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/ Toss Securities

Toss Securities has introduced a service that lets users trade and check stock positions through conversation with generative AI, no coding required. By connecting an open API key issued by Toss Securities to an external large language model (LLM) like ChatGPT or Claude, investors can use the service simply by typing what they want in the chat window.

The move is seen as Toss Securities' effort to improve open API accessibility for ordinary investors and enhance trading convenience. With trading volume growing rapidly in both overseas and now domestic stocks, attention is on whether this new trading method will drive further customer growth and trading activity.

According to the financial investment industry on the 17th, Toss Securities recently launched the full version of "Toss Securities Open API" for all customers, expanding availability after offering some features to pre-registered users starting in May.

An open API connects a brokerage's price lookup, ordering, and account information functions so they can be used through external programs or services. Investors can check prices or place orders through an external program linked to the open API, without directly logging into the brokerage's own mobile trading system (MTS). Other brokerages, including Korea Investment & Securities, Kiwoom Securities, and KB Securities, offer similar services.

Toss Securities supports linking its open API with large language models, allowing users to access these functions using natural language, without any coding. For example, if an investor types into an AI chat window, "Buy 10 shares of Stock A at market price," the AI interprets the request and connects it to Toss Securities' order function. Users can also check stock and account information, place regular or conditional orders, and look up real-time prices.

Another feature is that domestic and overseas stocks can both be accessed through a single API. A single connection allows users to check prices and place orders across both domestic and international markets, eliminating the hassle of connecting separately to each market.

Whether this expanded customer access through the open API will translate into greater trading activity remains to be seen. Since Toss Securities' order and lookup functions can now be used not only through the existing MTS but also through external AI tools or investment programs, customers' trading methods are becoming more diverse. If this leads to genuine growth in users and trading volume, it could also positively affect brokerage revenue.

Toss Securities' trading volume in both domestic and overseas stocks has also been growing rapidly. First-half overseas stock commission revenue this year reached 343.6 billion won, up 87.2% year-on-year. Over the same period, domestic stock trading value grew about 7.9-fold, from 88 trillion won to 691 trillion won. While maintaining its strength in overseas stocks, the company is also expanding its retail business footprint as domestic stock trading grows significantly.

A Toss Securities official said, "With this open API launch, even ordinary investors without coding knowledge can now use AI to build their own investment strategies and put them into practice," adding, "We will continue developing our services to make it easier for investors to put their desired strategies into actual practice."

Still, as AI becomes directly linked to actual order execution, the importance of investor protection and security is also expected to grow. If AI misinterprets a user's natural-language command in a way that differs from their intent, it could result in unintended orders, and there's also the risk that an API key linked to an account could be exposed externally.

An industry official said, "As AI-powered investment services expand, along with convenience, investor protection factors like order stability and security will also become increasingly important."

                                                                                                             Park Ju-yeon