US-based trading platform Robinhood (NASDAQ:HOOD) shares rose on Tuesday and continued to go up in early trading on Wednesday after the online brokerage unveiled new tools allowing artificial intelligence (AI) agents to trade stocks and make credit card purchases on behalf of customers. This is one of the most ambitious attempts yet to bring “agentic AI” into mainstream consumer finance.
The company said users will be able to connect third-party AI systems including agents built with tools such as Claude and Cursor, directly to Robinhood accounts through its Model Context Protocol infrastructure. Customers can create separate trading accounts for AI agents, set spending or trading limits and monitor activity in real time.
Robinhood’s new “Agentic Trading” service launches initially for stock trading, with plans to expand into options, cryptocurrencies and futures later.
The company also introduced an “Agentic Credit Card” tied to its Robinhood Gold product, allowing AI assistants to search for deals, book travel or make purchases automatically through virtual cards controlled by users.
How it will work
Chief executive Vlad Tenev said the move was part of Robinhood’s broader effort to “democratize finance” by making AI-driven financial tools available to retail investors.
Robinhood said customers would receive notifications whenever agents execute trades and could disconnect the systems at any time. The brokerage also acknowledged risks associated with AI-directed investing, warning users that automated trading strategies could result in significant financial losses.
As part of the new tools:
• Customers can open dedicated agentic trading accounts.
• AI agents can analyse portfolios, rebalance holdings and execute trades.
• The service will start with equities before expanding to options, crypto, event contracts, futures and prediction markets in the coming months.
• Each agent operates within a separate wallet, limiting risk to pre-loaded balances.
• Users receive notifications and previews of trades before execution.
AI race in Finance
The launch comes as financial technology firms race to integrate autonomous AI systems into banking, investing and payments. Companies including Visa, Mastercard and Coinbase are also experimenting with agentic commerce tools that can execute transactions without direct human input.
Analysts said the initiative could help Robinhood attract younger, tech-focused investors, though regulators are likely to scrutinise how autonomous trading systems are supervised and whether retail customers fully understand the risks involved in handing financial decisions to AI.
