Public.com Launches World First Agentic Brokerage: AI Agents That Autonomously Execute Trades, Manage Cash, and Monitor Portfolios

On March 31, 2026, Public.com announced the launch of Agents — making it the first brokerage to offer autonomous AI agents for portfolio management. This represents a fundamental shift from manual trading to intent-based investing, where AI agents monitor markets and execute strategies on behalf of investors.

How It Works: Investors describe their investment intent in natural language, and the AI Agent translates it into executable trading strategies. The agent asks follow-up questions to map out a complete workflow, allows investors to refine timing, adjust triggers, and set precise conditions through prompts. Once activated, the Agent monitors markets in real time and executes trades autonomously.

Example Use Cases:

• "Help me generate $5,000 per month in covered call premiums across my portfolio"
• "If SPY drops more than 1% in the first 30 minutes of trading, buy same-day call and put options"
• "If my checking account balance exceeds $20,000, sweep the excess into my direct index"

These examples show sophisticated multi-step strategies that combine options trading, cash management, and risk monitoring — tasks that previously required professional traders or algorithmic trading platforms.

Safety and Transparency: Public emphasizes several guardrails:

• Full transparency with detailed logs of every action taken
• Trading history accessible at all times
• Investors can pause, stop, or edit any agent workflow
• Agents operate entirely within Public platform financial-grade infrastructure
• No autonomous internet access — agents cannot "go rogue"

Company Context: Public was founded in 2019 and has raised over $400 million from investors including Accel and Tiger Global. It was the first brokerage to introduce AI features in 2023. The company handles billions in assets from affluent investors.

Market Significance: This launch represents the first time a regulated financial institution has deployed autonomous AI agents with real money and real trading authority. Unlike robo-advisors (Wealthfront, Betterment) that use predefined allocation models, Public AI Agents accept arbitrary natural language instructions and translate them into trading actions.

The move also signals that agentic AI is crossing from experimental tech-sector applications into highly regulated industries. Financial services, with their strict compliance requirements and fiduciary responsibilities, serve as a proving ground for whether autonomous AI agents can operate safely in environments where mistakes have real monetary consequences.

Regulatory Implications: Public includes extensive disclosures noting that investors are "solely responsible for determining the suitability of any strategy" and must verify instructions before activation. This positions the AI agent as a tool executing user intent rather than providing investment advice — a careful regulatory distinction that other industries deploying autonomous agents will likely need to make.

Co-CEO Jannick Malling stated: "Every investor has ideas and strategies in their heads, but executing them used to require being glued to a screen all day, waiting for the right moment to act. Agents not only automate strategies for retail investors; they help translate their intent into action."