## How Templum and SoFi Are Breaking Down Barriers in Alternative Investments

The alternative investment market is experiencing a massive shift. With global alternative assets expected to reach $24.5 trillion by 2028—up from $16.3 trillion today—institutional investors have long dominated this space. Now, a major partnership between Templum and SoFi is changing that game for everyday investors.

**The Problem: Alternative Assets Have Been Off-Limits**

For decades, high-quality alternative investments were essentially gatekept. Institutional players, hedge funds, and ultra-wealthy individuals had exclusive access to opportunities in private markets, while retail investors were left watching from the sidelines. Despite the rapid growth in alternatives as a legitimate wealth-building strategy, the infrastructure remained fragmented and manual—creating unnecessary friction and limiting who could participate.

**What's Happening Now**

SoFi, which serves over 8 million members, recently launched its Alternative Investments offering. The company is now deepening that commitment through a collaboration with Templum, a platform designed specifically to streamline access to private markets and alternative assets. The goal is straightforward: give everyday investors the tools to explore investment opportunities that were previously reserved for the ultra-wealthy.

**Why This Matters**

Alternative investments offer something traditional stocks and bonds don't: potentially higher returns with lower correlation to traditional markets. This diversification potential is significant. By opening this asset class to retail investors, SoFi members now have the opportunity to build more resilient portfolios that balance growth with stability.

Templum brings the technical infrastructure and regulatory framework to make this possible. The platform handles the complexity of private securities trading and alternative asset management, allowing SoFi to integrate these options seamlessly into its digital ecosystem.

**Breaking Down a Fragmented Market**

One of the biggest issues with alternative investments has been the lack of standardization. Templum's approach solves this by creating unified infrastructure for primary issuance, secondary trading, and market data. Instead of dealing with scattered manual processes, investors and fund managers now have access to integrated technologies and APIs that simplify everything from transaction execution to compliance.

**What Investors Should Know**

This partnership signals a broader trend: alternative assets are moving from niche to mainstream. Individual investors who previously had zero access now have a viable path to diversify beyond traditional equities. While alternatives carry their own risks and complexities, having regulated access through a trusted platform like SoFi removes significant barriers to entry.

The timing is notable. As the global alternative asset pool continues its explosive growth trajectory, democratizing access means more retail capital can flow into this space—reshaping how markets function and who benefits from emerging investment opportunities.