Zerodha US Stocks Are Here: Buy 2,000 US Shares from Kite at 0.1% Brokerage

# Zerodha US Stocks Are Here: Buy 2,000 US Shares from Kite at 0.1% Brokerage

Zerodha has finally switched on US stock investing. On 19 October 2026, the discount broker started enabling US stock trading in beta mode for select users on Kite, letting resident Indians buy shares of US-listed companies and ETFs from the same account they use for Indian stocks.

: every charge, every tax rule, every catch, verified from Zerodha's own official support guide and cross-checked with four business publications. No hype, just the full picture so you can decide whether to switch it on.

What exactly has launched (and what has not)

First, the precise status, because headlines skip this part:

• US investing is in beta on Kite web only, rolling out to select users first. Zerodha says it will go live for everyone soon.
• You can invest in up to 2,000 of the largest US-listed companies by market capitalisation.
• You also get around 1,000 ETFs, but only those with assets under management above $250 million. ETFs below that cut-off are not available.
• Bitcoin ETFs and leveraged ETFs are excluded, even if they meet the AUM requirement.
• Fractional investing is supported. If a stock costs $300 and you want to invest $75, you buy exactly 0.25 shares. Profits, losses and dividends scale with your fraction. Minimum investment starts around $1 for fractional orders.
• In your MarketWatch, US stocks carry an INTL tag so you can spot them instantly.
• US stocks settle on a T+1 cycle (one business day after trade date).

What is NOT live yet, though Zerodha lists it as upcoming: SIPs in US stocks, GTT and stop-loss orders, price alerts, basket orders and technical analysis tools. A few news summaries casually mention SIPs as if they exist. They do not, not yet.

How it works behind the scenes

Zerodha routes these investments through BSE's India INX Global Access at GIFT City IFSC. One honest gap: Zerodha has not officially named the underlying US brokerage or clearing partner that actually executes the orders on NYSE and Nasdaq. For a beta, that disclosure would inspire more confidence, and it is worth watching.

On your side, the process is simple:

1. Log in to Kite (or account.zerodha.com) and click International, then Enable US investing. 2. Your Aadhaar must be linked to your mobile number. If it is not, finish re-KYC first. 3. No income proof is needed (unlike the F&O segment). 4. Activation takes up to 48 working hours, and you get an email confirmation.

You do not need to open a separate demat account, and there is no physical paperwork.

Who can and cannot use it

This table matters more than most people realise:

If you fall in the right-hand column, the segment simply will not activate for you.

Moving money in and out: the Global wallet

Before buying anything, you transfer rupees from your registered Indian bank account into a USD-denominated Global wallet inside Zerodha. Sale proceeds land back in the same wallet, and you can withdraw to your bank whenever you want.

The funding rules, straight from the official guide:

Bank-wise maximum per transaction also differs:

The full charge sheet (the part everyone skips)

Here is every cost, in one table, with the official numbers:

Two things to notice. First, the $10 brokerage cap is genuinely investor-friendly: on a $20,000 order, you pay $10 instead of $20. Groww, the main rival here, also charges 0.10% with a $1 minimum but publishes no maximum cap. Second, the real cost of US investing is not brokerage, it is the forex markup plus TCS (below). Anyone comparing platforms on brokerage alone is doing the maths wrong. Our Brokerage Calculator lets you test your own trade size once you factor all of this in.

Zerodha's own worked example for a $9,000 buy order:

On a $9,000 sell, add the SEC fee of $0.19 for a total of $11.26 in charges.

Taxes and LRS: the rules that decide your real return

Every transfer to your Global wallet travels under the RBI's Liberalised Remittance Scheme (LRS). The essentials:

The TCS bit catches people off guard. If you remit Rs 6 lakh for foreign travel and Rs 5 lakh for US stocks in the same year, your combined Rs 11 lakh crosses the threshold, and 20% TCS applies on the investment portion. Keep your PAN linked to Aadhaar, or a higher TCS rate can apply.

On capital gains, the India-US tax treaty (DTAA) works in your favour:

One more trading restriction to know: only delivery (CNC) orders are allowed. Intraday (MIS) and margin trading are not available, US IPO applications are not supported, and same-day buy-sell is permitted. Zerodha also notes that securities lending, bid-ask quotes in market depth, and IPO access may come later.

Zerodha vs the alternatives: an honest read

Groww already offers US investing to its users, and INDmoney has built its brand around it. On published pricing, Zerodha's edge is the $10 per-order brokerage cap, which helps on larger orders. On everything else, forex markup, TCS, LRS limits, the DTAA tax treatment, the maths is identical no matter which Indian platform you use, because those are set by banks, the RBI and the tax department, not the broker.

The honest comparison checklist before you pick a platform:

1. Brokerage cap on your typical order size 2. Actual forex markup your bank applies (0.5% to 1.2% is a range, not a promise) 3. Fractional investing minimums 4. How fast funding and withdrawals actually settle 5. Whether SIPs and stop-loss exist yet (Zerodha: not yet)

If you want the full broker picture, our Zerodha broker page tracks its plans and charges, and the brokers hub compares every major Indian broker side by side.

Should you switch it on?

Switch it on if you want dollar exposure to global technology companies from inside the Kite app you already use, and you are comfortable with delivery-only investing and a beta product. Wait if you need SIPs, stop-loss orders, or NRI/HUF eligibility, all of which are missing or upcoming.

The biggest real cost is not Zerodha's brokerage. It is the forex markup on every rupee you convert plus the 20% TCS once you cross Rs 10 lakh of overseas remittances in a year. Run those two numbers before your first transfer, and the 0.1% brokerage becomes a footnote, exactly as it should be.

FAQs

### Is Zerodha US stock investing fully launched or still in beta? As of 19 October 2026, it is in beta on Kite web for select users. Zerodha says it will go live for all users soon. Activation takes up to 48 working hours once you enable the segment.

### What is the minimum amount needed to start investing in US stocks via Zerodha? Your first fund transfer to the Global wallet must be at least USD 50, and subsequent transfers at least USD 100. Fractional investing itself can start from around $1 per stock.

### What are the charges for buying US stocks on Zerodha? Brokerage is 0.10% of trade value (minimum $0.01, maximum $10 per order), plus 18% GST on brokerage, a 0.005% IFSCA turnover fee, SEC charges of 0.00206% on sells, and a bank forex markup of 0.5% to 1.2% above the RBI reference rate.

### Can NRIs invest in US stocks through Zerodha? No. The facility is currently open only to resident Indian individuals with individual accounts. NRIs, joint accounts, HUFs, companies, LLPs and partnership firms are not eligible.

### How are US stocks taxed for Indian investors? Under the India-US DTAA, capital gains are taxed only in India. Gains on stocks held over 24 months are taxed at 12.5% (long-term); gains within 24 months are taxed at your slab rate (short-term). There is no Rs 1.25 lakh annual LTCG exemption for US stocks.

### Does TCS apply on Zerodha US stock investments? Yes. Once your total LRS remittances in a financial year cross Rs 10 lakh, a 20% TCS applies on the investment remittance. TCS is advance tax, not an extra cost: you can claim it as credit in your ITR and get a refund if it exceeds your liability.