Fintech Leaders: SoFi and Affirm Shine as William Blair Kicks Off Coverage with Outperform Ratings 

With Outperform ratings on both stocks, SoFi Technologies (SOFI, Financial) and Affirm Holdings (AFRM, Financial) shares moved higher on Wednesday after William Blair started coverage of the digital finance industry.Driven by younger consumers looking for open financial experiences, the company pointed out a trend toward substitutes for conventional consumer finance and credit cards. Because of their user-friendly digital platforms, creative financial products, and real-time credit decision capability made possible by proprietary underwriting algorithms, William Blair named SoFi and Affirm leaders in the field.Affirm specializes in buy-now-pay-later services; SoFi runs like a digital bank. For both, the company found important areas of strength including transparency, clear pricing, and easy payment choices. Citing three main strengths—advanced digital user experiences, simple consumer finance products offering instant credit decisions, and flexible payment options marked by transparent pricing, no late fees, and clear terms— William Blair names Affirm and SoFi as leading companies within the competitive fintech sector.