Interactive Brokers Group is buying Folio Investments’ DIY brokerage business — which has some 70,000 retail investor clients and about $3 billion in assets — from Goldman Sachs.
The news comes just 11 weeks after Goldman bought Folio Financial and eight weeks after Charles Schwab wrapped up its purchase of former brokerage rival TD Ameritrade for $22 billion.
As part of the deal, Goldman is keeping Folio’s RIA clearing and custody services, a business that Interactive Brokers also competes in.
“It’s a somewhat puzzling move given Goldman’s Marcus business,” which does online banking, said Gavin Spitzner, head of Wealth Consulting Partners.
“But given the small, under $50,000 average account size of [Folio's] self-directed business that they’re offloading to Interactive Brokers, Goldman is signaling they are focused on mass affluent and up — whether through their Personal Financial Management channel (… formerly known as United Capital) or through their budding RIA custody side,” Spitzner explained.