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Pepperstone and the Aston Martin Aramco Formula One Team have broadened and renewed their partnership. Fernando Alonso is set to take on the role of Pepperstone global ambassador from 2027.
Alonso will appear at this weekend's Mexico City Grand Prix in a helmet specially designed for the deal. Pepperstone Group CEO Tamas Szabo said the broker is prioritising product development, technology and international growth, with Latin America a significant target region.
The partnership now includes Alonso
The relationship began in January 2025, when Pepperstone became the team's Global Forex and Trading Partner under a multi-year agreement. Its branding appeared on the cars, and the deal was the team's first partnership announced that year. An earlier report put the entry price for F1 sponsorship with teams outside the top three or four at about $500,000.
The announcement does not identify a Pepperstone platform. Its Australian crypto business, however, has developed since the sponsorship started.
The broker opened a dedicated exchange in Australia in February 2026, pairing USDT, Solana, Bitcoin, USDC and Ethereum with the Australian dollar. Pepperstone set a flat 0.1% trading fee, keeps crypto CFDs as a separate offering and built the exchange infrastructure in-house.
Crypto operations add a technology dimension
Szabo said in a 2024 interview with Finance Magnates that crypto had become Pepperstone's fourth-largest asset class, with more first-time traders choosing it as their first instrument. The broker later adopted Fireblocks' digital asset stack for the exchange, and outlined plans covering staking and decentralised finance. Earlier disclosures put monthly crypto CFD turnover at about US$6 billion.
Nigel Fernandes became Chief Technology Officer on 1 October 2026. Pepperstone said it intends to build more technology internally under his leadership.
In a mid-year update, Szabo said the crypto business was in the process of a progressive global rollout after initially serving Australia alone. He also reported a 40% year-on-year rise in new clients making their first trades.
What to watch next
For trading and operations teams, the sponsorship announcement does not specify a platform change or integration. The operational questions sit with the crypto business: how will its global expansion relate to the Australian exchange and the separately offered crypto CFDs, and what infrastructure will support each market?
Teams assessing the broker's roadmap can check what is planned for staking and decentralised finance, and whether more of the supporting technology will be developed in-house. The announcement does not set out the markets, timing or technical requirements for that work. Those details will determine what needs to be tested across trading, reporting and operational processes.
