Alpaca and ZAD Partner to Expand Shariah-Compliant Investment Products

Alpaca, a US-based self-clearing broker-dealer, has announced a strategic partnership with ZAD, a Kuwait-based digital investment platform. The collaboration aims to broaden the availability of Shariah-compliant investment products globally, combining ZAD's regional focus with Alpaca's brokerage technology.

ZAD specializes in providing Shariah-compliant access to US stocks and ETFs. Abdullah Alotaibi, Co-Founder and Deputy CEO of ZAD, noted the importance of this specialized focus for their growth, stating, "If we were a conventional investment application, we would not have reached the growth levels that we have in the past couple of years. It's very important for the people in the region. They really appreciate it, they want it, and they're very careful with what they buy."

Through this partnership, Alpaca will support the development of new Shariah-compliant products, including instant funding, margin trading, options, and high-yield cash accounts. ZAD also intends to expand its services beyond Kuwait into other GCC markets, such as Saudi Arabia.

Yoshi Yokokawa, CEO and Co-Founder of Alpaca, expressed enthusiasm for the collaboration, stating, "We're grateful to be innovating with ZAD in the rapidly growing Islamic finance and are excited to be their partner in delivering Shariah-compliant margin trading, options trading, instant funding, and more. Shariah-compliance is a key focus at Alpaca as we look to support and expand financial accessibility globally."

The companies emphasized that future product launches will continue to adhere to Islamic law, particularly in avoiding interest-based structures and ensuring ethical compliance in asset selection. The global Islamic finance market has seen significant growth, reaching over $5.5 trillion in 2024 and projected to grow to $7.5 trillion by 2028, according to Standard Chartered.