Scalable Capital Opens Platform to ChatGPT
German neobroker Scalable Capital has become the first European bank to let customers connect external AI assistants like ChatGPT directly to real brokerage accounts.
Scalable Capital opened its investment platform to outside artificial intelligence assistants on Aug. 25. The German neobroker, which holds more than €60 billion for over 1 million customers, now lets users connect ChatGPT, Claude, or Grok to a real brokerage account containing actual money. It became the first bank in Europe to do so.
Called Agentic Investing, the feature allows an AI to analyze a customer's portfolio, compare it to a benchmark, calculate savings plans, or adjust limit orders through plain-language prompts. Every trade or savings plan still requires the customer's explicit confirmation before execution. Deposits and withdrawals remain restricted to Scalable's own app and website.
Scalable Capital co-CEO Erik Podzuweit told Reuters that many people might still be hesitant to let ChatGPT manage their portfolio. He described the launch as a "first step" ahead of deeper AI integration planned for Scalable's own app. The functionality operates via the Model Context Protocol, an open technical standard enabling AI systems to connect directly to external services like brokerage accounts.
US Brokers Pursue AI Integration
American brokerages are pursuing similar goals of merging advice with execution through different models. Robinhood launched Agentic Trading and an Agentic Credit Card on May 27, as reported by PYMNTS. This lets an outside AI agent connect to a dedicated sub-account with its own budget to place real trades.
"Our mission has always been to democratize finance for all, and now, that mission extends to AI agents," Robinhood CEO Vlad Tenev said in a company release. Robinhood confines the agent's trading to that separate account, though the AI can still view a customer's full portfolio across all held accounts.
Interactive Brokers has taken a narrower approach. The firm launched Ask IBKR in October, an AI tool that answers client questions about their portfolio rather than generating trades or connecting to outside models like Claude. For deeper analysis, clients can consult our comprehensive stats and standings pages.
Public has gone further. It became the first brokerage to introduce AI agents for investing within its own app, allowing customers to set standing instructions for an agent to execute trades, move cash, and manage risk automatically. Separately, Public also lets customers connect Claude Desktop directly to a real brokerage account using the same Model Context Protocol as Scalable Capital and Robinhood, covering stocks, ETFs, options, and cryptocurrencies.
AI Adoption and User Segmentation
Recent launches target a specific user behavior already identified by research. PYMNTS Intelligence found that power users, consumers using AI to complete 27 or more distinct tasks monthly, represent 10% of all consumers and 19% of millennials. This group's activity includes higher-complexity tasks like personal investment management, a trend you can track against team fixtures and injuries for sports-related investments.
Market Data on AI Users
The data reveals a clear segmentation in AI adoption:
| User Group | Monthly AI Task Average | Population Share | Key Characteristics |
|---|---|---|---|
| Power Users | 27+ tasks | 10% of all consumers, 19% of millennials | Engage in high-complexity tasks like investment management. |
| Mainstream Users | ~8 tasks | Not specified | Skew toward lower-complexity activities like comparison shopping. |
| Holdouts (Non-Adopters) | 0 tasks | 53% of population, 72% of baby boomers | Have not adopted AI at all. |
Power users are not only a distinct segment but are growing more reliant on AI. Their average monthly task count rose from 25 in September to 27 in December, and 75% have used AI for at least a year. This is the exact population that Scalable Capital, Robinhood, Interactive Brokers, and Public are racing to serve: consumers who have moved past using AI for occasional stock research and toward integrating it into a regular financial routine.
