Gate, the cryptocurrency exchange founded in 2013 by Dr. Han, is adding real stock trading to its platform. Through a partnership with Alpaca, eligible users will be able to buy and sell over 10,000 stocks and ETFs listed on NYSE and Nasdaq, using USDT from their Gate account. The service is rolling out as part of Gate's push to become a unified multi-asset platform that bridges digital assets and traditional financial markets.
A single account for crypto and stocks
Users won't need to open a separate brokerage. The integration lets them trade stocks and ETFs directly from the Gate ecosystem, using the same USDT balance they would for crypto trades. The platform also supports fractional share trading with a minimum purchase of just $1. That means someone with even a small amount of USDT can buy a slice of high-priced stocks like Amazon or Berkshire Hathaway.
The move is a clear attempt to blend two worlds that have long been separate. Gate already offers trading in over 4,700 digital assets, plus traditional finance markets like metals, indices, forex, and commodities. Now stock trading is part of that mix.
Alpaca handles the heavy lifting
Alpaca is the clearing broker behind the scenes. It will handle execution, clearing, settlement, custody, and corporate actions for the stock trades. That lets Gate focus on the user experience and crypto side while relying on Alpaca's existing infrastructure for U.S. equities. Alpaca is a known player in the API brokerage space, and this partnership means Gate can offer real stock trading without building its own brokerage from scratch.
From crypto exchange to multi-asset hub
Gate isn't a small operation. It was founded in 2013 by Dr. Han and now serves over 54 million users globally. The exchange has been expanding beyond pure crypto for a while — it already trades metals, indices, forex, and commodities. Adding stocks and ETFs brings the total asset count to more than 14,700 (4,700 digital assets plus 10,000 stock assets).
The idea is to let users manage everything in one place. Instead of moving money between a crypto exchange and a stockbroker, they can hold USDT in their Gate account and trade stocks with it. That's a simpler workflow for anyone who already uses Gate for crypto.
The stock trading service is available now to eligible users. Gate says the partnership with Alpaca is part of its strategy to bridge digital assets and traditional financial markets through a unified platform. How quickly users adopt the feature — and whether other exchanges follow with similar integrations — is the open question.
