This Financial Firm Can Give Investment Advice in Gen Z Slang, No Cap

Artificial intelligence is coming to the world of investment advice, and it can speak in Gen Z slang.

That is the pitch from Arta Finance, a wealth-management startup led by an ex-Google executive and backed by the former chief executive of Swiss-banking stalwart UBS.

Arta is rolling out an AI assistant that can dispense financial advice in spoken conversations—and in any preferred tone and argot. Even for the 20-something millionaire set.

“Low-key gonna break down ur investment plan rn,” the Arta assistant says, responding to a client’s query on his investment portfolio. “No cap, ur portfolio is fire!”

“No cap” is an assurance that the statement that preceded or followed it is indeed factual.

The AI tool won’t recommend any investments that don’t match customers’ stated appetite for taking risks.

And it definitely won’t trade on its own without the users’ consent—it isn’t that kind of artificial intelligence.

But it can walk through the pros and cons of specific stocks, point out cost-saving tax strategies and offer advice on how someone might tweak their investment strategy if they take a pay cut.

Many wealth managers are exploring ways that AI can support human advisers behind the scenes, said Shirl Penney , CEO of Dynasty Financial Partners, a platform for independent advisers. But bots that engage directly with clients are still relatively rare.

“It’s really about utilizing AI to minimize some of the back office operations,” Penney said, adding that the tools can be used to fill out forms or draft notes to clients.

“It’s still pretty hard for AI to tell someone they should sell their business or that they should retire—or to give advice when they’re going through a tough life event, like a divorce.”

Arta, led by Caesar Sengupta, is betting that younger, digital-native Americans will value mobile apps, convenience and lower fees over the face-to-face advice their parents and grandparents received from traditional financial advisers.

“This is essentially a relationship that is available on your phone at any point in time,” said Sengupta, Arta’s CEO and co-founder.

Arta, whose platform is also available through a desktop app, isn’t the only upstart wealth-management firm to tout its mobile services or even push into AI.

Just last week, Robinhood Markets unveiled an AI assistant for its brokerage platform.

And with fees on many financial services under siege from low-cost options, many banks and brokerages are eager to provide financial advice to a wealthier clientele who pay higher fees.

Arta’s platform is currently only available to accredited investors, meaning users will need well over six figures in assets to qualify. The company is also looking to license its technology to other financial firms, Sengupta said.

Ralph Hamers, the former CEO of UBS and then ING, said AI tools like Arta’s can reshape the financial-advice industry. He doesn’t think AI is coming for financial advisers’ jobs.

The boom in casual footware ushered in by the pandemic has ended, a potential problem for companies such as Adidas that benefited from the shift to less formal clothing, Bank of America says.

The casual footwear business has been on the ropes since mid-2023 as people began returning to office.

Analyst Thierry Cota wrote that while most downcycles have lasted one to two years over the past two decades or so, the current one is different.

It “shows no sign of abating” and there is “no turning point in sight,” he said.

Adidas and Nike alone account for almost 60% of revenue in the casual footwear industry, Cota estimated, so the sector’s slower growth could be especially painful for them as opposed to brands that have a stronger performance-shoe segment. Adidas may just have it worse than Nike.

Cota downgraded Adidas stock to Underperform from Buy on Tuesday and slashed his target for the stock price to €160 (about $187) from €213. He doesn’t have a rating for Nike stock.

Shares of Adidas listed on the German stock exchange fell 4.5% Tuesday to €162.25. Nike stock was down 1.2%.

Adidas didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.

Cota sees trouble for Adidas both in the short and long term.

Adidas’ lifestyle segment, which includes the Gazelles and Sambas brands, has been one of the company’s fastest-growing business, but there are signs growth is waning.

Lifestyle sales increased at a 10% annual pace in Adidas’ third quarter, down from 13% in the second quarter.

The analyst now predicts Adidas’ organic sales will grow by a 5% annual rate starting in 2027, down from his prior forecast of 7.5%.

The slower revenue growth will likewise weigh on profitability, Cota said, predicting that margins on earnings before interest and taxes will decline back toward the company’s long-term average after several quarters of outperforming. That could result in a cut to earnings per share.

Adidas stock had a rough 2025. Shares shed 33% in the past 12 months, weighed down by investor concerns over how tariffs, slowing demand, and increased competition would affect revenue growth.

Nike stock fell 9% throughout the period, reflecting both the company’s struggles with demand and optimism over a turnaround plan CEO Elliott Hill rolled out in late 2024.

Investors’ confidence has faded following Nike’s December earnings report, which suggested that a sustained recovery is still several quarters away. Just how many remains anyone’s guess.

But if Adidas’ challenges continue, as Cota believes they will, it could open up some space for Nike to claw back any market share it lost to its rival.

Investors should keep in mind, however, that the field has grown increasingly crowded in the past five years. Upstarts such as On Holding and Hoka also present a formidable challenge to the sector’s legacy brands.

Shares of On and Deckers Outdoor , Hoka’s parent company, fell 11% and 48%, respectively, in 2025, but analysts are upbeat about both companies’ fundamentals as the new year begins.

The battle of the sneakers is just getting started.

This Financial Firm Can Give Investment Advice in Gen Z Slang, No Cap

Arta, a wealth-management startup, is using mobile apps and AI tools to reach young millionaires.

The pandemic-fuelled love affair with casual footwear is fading, with Bank of America warning the downturn shows no sign of easing.