SoFi has acquired Composer, an AI startup enabling retail investors to build and automate sophisticated trading strategies.
According to Reuters, the acquisition is aimed at extending to retail investors a set of capabilities that has historically been concentrated among hedge funds and institutional firms. Through Composer's platform, users can construct systematic trading strategies using plain-language inputs, gain access to thousands of community-created strategies, and automate execution, all through a single interface.
Anthony Noto, chief executive of SoFi, stated that investment ideas expressed in plain English can now be built, tested, and automated through the platform. Noto also drew a parallel between the role mobile technology played in transforming the banking sector and the potential for artificial intelligence to reshape investing in a comparable way.
The transaction follows a period of strong growth for SoFi. In the first quarter of 2026, the company recorded a 35% increase in members year on year, reaching 14.7 million, while adjusted revenue rose 41% to USD 1.1 billion. Both figures represented records for the company. Noto also commented that SoFi members had remained engaged through periods of market volatility, seeking opportunities rather than retreating from the market.
Competitive landscape in retail brokerage
The acquisition comes against a backdrop of intensifying competition in the retail brokerage sector. Commission-free trading has become standard across most major platforms, significantly reducing product differentiation and prompting firms to develop additional tools and features to attract and retain customers in an increasingly crowded market.
In May 2026, Robinhood announced that it would allow customers to open dedicated trading accounts and deploy AI agents to execute stock trades autonomously through its platform. Together, these developments reflect a wider industry trend of integrating artificial intelligence into retail investment tools, a shift that has gathered pace since the pandemic-era surge brought millions of new participants into financial markets for the first time.
For SoFi, the Composer deal extends its broader strategy of positioning itself as a comprehensive financial platform. Embedding AI-driven trading capabilities into its existing product suite could serve to strengthen member retention and competitive differentiation at a time when low-cost trade execution alone is no longer sufficient to stand out from competitors.
