Definition

Brokerage and prime-brokerage infrastructure designed so AI agents and software clients can research markets, place trades, and run approved financial workflows through APIs — with regulated clearing/custody still behind the interface.

Key Points

  • 2026-07-16: alpaca raises 435M total package) explicitly to scale agent-first + tokenization rails (2026-07-16-alpaca-135m-official-blog)
  • Distinct from chatbots that only advise: agents need programmable order/custody interfaces
  • Intersects agentic-finance, tokenization, and retail-trading API platforms
  • Compliance constraint: underlying securities still held by regulated entities for tokenized equities

Sources