Revolutionizing Fintech: Steven Orr’s Vision to Raise the Bar with Quasar Markets

With 34 years in finance, Steven E. Orr launched Quasar Markets to democratize trading. This award-winning, AI-powered fintech platform empowers users globally with insights, tools, and education. 

Over his 34-year journey in finance, TV, the US government, sports, and more, CEO Steven E. Orr’s (widely known on Wall Street as ‘BigBeat’) relentless pursuit of excellence from a small town in Illinois to a Wall Street powerhouse has culminated in the creation of a groundbreaking fintech platform. Quasar Markets, launched in early 2024, is designed to democratize trading and empower every individual with the tools they need to succeed in a seemingly volatile market. 

A Lifelong Passion for Trading

While other kids in his neighborhood dreamed of becoming astronauts and firefighters when they grew up, Steven Orr wanted to be a stockbroker. When he was around 16 years old, he received his first dividend check from a Disney stock he had invested in, a check that remains to this day a point of pride. Always a trader at heart, Orr started his career in Washington, DC, instead of on Wall Street, learning the connections between the markets and politics that would eventually turn into the basis of his future in fintech. His mentors were an integral part of his trading education, but Orr knew that not everyone had access to the same opportunities that he did. So, in 2023, he founded a revolutionary new financial media platform, Quasar Markets.

Quasar Markets isn’t just another fintech startup. It’s the product of decades of expertise, innovation, and a vision to raise the level for every trader and the industry as a whole. Orr, a veteran trader and former Senior Vice President and Chief Strategy Officer at two established financial media giants, knows firsthand the challenges faced by traders, both novice and seasoned. His mission with Quasar is to eliminate the fragmentation of the fintech space, providing a seamless, all-encompassing platform that integrates trading, education, and real-time insights through one state-of-the-art AI-powered platform.

A Fintech Revolution: The All-in-One Marketplace for Traders

Orr describes Quasar as the ‘marketplace for everything.’ While traditional platforms may specialize in specific subjects and features, Quasar brings together everything under one streamlined umbrella: charting, news, AI-driven analyses, curated educational courses, and even external factors like weather, sports, and geopolitical events. Whether a retail trader, institutional trader, or absolute beginner, Quasar’s numerous integrated AI systems help users make informed decisions by analyzing the absolute breadth of data from every angle. And it’s proven to be more than useful. In its first year of operation, Quasar has already won four awards on an international scale, recognized for its excellence in the fintech sector for the Best AI Research Platform (2023 and 2024), Fintech Startup of the Year (2024), and AI Startup of the Year (2024).

Its wide acclaim originates in Orr’s central philosophy: “The whole world matters in trading.” He continues, “What happens around the world also affects the US, and traders need to understand those connections.” Picture this: weather patterns and wind fronts in the West Coast of Africa disrupting cocoa crops, which send chocolate prices soaring and negatively impact the stocks of major American candy producers. While the chain of causation is clear in hindsight, Quasar aims to teach traders to think beyond the charts and understand the real-world implications of their investments as they unfold. 

Building for the Future: AI-Powered Insights & Global Expansion

An integral part of the successful toolkit Quasar has built for its users is the cutting-edge technology it employs. Orr insists on using the latest versions of development tools and AI frameworks to ensure the platform is future-proof. “I want us to grow with the technology inside our system, however fast it’s moving,” he emphasizes. “We’re not building for today, we’re building for tomorrow.” Quasar’s many AI systems don’t simply scrub the web and summarize the data, instead, its AI co-pilot provides actionable insights, trade positions, and answers to questions traders might not even think to ask.

Orr has adapted the platform for expansion to Japan, Germany, Saudi Arabia, and beyond, tailoring it to local languages and user preferences. By fostering wide accessibility, localization, and customization, Quasar allows traders worldwide to see the market through their own lenses and interests. Here, traders are empowered to make their own educated positions on their trades and get up to speed on current events through its lifestyle platform— whether through a VR headset, an earpiece, or reading an article.

Moreover, Quasar also aims to bring other companies in the fintech space ‘up to speed’. Its partnerships with IT and software companies around the world have allowed it to build a system of technologies that is leagues above the industry standard. As a SaaS (Software as a Service) platform, Quasar Markets is taking a proactive stand in making new technologies and methodologies available for the entire industry to follow suit. 

Leading the Industry Forward

For Steven, Quasar Markets is more than a business, it’s a labor of duty. “Why should hedge funds have all the data?” he asks. By offering affordable, comprehensive tools to the millions of people looking for this service, Quasar strives to give individuals the same opportunities as the biggest players in the game. With Quasar, Orr is redefining fintech and financial media, proving that with the right tools, anyone can chase their own version of the American Dream. 

Steven concludes, “I want to give people the platform they want, the way they want it. A localized, customizable, and accessible system that lets anyone see the markets whichever way they want to, in whatever language they desire. We are here to help them make the smartest decisions.”

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