Robinhood adds beta feature that lets AI agents trade stocks

In short: Robinhood has launched a beta feature that lets users connect an AI agent to trade stocks, using only money placed in a separate, pre-funded account.

What happened

Robinhood, the stock trading app, said it is adding support for “agentic trading.” That means an AI agent (a software helper that can take actions for you, like a very fast assistant) can place trades on a user’s behalf.

To do this, Robinhood says users can create a separate account for the agent and connect it to a dedicated wallet. The agent can look at and analyze a user’s portfolio and suggest strategies, but it can only place trades using the pre-loaded balance in that dedicated wallet. It is like giving a helper a prepaid card instead of your main bank account.

Robinhood says users will get notifications for trades their agent makes, and can monitor the agent’s activity inside the Robinhood app. For some trades, the agent will show a preview and the user may need to approve it before the trade happens. Robinhood also says it has fraud detection, including review of suspicious trades and help resolving disputes.

The company said the feature works through its Model Context Protocol, or MCP, service, which is a way to connect outside tools to Robinhood in a structured way (like a standard plug that lets different devices connect). The beta only supports stock trading for now, with plans to add options and crypto later.

Robinhood also announced a virtual credit card designed for AI agents to make payments, with limits and optional approval settings. It is currently available to Robinhood Gold Card holders.

Why it matters

Letting software trade and pay for people could make investing and spending more automated, but it also raises the stakes for mistakes and fraud. Robinhood’s separate wallet approach is meant to limit how much money an agent can access if something goes wrong.

Source: TechCrunch AI