Nithin Kamath slams ‘Dark Patterns’ in finance apps, tells how Zerodha remains clean

Zerodha founder and CEO Nithin Kamath on Wednesday noted that design tricks used in financial apps and websites are made to deliberately nudge users to do things which are not in their best interests. Referring to these tricks as ‘Dark patterns‘, Kamath said that the financial services business is often skewed towards what is good for business and not for the customers.

“….finance apps are full of dark patterns, more than almost any other category. Dark patterns are design tricks used in apps and websites to make you do things that are not in your best interest. From pointless “gamification” and casino-like features to manipulative notifications, lack of transparency, and pushing harmful financial products, many platforms are, in some ways, incentivised to work against their own users,” Kamath tweeted on his official X handle.

Calling it a challenge even for financial services companies, the Zerodha founder said that “it’s very hard to consistently put customers first”.

“One of the biggest challenges in building a financial services business is that the incentives are often skewed toward doing what’s good for the business and not for the customer,” the tweet said.

Kamath, in his tweet, claims that Zerodha has avoided these practices from day one, thus cultivating trust in Zerodha app users.

“One reason Zerodha users trust us with their money is because we’ve avoided these practices from day one. Doing what’s right for our customers has always been at the heart of our philosophy,” the tweet said further.Also Read: Jane Street Fallout: Zerodha’s Nithin Kamath flags risk to brokers and stock exchangesHe also shared a recorded video breaking down the most common dark patterns in finance apps.

The billionaire businessman recently shared his views on fintech companies scrambling to add AI features in their broking platforms. He explained why Zerodha has intentionally held back from enabling AI-driven order placement, Founder and CEO Nithin Kamath said in a tweet on his official X handle.

It is a deliberate choice, the discount brokerage is making as a long-term vision of staying relevant in an industry which is big on automation, he said.

Read More: Nithin Kamath on why Zerodha has intentionally held back on enabling AI-driven order placement

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