Bitso, Latin America’s digital financial platform, building a more complete investing experience with a community of over 10 million users¹, recently launched options trading in Mexico, through Nvierto, its CNBV-registered investment adviser, in partnership with Alpaca, a global leader in agent-first brokerage and clearing infrastructure.
The launch marks Bitso’s next step in opening global markets to investors in Mexico, adding new ways to manage risk and act on market views alongside the US stocks and ETFs their users already hold. We recently spoke with Alex Mehrdad, General Manager of Retail at Bitso, to learn more about the options launch, how the product fits into their broader vision, and what comes next.
Building on the growth of US stocks and ETFs
Founded in 2014 as a cryptocurrency platform, Bitso has grown into a comprehensive investment platform with a mission to make investing more accessible and useful for everyday life. Since launching US stocks and ETFs with Alpaca in October 2025, Bitso has seen broad adoption. The company reported that more than 13,000 people joined the waitlist ahead of launch, and trading volume of stocks has grown about 32% month over month since January 2026, according to their internal data.²
“The growth of US stocks exceeded our expectations,” said Mehrdad. “What stands out most is how broad that growth is. Every group of investors is growing at double-digit monthly rates, from our most active traders down to those who may only invest occasionally, so we aren’t relying on a handful of power users.”
Bitso reported that users are also upgrading their accounts to trade more. In August 2026, account upgrades through Bitso's fully digital flow nearly doubled. Bitso's "US$1M in Free Stocks" campaign also brought in new investors at a cost well below their paid-media benchmark and re-engaged roughly 30% of their audience.²
The launch of options was the next stage of growth for Bitso, which now enables access to several types of traditional markets, including US stocks and ETFs, yield products, and US IPOs from a single platform.
“We’re building the most complete investing app in Mexico,” explained Mehrdad. “Each product serves a different stage of an investor’s journey. US equities are the entry point, with fractional investing from US$1. IPO Access lets users subscribe to US offerings at the offer price. Options serve investors who want to manage risk and build strategies around the positions they already hold.”
Bringing options to Bitso's most active investors
Historically, a Mexican investor who wanted US-listed options had to open an account with an offshore broker. That made options a natural addition, as users already trade US stocks and ETFs on the platform.
“We’ve seen our stocks users become much more active traders. Our most engaged investors were asking for more ways to act on their views than simply buying or selling a share. Options give them that,” said Mehrdad. “They can use options to help hedge their positions, potentially earn extra income on shares they already hold, or take a view on where a stock is heading, in some cases with less capital than buying the shares outright.”
Built on Alpaca's brokerage infrastructure, options run directly on top of their stock product and cover more than 6,000 US stocks and ETFs. With the launch, Bitso users can now:
- Trade options on supported US-listed stocks and ETFs using the same account
- Complete options approval within the Bitso platform through a suitability profile, the Alpaca Options Agreement, and the OCC risk disclosure
- Access multiple single-leg strategies, including covered calls and cash-secured puts (Level 1), and calls and puts (Level 2)
- Review the premium, breakeven, and maximum possible loss in every order preview before confirming a trade
Bitso designed the experience knowing that, for many of their users, this may be their first encounter with options. Approval can be requested within the app, with approval decisions subject to eligibility and compliance review. Users can learn at their own pace through the Options Hub in the Bitso app, alongside an "Options 101" guide and video content, including a podcast-style explainer in Spanish.
Educational materials do not eliminate the risks associated with options trading. Investors should understand the characteristics, costs, and risks of a strategy before entering into an options transaction.
Expanding the partnership with Alpaca
Bitso’s entire US equities offering, including US IPO, is built using Alpaca’s infrastructure, giving the team an established foundation to integrate options without changing the user experience.
“Expanding our partnership with Alpaca was a natural decision,” said Mehrdad. “Alpaca supports the full options lifecycle, from account approval to exercise, assignment, and expiration. This gives us a proven, regulated foundation and allows our team to focus on what matters most: delivering a best-in-class experience and developing financial education for our users in Mexico.”
“It felt like one team,” added Mehrdad. “Alpaca’s team was responsive and pragmatic, even when we raised questions specific to Mexican investors. Their expertise was appreciated as we worked through everything, including fraud controls and edge cases around expirations and assignments.”
“Bitso has shown what’s possible when investors in Mexico can reach US markets from a platform they are familiar with,” said Yoshi Yokokawa, Co-Founder and CEO of Alpaca. “Options trading adds new layers of complexity, and as a self-clearing broker-dealer, we handle that work within our infrastructure so Bitso’s team can focus on the experience and education their users rely on. We’re proud to expand our partnership as Bitso opens another path to US markets for investors across Mexico.”
Measuring success and what comes next for Bitso
For Bitso, options trading marks another milestone toward their goal of becoming a one-stop investment platform for Latin America.
“Our goal is to enable investors across the region to manage their entire financial lives in a single app, from their first dollar invested in a US stock to more sophisticated strategies,” added Mehrdad. “Access to US markets is central to this vision, and our partnership with Alpaca has been instrumental in bringing it to life.”
In the near term, success for Bitso means users fully understand the product, complete the approval process, and are equipped to make informed decisions about whether options trading is appropriate for their circumstances. The team is closely monitoring indicators such as approval conversion and execution quality.
“Over the long term, our goal is for options to become a core part of how our most active investors engage with Bitso, deepening their relationship with the platform over time,” said Mehrdad. “We will follow the same approach that drove the growth of US equities and IPOs on Bitso: education first, consistent engagement throughout the investor journey, and close attention to feedback from our most engaged traders.”
Bitso looks to continue to expand its offering in US markets, making each product simpler and more accessible, so that more people across Latin America can invest with confidence.
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References
- Bitso Processes 15% of US-Mexico Remittances, PR Newswire, October 5, 2026
- Bitso internal data, provided to Alpaca, as of 27th October.
The content of this article is for educational purposes only and does not constitute financial or legal advice. Investing involves the risk of losing capital; past performance does not guarantee future results. Please consider your investment objectives and risk tolerance before investing.
All product descriptions, platform features referenced, and figures attributed to Bitso above were provided by Bitso. This information has not been independently verified and does not constitute a recommendation or endorsement by Alpaca.
Alpaca and Bitso are unaffiliated and are each responsible for their own liabilities.
Testimonials reflect the experiences of individual customers and may not be representative of the experiences of others. No compensation was provided in exchange for these testimonials. Testimonials are not a guarantee of future performance or success.
Options trading is not suitable for all investors due to its inherent high risk, which can potentially result in significant losses. Certain complex options strategies carry additional risk. Please read Characteristics and Risks of Standardized Options before investing in options.
Fractional share trading allows a customer to buy and sell fractional share quantities and dollar amounts of certain securities. Fractional share trading presents unique risks and is subject to particular limitations that you should be aware of before engaging in such activity. See Alpaca Customer Agreement at https://alpaca.markets/disclosures for more details.
All investments involve risk, including the possible loss of principal. Past performance does not guarantee future results. No investment strategy can guarantee a profit or achieve its intended objectives. Diversification does not ensure a profit or protect against loss. Investors should carefully consider their investment objectives, risks, charges, and expenses before investing.
Securities brokerage services are provided by Alpaca Securities LLC (dba "Alpaca Clearing"), member FINRA/SIPC, a wholly-owned subsidiary of AlpacaDB, Inc. Technology and services are offered by AlpacaDB, Inc.
This is not an offer, solicitation of an offer, or advice to buy or sell securities or open a brokerage account in any jurisdiction where Alpaca Securities is not registered or licensed, as applicable
Nvierto by Bitso is the brand under which Nvierto, S.A. de C.V., Asesor en Inversiones Independiente, operates. Nvierto is registered in the Investment Advisers Registry of Mexico’s National Banking and Securities Commission (Comisión Nacional Bancaria y de Valores, “CNBV”) under folio number 30205, and provides investment advisory services and order transmission related to securities. The CNBV’s supervision is limited to investment advisory services in securities. Transactions in US-listed securities are executed through Alpaca Securities LLC, a US broker-dealer registered with the SEC and a member of FINRA and SIPC. The information presented is for educational purposes only and does not constitute financial or legal advice. Investing involves the risk of losing capital; past performance does not guarantee future results. Please consider your investment objectives and risk tolerance before investing.
