According to reports from CNBC TV18, The Financial Express, ET Now, The Economic Times, and Live Mint, Zerodha has launched US stock investing in beta mode for select users via its Kite platform. The facility is routed through BSE-owned India INX Global Access at GIFT City's International Financial Services Centre (IFSC). The offering provides access to 2,000 stocks and 1,000 ETFs for eligible Indian investors, with the facility specifically designed for resident Indian individual account holders. As per NDTV Profit, the platform now allows traders to engage in fractional investing, where they can buy a fraction of a share instead of a full unit, alongside accessing ETFs with assets under management exceeding $250 million. The service provides access to up to 2,000 US-listed companies and around 1,000 ETFs, including global names such as Apple, Amazon, Alphabet, Meta, Nvidia and SpaceX. The platform allows users to set up systematic investment plans (SIPs) in eligible US stocks, with recurring investments displayed separately from SIPs in Indian securities, while the facility is currently available on Kite Web in beta mode and is set to go live soon, with the facility accessible through the International tab on Kite.
Before investing in US stocks, investors must transfer funds from their Indian bank account to a USD-denominated Global Wallet linked to their US stocks segment. As per The Financial Express, transfers are completed through net banking and routed through select partner banks, including HDFC Bank, ICICI Bank, IDFC FIRST Bank, Axis Bank and Kotak Mahindra Bank. The Global wallet is a USD wallet linked to your US stocks segment, where money added is used to buy US stocks and proceeds from selling are credited back. Transfers initiated before 2:30 PM IST typically reach the Global wallet within two working days, while transfers after 2:30 PM IST take up to 3 working days. Transaction limits are set by partner banks with the minimum amount per transaction across most banks being USD 50 for your first transfer and USD 100 for subsequent transfers. Banks apply a negotiated currency conversion markup of 0.5% to 1.2% above the RBI reference rate when converting Indian Rupees to US Dollars. Any resident Indian with an individual Zerodha account can invest in US stocks through the platform, with existing customers activating the US stocks segment through their Zerodha account.
The platform allows investors to buy fractional shares with an investment starting at USD 1, providing unprecedented access to global markets. As reported by Zerodha, the facility supports investments in up to 2,000 US-listed companies and around 1,000 ETFs, including global names such as Apple, Amazon, Alphabet, Meta, Nvidia and SpaceX. Investors can use their existing Zerodha accounts to activate the US stocks segment by logging into account.zerodha.com and selecting the relevant option under the Segments section, while new users must first open an account. Once activated, US stocks and ETFs are available under the international tab on the Kite platform, where users can search for securities, place orders, and track their global holdings, much as they do with Indian stocks. The platform allows users to set up systematic investment plans (SIPs) in eligible US stocks, with recurring investments displayed separately from SIPs in Indian securities. However, the platform supports delivery-based orders only, with intraday (MIS) and margin trading options not available. US Standard Time (November to March): 8:00 PM to 2:30 AM IST, while US Daylight Saving Time (March to November): 7:00 PM to 1:30 AM IST.
US investing through Zerodha is strictly delivery-based, with intraday (MIS) and margin trading options not available. Stop-loss orders will be introduced soon via Good Till Triggered (GTT) mechanism. Same-day buy and sell trades are permitted, and orders can be placed at any time but are executed only when the US market is open. US Standard Time (November to March): 8:00 PM to 2:30 AM IST, while US Daylight Saving Time (March to November): 7:00 PM to 1:30 AM IST. The platform allows fractional investing, enabling investors to buy portions of eligible stocks or ETFs using exact dollar amounts, with profits, losses, and dividends scaling with the fraction owned. Pre-market and after-hours trading sessions are also available within the specified timings. Market orders are executed immediately at the best available market price when the US market is open, while limit orders are executed only at your specified limit price or a better price.
As reported by CNBC TV18, Zerodha charges 0.1% of the transaction value or $10, whichever is lower for brokerage on US stock investments. This applies to both buy and sell orders, with an additional 18% charge also applying. The platform supports only delivery-based (CNC) orders for US stocks, with intraday trading, Margin Trading Facility (MTF), and futures and options (F&O) trading not available. For comparison, Groww's published US stocks pricing also lists brokerage at 0.1%, with a minimum charge of $1 per executed order. The $10 cap limits brokerage on larger orders, such as a $20,000 order which would attract $10 in brokerage compared to $20 at a flat rate without the cap. According to NDTV Profit, additional levies include 18% IGST on brokerage, a 0.005% International Financial Services Centres Authority (IFSCA) turnover fee, and SEC and FINRA charges on sell transactions. Investors should also check other applicable charges, including currency conversion costs and taxes, before investing as the total cost may vary depending on the transaction and applicable charges.
