Upstox, India’s leading wealth tech platform, has launched US stock and ETF trading for its 20 million users through a partnership with Alpaca, a brokerage infrastructure provider. The move grants Indian investors direct access to American securities at a time when demand for global assets has surged, with US equity holdings attributed to Indian residents jumping from $6 billion in 2020 to $28.7 billion in 2025, a 378% increase.
- Minimum investment: $1 USD (approximately ₹95) for fractional and notional trades
- Annual remittance limit: $250,000 USD under India’s Liberalised Remittance Scheme
- Funding mechanism: Alpaca’s direct funding wallets enable USD access in user portfolios
- Infrastructure support: Alpaca acquired Zincmoney in April 2026, establishing local regulatory presence via GIFT City
The offering eliminates traditional barriers that historically deterred Indian investors from entering US markets, including cross-border remittance requirements, account-opening friction, and associated fees. Alpaca’s Broker API enables fractional share trading, allowing investors to build diversified US portfolios with minimal capital. The partnership leverages Alpaca’s direct funding wallets, which operate under India’s regulatory framework for overseas securities investment.
I began trading in US stocks at 16, long before I envisioned building a platform that would one day give crores of Indians access to global markets. International investing represents the next significant phase of growth for India’s wealth ecosystem, and launching US stocks feels like a full-circle moment, taking everything we have learned about US markets and channeling it into a platform built for Indian investors.
– Ravi Kumar, CEO and Co-founder, Upstox
We are excited to support Upstox as they build a comprehensive wealth management platform for tens of millions of Indian investors. Congratulations to the team for bringing their vision to life. We’re thrilled to see more investors in India gain easier access to global markets through this launch.
– Yoshi Yokokawa, Co-Founder and CEO, Alpaca
Alpaca‘s April 2026 acquisition of Zincmoney, a broker-dealer regulated by the International Financial Services Centres Authority operating from Gujarat’s GIFT City, strengthens the infrastructure underpinning the partnership. The acquisition provides Alpaca with India-focused brokerage licenses and localized payment infrastructure, addressing regulatory requirements in one of the world’s fastest-growing financial markets.
Ravi Kumar, CEO and Co-Founder at Upstox. Source: LinkedIn
Yoshi Yokokawa, Co-Founder and CEO at Alpaca. Source: LinkedIn
