Alpaca Enters UK and EU Market through WealthKernel Acquisition

NEW YORK & LONDON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Alpaca, a self-clearing broker-dealer and brokerage infrastructure API, today announced its intended acquisition of WealthKernel, a wealthtech firm specializing in digital investment infrastructure and tax-advantaged products. This strategic acquisition will bring WealthKernel’s UK and EU licensed brokerage infrastructure to Alpaca, supporting their rapid global expansion to achieve its mission of opening financial services to everyone on the planet.

“The acquisition of WealthKernel is a major step for Alpaca in becoming a truly global brokerage infrastructure. WealthKernel has gained a highly regarded reputation in the UK and EU through working closely with a number of financial institutions,” said Yoshi Yokokawa, CEO of Alpaca. “With WealthKernel joining us, we’re directly entering the UK and EU, enhancing our support of global institutions that desire regulated investing across borders.”

WealthKernel brings wealth management capabilities, including ISAs, SIPPs, and other tax-advantaged accounts, complementing Alpaca’s trading infrastructure. Alpaca, which has long supported their UK and EU partners, now gains the ability to act as a fully authorized broker-dealer through WealthKernel’s licenses.

“Joining forces with Alpaca will allow us to scale our mission faster, while maintaining the high standards our clients expect,” said Karan Shanmugarajah, CEO of WealthKernel. “We’re excited to bring our regulatory expertise and deep product set to Alpaca’s global platform.”

The deal unites a strong team with deep expertise in brokerage operations, compliance, and financial technology—leveraging shared tech and compliance frameworks. Further strengthening this foundation, Alpaca’s recently appointed CFO, Nadia Asoyan, brings seasoned fintech leadership from prior executive roles at Robinhood and Square. The combined organization will continue global operations, with key hubs in North America, Europe, and Asia.

This intended acquisition reinforces Alpaca’s position as a full-stack, global brokerage infrastructure provider, enabling brokers, banks, and fintechs to launch trading, custody, and wealth products quickly, compliantly, and at scale. Earlier this year, Kraken strategically partnered with Alpaca to deliver commission-free US equities trading to their US clients and joined as one of their 200+ global partners.

Regulatory Disclosures

Completion of the acquisition remains subject to regulatory approval from the UK Financial Conduct Authority and the Spanish Comisión Nacional del Mercado de Valores.

About Alpaca

Alpaca is a US-headquartered self-clearing broker-dealer and brokerage infrastructure for stocks, ETFs, options, crypto, fixed income, and 24/5 trading – raising over USD170 million in funding. Alpaca is backed by top-tier investors globally, including Portage Ventures, Spark Capital, Tribe Capital, Social Leverage, Horizons Ventures, Unbound, SBI Group, Derayah Financial, Elefund, and Y Combinator.

About WealthKernel

WealthKernel provides investment and savings infrastructure for regulated businesses in the UK and EU. With a focus on modern wealth products, compliance, and developer-first technology, WealthKernel enables firms to build and scale digital investment experiences.

Options trading is not suitable for all investors due to its inherent high risk, which can potentially result in significant losses. Please read Characteristics and Risks of Standardized Options before investing. All investments involve risk; for more information, please see our Disclosure Library. Brokerage services are provided by Alpaca Securities LLC (member FINRA/SIPC), a subsidiary of AlpacaDB, Inc. Crypto services are provided by Alpaca Crypto LLC, a FinCEN-registered MSB (NMLS #2160858) and AlpacaDB subsidiary; it is not a SIPC or FINRA member, crypto assets are not FDIC or SIPC insured. Technology and Services offered by AlpacaDB, Inc. This is not an offer, solicitation, or advice to buy, sell, or open accounts in any jurisdiction where Alpaca is unlicensed.