTC, ETH, XRP, SOL | Available | Check broker |
| Shares CFDs | Apple, Tesla, Amazon | Available | 0.02% |
| Broker | Min Deposit | EUR/USD | Islamic | TradingView | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Zerodha (current) | $0 | Check broker | No | No | 4.5 |
| Pepperstone | $0 | 0.09 pips | Yes | Yes | 4.9 |
| IC Markets | $200 | 0.02 pips | Yes | No | 4.8 |
| Exness | $10 | 0.10 pips | Yes | No | 4.8 |
Zerodha is a fascinating broker to study because it has shaken up the Indian market with its low fees and excellent technology. However, for Singapore traders, the conclusion is unambiguous: Zerodha is not a suitable choice. It has no MAS licence, no client-facing entity in Singapore, no local payment methods like PayNow, and no product offerings that match the needs of Singapore's sophisticated trading community.
Even if you are an ex-pat Indian residing in Singapore, the regulatory block means you cannot use Zerodha without maintaining a full Indian address and banking relationship, which itself can be difficult. Instead, we recommend Singapore traders select a MAS-regulated broker that offers global forex and CFDs with tight spreads, robust platforms like MT5 or TradingView, and instant SGD deposits via PayNow. In 2026, there are many better locally supervised alternatives that will protect your capital and offer a transparent trading experience.