Folio Investing
Folio Investing is a private FINRA-regulated online brokerage based in McLean, Virginia, offering securities dealing, underwriting, mutual funds, and online investment services to retail and institutional clients since 2000.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2000
- HeadquartersMclean, United States
- Headcount101–250
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Folio Investing does
Folio Investing, operating through its legal entity Folio Investments, Inc., is a private online brokerage firm founded in 2000 and headquartered in McLean, Virginia. The firm offers online brokerage, securities dealing, underwriting, mutual fund distribution, and online investment services, serving a customer base that spans retail self-directed investors and potentially institutional or advisor-channel clients. As a FINRA-regulated broker-dealer, Folio operates within the U.S. securities regulatory framework and maintains 101-250 employees.
The firm's business model is anchored in traditional brokerage economics: revenue is generated through trading commissions, payment for order flow from market centers, underwriting fees, and mutual fund distribution. Beginning in 2022, Folio began routing customer orders to a firm affiliate that pays for order flow, a structural arrangement that has since drawn regulatory scrutiny. The firm has no disclosed proprietary technology platform details, no mobile application presence, and no documented AI/ML capabilities.
Folio's operating posture is currently shaped by an ongoing FINRA enforcement matter in which the firm agreed to pay a $1.3 million fine and was censured for execution quality and supervisory violations spanning from at least January 2017 onward. As part of the settlement, Folio is required to certify implementation of a remedial supervisory system. The firm also received a strategic funding entry from SBXi on 2022-10-28. Leadership includes co-founder and board member Kathy Wallman. Ownership, institutional investor composition, and detailed financial performance are not disclosed in the available sources.
Folio Investing firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Folio Investing
- Legal name
- Folio Investments, Inc.
- Website
- https://folioinvesting.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2000
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 101–250 employees
- Short description
- Folio Investing is a private FINRA-regulated online brokerage based in McLean, Virginia, offering securities dealing, underwriting, mutual funds, and online investment services to retail and institutional clients since 2000.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Folio Investing industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Online Brokerage
- NAICS
- Securities and Commodity Contracts Intermediation and Brokerage (5231)
- SIC
- Security Brokers, Dealers & Flotation Companies (6211)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Execution-Only / Self-Directed Investing Platforms (FSAAAAAI)
Keywords
Where Folio Investing is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Mclean
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Markets served
Folio Investing business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Operations, Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Folio Investing product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Folio Investing operates as an online brokerage firm offering securities dealing, underwriting, mutual funds, and online investment services. The firm executes customer orders by routing them to market centers, including affiliates paying for order flow, and provides related retail brokerage services to individual investors through its online platform.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Online Brokerage Services
- Securities Dealing
- Mutual Funds
- Underwriting Services
Companies that use Folio Investing
Customer profileIdeal customer profiles1 record
Folio Investing technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Folio Investing partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators1 record
Recent moves4 records
Expansion highlights3 records
Folio Investing competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Robinhood: Commission-free self-directed online broker offering equity, options, and mutual fund trading to retail investors. Most direct comparable to Folio in business model and target customer.
- E*TRADE (Morgan Stanley): Self-directed online brokerage offering equities, options, mutual funds, and underwriting-adjacent services. Directly comparable offering to Folio across product lines and customer base.
- Interactive Brokers: Online broker-dealer providing self-directed trading in equities, options, futures, and funds globally. Comparable to Folio in execution-focused self-directed model, though skewed to more active retail and professional clients.
- TradeStation: Online broker-dealer offering equities, options, and futures trading with active-trader tools. Comparable to Folio in self-directed execution focus and order-routing economics.
- Ally Invest: Self-directed online brokerage from Ally Financial offering stocks, ETFs, options, and mutual funds. Directly comparable retail self-directed platform to Folio.
Broad incumbents
- Fidelity Investments: Diversified incumbent with self-directed brokerage, mutual fund sponsor, and underwriting capabilities. Significant overlap with Folio across brokerage, mutual funds, and underwriting product lines.
- Merrill Edge (Bank of America): Self-directed brokerage arm of BofA's wealth franchise, offering trading, mutual funds, and integrated banking. Overlaps Folio on self-directed retail investing at much larger scale.
- Charles Schwab: Large incumbent broker-dealer with a self-directed online platform plus full-service advisory, banking, and fund products. Overlaps Folio on retail brokerage and mutual fund distribution at much greater scale.
Emerging players
- Webull: Mobile-first self-directed broker offering commission-free trading and options/fund products. Competes for the same retail self-directed segment as Folio with a more technology-forward brand.
- SoFi Invest: Self-directed brokerage and robo-advisory platform embedded in SoFi's broader consumer fintech. Targets the same digitally native retail segment as Folio with bundled financial services.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights4 records
Customer concentration
Folio Investing social profiles
Digital presenceFolio Investing financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Folio Investing leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
Folio Investing funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds1 record
Investors1 record
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Folio Investing M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Folio Investing
What does Folio Investing do?
Folio Investing operates as an online brokerage firm offering securities dealing, underwriting, mutual funds, and online investment services. The firm executes customer orders by routing them to market centers, including affiliates paying for order flow, and provides related retail brokerage services to individual investors through its online platform.
Is Folio Investing a public or private company?
Folio Investing is a private company. It is classified as venture growth investor backed and is currently operating.
When was Folio Investing founded?
Folio Investing was founded in 2000. It employs 101 to 250 people.
Where is Folio Investing based?
Folio Investing is headquartered in Mclean, United States, in the North America region.
Who are Folio Investing's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Robinhood, E*TRADE (Morgan Stanley), Interactive Brokers, TradeStation and Ally Invest. Broad incumbents are Fidelity Investments, Merrill Edge (Bank of America) and Charles Schwab. Emerging players are Webull and SoFi Invest.
Does Folio Investing have an API?
No public API is recorded for Folio Investing.
What industry is Folio Investing in?
Folio Investing's product category is Online Brokerage. Its primary akta.pro industry code is FSAAAAAI, Execution-Only / Self-Directed Investing Platforms. Its NAICS code is 5231 and its SIC code is 6211.