Robinhood is reportedly planning to expand its cryptocurrency offerings by leveraging its pending acquisition of Bitstamp to enter the futures market.
According to Bloomberg’s report, the company aims to introduce CME-based Bitcoin and Ether futures in the United States, while utilizing Bitstamp’s licenses to offer perpetual futures for Bitcoin and other tokens in Europe.
However, this comes at a time when the crypto derivatives sector is experiencing rapid growth. Recent data from crypto researcher CCData indicates that while spot trading volumes on centralized exchanges reached $1.57 trillion in May, derivatives volume surged to $3.69 trillion.
Moreover, Robinhood’s interest in expanding its crypto services is evident from its recent performance, with crypto trading increasing by 224% in the first quarter of 2024.
Additionally, the purchase of Bitstamp worth $200 million which is expected to be finalized by mid-2025 would also give Robinhood exposure to global over 50 licenses as well as registrations and introduce it into institutional clients for cryptocurrencies.
This however does not deter Robinhood despite facing regulatory obstacles including a Wells notice from the SEC in May this year. The company’s CEO, Vlad Tenev, has emphasized the growing importance of crypto assets and the need for American investors to have access to them.
