We focus on internally enhancing CX over competitor benchmarking: Angel One CTO

Mumbai-based stockbroking firm Angel One Limited (previously Angel Broking Limited), has transformed from a traditional stockbroking firm to a tech-driven fintech platform, enhancing efficiency and user experience through new applications and automation, Jyotiswarup Pai Raiturkar, Chief Technology Officer (CTO), Angel One, told TechCircle in an interview. 

Founded by Dinesh Thakkar in 1996, the company attracted many retail investors even before the internet changed stock trading and is increasingly using technology to solve its complex business challenges. Today, Angel One ranks third in active clients on the National Stock Exchange (NSE), with over five million clients, behind only Groww and Zerodha. He also explained the company’s digital transformation journey and how it strives to stand out in the crowded fintech space. Edited excerpts:

Which technologies are you most excited about for your organisation and sector?

We’re excited about several Artificial Intelligence (AI) initiatives transforming both our user experience and operational processes. AI is already a key part of our operations — personalised recommendations, customer support automation, and forecasting models are some areas where it’s making a significant impact. We're also exploring generative AI to automate content creation and build knowledge graphs of our business to enhance search and discovery.

Additionally, we’re working on portfolio analytics tools to empower our users with insights that help them make informed investment decisions. Cybersecurity is another area of focus, where we’re implementing innovations like Zero Trust Authentication and privacy-preserving machine learning to ensure that user data is protected at all times. It's an exciting time for us as we continue to push the boundaries of AI across different aspects of our business.

Is your company's tech budget growing this year? Is that number higher, lower, or the same as the last few years?

Our focus on technology and innovation is stronger than ever. We are committed to investing in tools that enhance customer experience and drive operational efficiency. As our business grows — whether it’s through acquiring new users, expanding our services, or increasing traffic — our budget scales accordingly. This strategic alignment ensures that our investments are in line with our business growth and overarching goals. We believe that this approach will not only help us meet current demands but also prepare us for future challenges and opportunities in the fintech landscape.

Which areas in technology will be your focus this year and why?

Our key focus areas reflect our commitment to providing a comprehensive and secure experience for our customers. For example, we have developed the Angel One SuperApp to integrate various financial services into a seamless experience, utilising advanced user interface (UI) technologies like Realm and a custom Domain-Specific Language (DSL) for design, alongside backend personalisation enhancements.

We leverage machine learning models to optimise operations, including know your customer (KYC), customer support, and content generation. We believe advancements in this area will significantly impact fintech, particularly in advisory services with the emergence of skilled fiduciary assistants. Also, to help newcomers in broking and investment identify opportunities, we are implementing a low-latency, large-scale data processing strategy using a Lambda architecture for both batch and streaming data.

We are also developing execution guardrails to enhance user experience, featuring trailing stop-losses and prompts to prevent order failures, supported by a low-latency data processing platform. Cybersecurity also remains a top priority. We have built a robust infrastructure with a hybrid cloud strategy, employing Zero Trust Authentication, data encryption, real-time monitoring via SIEM systems, and regular disaster recovery drills, while also focusing on privacy preservation.

Are you planning to expand in the next year by hiring new tech talent or upskilling existing employees?

Our tech team at Angel One is composed of highly skilled engineers with diverse expertise in low-latency coding, distributed systems, machine learning, and UI platforms. We primarily code in Golang and Python, deploying our applications on private data centres for low-latency requirements, as well as leveraging public clouds for scalability.

Our team strategy focuses on a balanced approach that includes both hiring new talent and promoting the elevation of our current engineers. This ensures that we maintain a dynamic and innovative environment where our team can grow and adapt to the rapidly changing tech landscape. While we value transparency, we don't share specific details about our hiring processes or team structure, as we believe in keeping certain aspects proprietary to maintain our competitive edge.

What kind of innovation are you bringing with technology as an enabler? Can you please highlight 1-2 cases where technology has helped improve business revenues or the customer experience for the company?

We've recognised that many traders engage in transactions, analysis, and square-offs within very short time frames, which can lead to significant cognitive overhead. Opportunities are often time-sensitive, and we discovered a way to streamline this process by reducing the need for customers to navigate between various pages — such as charts, P&L statements, and order pads.

To tackle this challenge, we launched a feature called TraderSPA, which offers a unified experience where customers can complete their entire transaction without switching contexts. This feature has been well-received and is generating positive feedback from traders.

Another area we've focused on is enhancing discovery. Customers need timely access to personalised opportunities that can be communicated in a latency-preserving manner. To achieve this, we've developed specialised algorithms to curate the most urgent and communications, ensuring we deliver value to our customers while avoiding communication fatigue. Additionally, we are exploring creative ways to communicate these messages effectively. This includes analysing what formats work best — whether short-form videos, text, or specific language styles — allowing us to tailor our communications to maximise engagement and impact. Through these innovations, we aim to significantly enhance the trading experience for our users.
 
When looking at competitor benchmarking, which key technology areas do you see a need to increase activity in, considering what your peers have done in the past?

At Angel One, our primary focus is on internally improving customer experience rather than benchmarking against competitors. We believe that true innovation comes from understanding and addressing the unique needs and pain points of our users.

As I said earlier, we have identified specific focus areas that guide our initiatives. These areas aim to enhance the overall customer journey by developing features and services that create value and streamline their interactions with our platform. Our commitment to prioritising customer experience ensures that we continuously evolve and improve, ultimately delivering a superior service that stands out in the fintech landscape.
 
What are your tech plans for the next 1-2 years?

We have mentioned focus areas earlier. We plan to execute efficiently our product, tech, and business roadmap while continuously delivering outstanding value to our customers.

Many of our innovations, such as our low-latency data-crunching platform, are developed in-house, allowing us to maintain full control over our technology. However, we also recognise the importance of collaboration, particularly in areas where we work with external partners, including public cloud providers.

Investment in machine learning and AI remains a high priority for us as we focus on translating these models into practical product solutions.

Additionally, numerous systems are operating in the background, such as those involved in settlement and billing. We are actively working on modernising these systems, which will not only help us scale better with volume growth but also minimise human errors and drive greater operational efficiency. This approach to product and technology development positions us well for the future and enhances our ability to serve our customers effectively.