Across Latin America (LATAM), access to wealth-building tools remains a privilege of the few. Traditional financial systems often exclude the majority of the population due to the lack of financial infrastructure1 leading to high minimums, complex requirements, and restrictive market hours2. In many countries across the region, only 2-3% of people participate1 in the stock market. This significant gap leaves millions of individuals without the means to grow their savings or protect their capital against local economic volatility.
We recently spoke with Alex Mehrdad, General Manager of Retail at Bitso, LATAM’s leading digital financial services company,3 about their launch of US stocks and ETFs in Mexico, and their partnership with Alpaca.
Expanding Asset Classes and Financial Tools for 9 Million Clients
Founded in 2014, Bitso began as a pioneer in the cryptocurrency space with the mission to make investing more accessible and useful for everyday life. While crypto is still a core pillar for financial transformation across LATAM, it is only one part of a larger journey toward financial freedom. Today, Bitso has evolved into a comprehensive investment platform with a community of over 9 million clients,4 empowering users to build long-term wealth across crypto* and US equities.
"Our broader goal is to help people build wealth through a diversified set of financial tools," explained Mehrdad. "By adding US stocks to our platform, we expand the range of asset classes available to our users and meet them at different stages of their investment journey."
The challenges to invest in the US market in Latin America are largely structural. High minimum investment requirements often act as a wall with many investors believing they need thousands of dollars to start,2 which keeps the market perceived as an elite activity. Additionally, the standard hours of global exchanges do not always align with the reality of workers in the region who may manage multiple jobs or non-traditional schedules.
Bitso aims to dismantle these barriers by shifting the perception of investing from something exclusive to something accessible for everyone.
Engineering Global Access with Alpaca
To turn this into reality, Bitso partnered with Alpaca to integrate US stock and ETF trading directly into its platform. By utilizing Alpaca’s Broker API, Bitso launched commission-free trading and fractional investing, lowering minimum trade requirements to as little as $1 USD or roughly 18 pesos**. This infrastructure allows first-time investors across Mexico to enter global markets without the burden of large fees or upfront capital.
“Features like fractional shares significantly lower the barrier to entry with customers no longer needing $1,000 just to get started,” explained Mehrdad. “By removing trading commissions and lowering minimum investment requirements, we reduce key barriers to entry and make it easier for first-time investors to access global markets and start building wealth. They can begin investing with small amounts, learn over time, and gradually build a diversified portfolio in a simple and inclusive way.”
The partnership also enables critical features like 24/5 trading, providing customers with the flexibility to engage with the market whenever it fits their routine. Together, commission-free trading, 24/5 access, and fractional trading help empower users to manage risk effectively and start investing without large sums of upfront capital.
“In regions like Latin America, where people often combine multiple jobs or operate outside standard market hours, that flexibility is essential to making investing practical,” said Mehrdad. “Together, these features democratize access. They empower users to participate gradually, manage risk more effectively, and integrate investing into their daily financial lives, rather than treating it as a one-off or elite activity.”
On working with Alpaca on the integration, Mehrdad noted, "Working with Alpaca has been a structured and efficient process, consistent with what you’d expect from a mature SaaS partner, enabling us to build and launch our product smoothly and on schedule. The collaboration demonstrates how modern infrastructure can bridge cultural and economic gaps to create a more fair monetary system for everyone."
"Alpaca is proud to support Bitso's expansion into US stocks and their commitment to regional empowerment," says Yoshi Yokokawa, Co-Founder and CEO of Alpaca. "With the shared goal of making investing more accessible, we look forward to continuing to work collaboratively together as their infrastructure partner."
Architecting the Future of Finance
The launch of US stocks is only the beginning of Bitso’s journey to provide wider access to global markets through their comprehensive investment platform. The company continues to pave the way for wider adoption of sophisticated financial products across the region while serving its community.
“Our primary focus is on delivering a strong product experience, expanding access to investing, and sustainably growing adoption among our customers over time,” says Mehrdad.
Looking ahead, Bitso and Alpaca plan to deepen their partnership to unlock even more market possibilities. The roadmap includes the addition of advanced features such as options and tokenized US equities. These upcoming tools will provide Latin American investors with even greater flexibility to navigate global markets and build resilient portfolios for the future.
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About Alpaca
Alpaca is a US-headquartered, self-clearing broker-dealer and a global leader in brokerage infrastructure APIs providing access to stocks, ETFs, options, fixed income, and crypto. Alpaca delivers embeddable finance solutions for tokenization, fully paid securities lending, high-yield cash, 24/5 trading, Shariah-compliant investing, and more. Today, Alpaca powers over 9 million brokerage accounts across hundreds of fintechs and institutions in 40+ countries with over $320M in funding.
- “How much is invested in the stock market in each country?”. TradingPRO, May 6, 2025
- “Latin Americans remain distant from stock market investments, and the gap with the U.S. is widening.”, May 9, 2025
- “Bitso Business Becomes Latin America's First Stablecoin Payments Platform to Surpass $80 Billion in Annual TPV”, December 18, 2025
- “The New Bitso: Discover what your money is capable of”, Bitso, December 9, 2025
*Crypto services are provided through Bitso
**Please note that this conversion rate is effective as of date of publication and is subject to change and may not be the conversion rate on the date this is read
The content of this blog is for general informational purposes only. All examples are for illustrative purposes only.
Alpaca and Bitso are not affiliated and are not responsible for the liabilities of others.
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