- SoFi acquired Composer and is launching an artificial intelligence-powered investing platform.
- The tool helps users create, test, and automate trading strategies using everyday language.
- The move adds to a growing fintech race to keep retail investors engaged with AI tools.
SoFi Technologies (SOFI) shares rose Tuesday after the fintech company announced a new push into artificial intelligence in retail investing.
SoFi acquired Composer, an AI startup that helps retail investors build and execute trading strategies. The company did not disclose the terms of the deal.
The move gives SoFi another way to compete for retail investors at a time when commission-free trading has become common, and brokerage platforms are looking for new ways to stand out.
The bigger question for investors is whether AI-powered investing tools can help SoFi deepen user engagement, bring more customers into its financial services ecosystem, and make its platform harder to leave.
SoFi launches AI-powered investing tool
SoFi said in a company statement that Composer by SoFi will help investors create, test, and execute sophisticated strategies using everyday language.
The platform is designed to move users from an investing idea to automated execution in minutes. Investors can create a custom strategy, browse thousands of community-built strategies, or combine multiple strategies into a portfolio.
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Reuters reported that SoFi is betting that AI can help close the gap between individual investors and more sophisticated systematic investing tools typically used by hedge funds and institutional firms.
The move goes beyond adding another AI assistant to SoFi’s app. The company is trying to make strategy building, backtesting, and automated execution part of the retail investing experience.
Barron’s reported that SoFi plans to make Composer’s basic capabilities available to all SoFi customers this summer, with more advanced features expected for SoFi Plus members later. SoFi Plus is the company’s subscription membership service, which Barron’s said costs $10 a month.
For SoFi, the product fits a larger goal of getting members to use more of its financial tools in one place.
SoFi’s AI move raises the fintech competition stakes
The Composer deal comes as financial technology companies are racing to make their platforms more useful, more automated, and more personalized.
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Robinhood Markets (HOOD) recently introduced AI-driven trading features, including tools that help customers create dedicated trading accounts and deploy AI agents to trade stocks on their behalf.
Barron’s also noted that Coinbase Global (COIN), Robinhood, Charles Schwab (SCHW), Interactive Brokers (IBKR), and eToro have launched AI-powered services for customers.
For SoFi, the crowded field makes differentiation more important. As free trading and fractional shares become standard, the company needs tools that can make its investing platform feel more useful and harder to leave.
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SoFi is trying to use AI as part of a broader financial-everything-app strategy. The company started with student loans but now offers banking, investing, credit cards, insurance, and other financial products.
If you can explain an investment idea in plain English, you can now build, test, and automate it.
The problem for investors is whether that kind of product can turn into more than a headline-grabbing AI feature.
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What investors are watching
Investors are likely to focus on several parts of SoFi’s AI investing push:
- Whether new features help revenue growth
- Whether Composer attracts more investing users
- Whether SoFi Plus gets a subscription boost
- Whether AI tools improve customer engagement
- How SoFi competes with Robinhood and Coinbase
SoFi has a large member base to test those products. Reuters reported that the company’s members rose 35% to 14.7 million in the first quarter, while adjusted revenue increased 41% to $1.1 billion.
The Composer deal is not SoFi’s first AI push. Earlier in June, the company introduced SoFi Coach, an AI-powered financial guide that helps members track, budget, save, and invest.
Together, the products show that SoFi is using AI both as a financial planning assistant and as an investing tool.
But AI investing tools also bring questions. Users may want more control, more transparency, and clearer guardrails before trusting automated strategies with real money.
Noto told Barron’s that Composer is not about handing full control to an AI agent. The point, he said, is to let investors build a strategy, see how it works, and decide whether to automate it.
That distinction could be important as fintech companies compete to make AI useful without making it feel like a black box.
SoFi’s AI bet leaves investors with one question
SoFi’s Composer deal gives the company a timely AI story at a moment when retail investing platforms are fighting for attention.
The product could help SoFi make its app more useful to customers who want more than basic trading tools. It could also give SoFi another reason to push users toward SoFi Plus and its broader suite of financial products.
For now, SoFi is betting that the next phase of retail investing is not just cheaper trading. It is easier access to tools that once belonged mostly to Wall Street.
But the question for investors is whether those tools can drive measurable results.
If Composer helps SoFi increase engagement, attract more investing customers, and deepen its relationship with existing members, the acquisition could support the company’s broader platform strategy.
However, if it becomes another AI feature in a crowded fintech market, the impact may be harder to see.
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