August 2024 Summaries

Alpaca's Local Currency Trading API now supports limit, stop, and stop limit order types for both nominal and fractional orders, enabling businesses to offer US stock services in customers' local currencies. The API also offers extended hours trading, allowing users worldwide to trade during their localized hours. These new capabilities are seamlessly integrated into the existing Local Currency Trading API with minimal implementation effort. Alpaca charges a flexible spread markup for broker partners using its Local Currency Trading feature.

Alpaca has integrated with QuantConnect, a leading algorithmic trading platform used by thousands of professional traders and quants. This integration allows users to design, backtest, and trade algorithmic strategies within minutes for supported asset classes including stocks, ETFs, options, and cryptocurrencies. Founded in 2012, QuantConnect has built an online algorithmic research and trading platform with over 300,000 members executing $5 billion in notional trading volumes each month. The partnership includes the open-sourcing and maintenance of the LEAN-Alpaca plugin, enabling users to fork the code base and extend it as they see fit. Alpaca Securities LLC and QuantConnect are not affiliated, and neither are responsible for the liabilities of the other.

Thndr, a digital investment platform based in Egypt, aims to increase access to personal investing in the MENA region. Founded by Seif Amr and Ahmad Hammouda, Thndr has achieved remarkable growth since its inception, with over 3 million app downloads and daily transactions increasing from 1,500 in 2022 to nearly 100,000 in 2024. The platform offers educational resources, market simulations, and expert financial advice to help individuals build and grow their personal wealth. Thndr's partnership with Alpaca has enabled rapid growth by reducing operational costs and allowing the company to focus on enhancing user experience. As it continues to expand its operations into new markets, Thndr remains committed to empowering more individuals in the MENA region through accessible investment opportunities.