Alpaca is built on a simple mission: enable all people around the world to have access to investing in financial markets. Over the last few years, we doubled down on simplifying and improving the developer and trader experiences of our APIs. We’ve watched our community grow despite the pandemic and we know that we’ve just begun to scratch the surface of what our APIs can help create.
End-to-End Brokerage Experience via API
Today we’re excited to introduce Alpaca Broker API, a product that enables developers from across the world to connect their apps to the US stock market(1). Expanding on our vision that every app can be a fintech app, Alpaca Broker API streamlines the process of building the end-to-end experience of a trading app.
Broker API is organized around REST, making it easy and intuitive to build on top of Alpaca’s infrastructure. Until now, integrating stock trading capabilities into an app was a tedious and linear process. Now, you can start building in a sandbox environment in parallel with becoming compliant with applicable rules and regulations.
Alpaca Broker API features:
- Onboard, open, and manage individual user brokerage accounts
- Fund individual user accounts through our Plaid integration, wire transfers, or ACH transfers transfers
- Leverage Alpaca’s KYC / CIP (Know Your Customer / Customer Identification Program) APIs to verify the identity of your customers
- Journal cash or stocks between accounts to instantly fund user accounts or embed into your own growth strategies
- Enable trading functionality for your users, from long and short positions to fractional trading and complex order types, ex. bracket and limit orders
- Download trade confirmations and account statements required by local compliance laws
- Charge commissions(2) and manage them (restrictions may apply)
Funding and Global KYC / CIP Compliance
Staying true to our mission of enabling access to the financial markets, we are powering your operations with two highly flexible and global processes, funding, and KYC / CIP.
You can now fund user brokerage accounts while leveraging highly customizable funding operations, designed specifically for your business goals. From a simple ACH integration to international instant deposits, we have the tools you’ll need and will be integrating more services as we grow.
In addition, we have also integrated with the top KYC / CIP providers from around the world so you can pass that KYC information to Alpaca and leave the heavy lifting to us.
Fractional Shares, Rewards, Market Data
With Broker API, you are creating the ability for your users to invest in the stock market with as little as $1. This means that people from all over the world will be able to own portions of companies and ETFs that they would have otherwise not been able to access and invest in.
Broker API also allows you to instantly journal funds into user accounts and can be leveraged to provide instantaneous funding. With this, you are now empowered to build and offer referral programs, sign-up rewards, and enable other incentive strategies to activate and grow your user base.
We also offer access to our market data through Broker API. You can build historical charts and provide additional information about stocks to give better experiences without other third-party integrations.
First Batch of Fintech Partners on Broker API
We started offering our Broker API at the end of 2020. With the help of our key partners, we have continued to develop and fine-tune our platform. Today, we’re thrilled to announce Gotrade and Midas as our first fintech partners (both registered broker-dealers in their respective jurisdictions) that have built and launched their apps using Alpaca Broker API.
Get Started!
Sign-up today and grab your API keys to start building in our sandbox environment. You won’t have to worry about the live market, real money, and compliance until you’re ready. Once you’re ready to go live, our partnership team will guide you through the rest of the onboarding process.
Happy building!
1 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 is not registered (Alpaca is registered only in the United States).
2 Subject to limitations and restrictions. Typically available only for registered broker-dealers.
