Alpaca’s Vision for a “Global Financial OS” | Co-Founder Hitoshi Harada on the Story Behind Tokenized Stocks

Alpaca, a US-based brokerage infrastructure company co-founded by Yoshi Yokokawa and Hitoshi Harada, has emerged as a leader in the tokenized US equities market, holding a 94% global market share. The company provides brokerage infrastructure APIs to over 300 financial institutions across 40 countries and has raised $150 million, achieving a unicorn valuation. Alpaca's Instant Tokenization Network (ITN) facilitates the conversion of traditional equities into tokenized versions, enhancing liquidity and enabling arbitrage opportunities. This infrastructure positions Alpaca as a crucial link between traditional finance (TradFi) and decentralized finance (DeFi). With a strategic focus on expanding its presence in the Japanese market and exploring the tokenization of other real-world assets like real estate and bonds, Alpaca envisions becoming a global financial infrastructure akin to an "operating system" for finance, enabling rapid expansion and innovation in the fintech space. The company aims to continue pushing forward with its mission to make financial services more accessible and interconnected globally.