A buzz has been building in India’s fintech and AI circles following a public exchange between Aravind Srinivas, CEO of Perplexity AI, and Nikhil Kamath, co-founder of Zerodha, hinting at a promising collaboration. Sparked by a suggestion from Prudent AI to integrate Indian stock market data into Perplexity’s Comet finance platform, Kamath’s swift reply, “Absolutely, setting up a call for Monday…,” elevated the idea from casual interest to a potential game changer for millions of retail investors.
Absolutely, setting up a call for Monday… https://t.co/1yzBOKyVzb
— Nikhil Kamath (@nikhilkamathcio) August 9, 2025
Who Are the Key Players?
Perplexity AI emerged in 2022, founded by Srinivas and other AI veterans from leading firms like OpenAI and Meta. It has rapidly positioned itself as a global answer engine, combining user-friendly chatbot interfaces with real-time web search and credible sourcing. With over 10 million active users and support from high-profile investors such as Jeff Bezos and Nvidia, Perplexity integrates cutting-edge AI models including GPT-4, Claude, and Mistral, while aggressively targeting the financial knowledge market through its flagship product, Comet.
Zerodha, India’s largest retail brokerage with over 12 million clients, revolutionized stock trading by offering affordable, technology-driven platforms that made investing accessible to the masses.
Recent upgrades in 2025 include AI-powered portfolio insights, real-time trading from interactive charts, and a pioneering Kite Model Context Protocol (MCP) that allows seamless, free integration between Zerodha accounts and external AI assistants like Claude and Windsurf. Zerodha is also expanding open APIs and boosting services like SME IPO coverage and mobile trading capabilities.
Recently, Nithin Kamath announce an easy investing flow for NRIs.
What Could This Partnership Mean?
- Instant Market Research: By linking Perplexity’s AI-powered global answer capabilities with Zerodha’s live Indian stock data, retail investors could receive instant, AI-curated, citation-backed market insights, democratizing quality financial information.
- Smooth Account Integration: Zerodha’s MCP protocol might allow users to sync their trading accounts directly with Perplexity, enabling portfolio queries, stock research, and AI-driven predictions through natural language conversations.
- Enhanced User Experience: Fusing Perplexity’s clean, conversational AI interface with Zerodha’s robust trading toolkit could create a seamless bridge between education and action, improving investor confidence and decision-making.
- Catalyzing Fintech Innovation: Such a collaboration could set a new standard for Indian fintech, inspiring other players to embed AI-driven real-time advice, research, and trading features.
- Democratizing Financial Knowledge: With Perplexity’s transparent sourcing and instant answers, users can not only trade but also verify facts and understand complex financial concepts easily, adding a layer of trust and learning.
Early Signs of Synergy
The rapport between Srinivas and Kamath is already public, with playful comments—Kamath once mentioned interning at Perplexity to “learn AI from scratch.” Their shared mission to simplify complex technologies signals a user-centric integration ethos, aiming to put sophisticated tools in the hands of everyday investors.
In Perspective: A Step Towards AI-Powered Retail Finance
If formalized, this partnership could fundamentally reshape retail investing in India. Combining Perplexity’s global AI expertise and real-time search with Zerodha’s market reach and technology infrastructure offers investors smarter, more intuitive tools—from quick stock research to streamlined trade execution.
This collaboration represents a powerful convergence of AI and fintech innovation, promising to boost financial literacy. Also empower data-driven investing across India’s vast and growing retail investor base.
