
1. Technology overview
Alpaca is a California-headquartered company that started in 2015 as a database and machine learning company and now provides developer-first APIs for stock, options and crypto trading. It lets fintechs, banks, wallets and brokers embed investing without building their own brokerage, clearing and custody stack. The company runs as a fully remote team of more than 250 employees in 25 countries.
The Broker API covers account opening, funding, trading and custody for US stocks and ETFs, multi-leg options and crypto, with recent additions such as 24/5 trading, high-yield cash sweep, fully paid securities lending, OmniSub sub-accounting and an Instant Tokenization Network for tokenized US stocks. Alpaca Clearing is a FINRA and SIPC member that self-clears through DTCC, FICC and OCC, and Alpaca Japan holds a securities licence in Japan. Partners shown on the site include SBI Holdings, eToro, Kraken, Bitso, Dime, Sarwa, Midas and GoTyme Bank.
2. Highlighted features & specifications
- Account and funding APIs: Open, verify and fund brokerage accounts for end users.
- Multi-asset trading: Supports US stocks, ETFs, multi-leg options and crypto.
- 24/5 trading: Lets users trade US stocks around the clock on weekdays.
- OmniSub: Provides sub-accounting for omnibus brokerage setups.
- Securities lending and cash sweep: Adds fully paid lending and high-yield cash products.
- MCP Server: Enables trading through natural language with AI agents.
3. Potential application
A Vietnamese securities company can add US stocks and ETFs to its trading app through a single API, subject to overseas investment rules. A digital bank in the region can offer fractional global investing to its customers. A fintech can build AI-assisted trading assistants on top of the MCP server.
4. Benefits
Partners can launch US equity, options and crypto investing through APIs instead of building a regulated brokerage. The company reports more than 7 million brokerage accounts opened by partners in over 40 countries, 99.99% system uptime and 1.5 ms order processing. Self-clearing and add-on products such as securities lending and cash sweep give partners extra revenue lines.
5. Market trends & opportunities
Retail interest in global equities is rising across Asia, and digital banks and super apps want to add investing to deepen engagement. Brokerage-as-a-service APIs, tokenized stocks and AI-driven trading interfaces are lowering the cost of launching cross-border investment products through locally licensed partners.
6. Other information
Headquartered in California, started in 2015; co-founded by CEO Yoshi Yokokawa and CPO Hitoshi Harada. Backed by 320 million USD from investors including Portage, Spark Capital, Tribe Capital, SBI Holdings and Y Combinator; raised a 150 million USD Series D in January 2026. Acquired WealthKernel in 2025. ISO 27001:2022 and SOC 2 Type II.
One platform connecting startups, corporations, research institutions, regions and investors











Playbook & Handbook · February 6, 2026
Winning Accelerator Playbook 2026 by BambuUP
EDTECH: LEVERAGING AI-POWERED TECHNOLOGIES TO TRANSFORM THE LEARNING EXPERIENCE








































