Through acquisitions, SoFi eyes one-stop-shop status

The personal-finance giant announced today that it’s acquiring banking-software maker Technisys SA through an all-stock deal worth $1.1B. SoFi’s stock has slid more than 30% since the beginning of the year, and dipped 8% after today’s announcement.

Why should we care?
It’s useful to analyze the seeming discord between SoFi’s enthusiasm for Technisys and shareholders’ reticence. In part, the markets may have disapproved of the nature of the deal, which transfers around 10% of SoFi’s diluted share stock to Technisys. But there seems to be something deeper: Under SoFi CEO Anthony Noto, the company has moved away from its wheelhouse, refinancing student debt, in favor of a one-stop-shop model. Shareholders may be worried that the company is biting off more than it can chew—expanding without solidifying its domains of expertise. Technisys provides a core-banking platform, which can sustain mobile-banking apps, help customers open accounts, and track deposits; this clearly sets SoFi up for more services than it currently offers. Noto has vocally dismissed shareholder concerns. “We’re not slowing down. The distance between us and others is only going to increase,” he said. SoFi also went public last year through an SPAC held by Chamath Palihapitiya. Having bypassed traditional IPO processes through a blank-check firm may further explain SoFi’s volatility on the market.