Robinhood has begun rolling out cryptocurrency trading to eligible customers in the United Kingdom, bringing access to more than 50 digital assets directly into its main investment app. The launch expands Robinhood’s UK offering beyond traditional markets and comes as the country prepares for a new regulatory framework for crypto businesses.
Crypto trading is being provided through Bitstamp UK, the FCA-registered crypto platform acquired by Robinhood for approximately $200 million last year.
The rollout gives UK users access to major assets including Bitcoin, Ethereum, XRP and HYPE, alongside Robinhood’s existing range of investment products.
Crypto Trading Comes to Robinhood’s UK App
The new service allows eligible UK customers to buy and sell more than 50 cryptocurrencies without leaving the Robinhood investment platform.
Robinhood says customers will not pay trading, custody or account-maintenance fees for the service.
Instead, foreign-exchange conversions will generally carry a 0.1% fee, while certain weekend conversions will be charged at 0.3%.
The integration places crypto alongside Robinhood’s existing UK products, including equities, Stocks and Shares ISAs, options and futures.
The company is positioning the expansion as another step toward becoming a broader, all-in-one investment platform for UK customers.
Bitstamp Provides the Crypto Infrastructure
The cryptocurrency service operates through Bitstamp UK Ltd, which is registered with the Financial Conduct Authority as a cryptoasset service provider.
Robinhood acquired Bitstamp last year as part of its strategy to expand its cryptocurrency business internationally.
The acquisition gives Robinhood access to Bitstamp’s established crypto infrastructure while allowing the company to integrate digital assets into its broader investment ecosystem.
Robinhood has warned customers that cryptocurrency holdings through Bitstamp UK are not protected by the Financial Services Compensation Scheme and are not covered by the Financial Ombudsman Service.
Robinhood Secures FCA Registration
The UK crypto launch follows Robinhood’s registration with the Financial Conduct Authority on July 31.
Under the UK’s existing regulatory framework, crypto companies must register with the FCA and comply with anti-money-laundering requirements before providing covered cryptocurrency services.
Robinhood had previously announced plans to introduce crypto trading in the UK but had not disclosed a specific launch date.
The timing is particularly significant because the UK is preparing to introduce a broader authorization framework for crypto businesses.
Applications under the upcoming regime are expected to open toward the end of September and remain available until February 2027, with the new regulatory system scheduled to take effect in October 2027.
Robinhood’s current FCA registration does not automatically satisfy the requirements of the future framework. Companies intending to continue offering covered crypto services will need to obtain authorization under the new system.
AI Enters Robinhood’s Crypto Experience
Robinhood is also bringing its Cortex Digests for Crypto feature to UK customers.
The generative AI tool analyzes breaking news, technical indicators, market information and Robinhood’s proprietary data to explain potential reasons behind cryptocurrency price movements.
The goal is to give investors additional context when evaluating individual digital assets.
The integration also expands Robinhood’s broader Cortex AI strategy, bringing AI-powered market analysis directly into the same application where customers can trade stocks, options and cryptocurrencies.
Robinhood Is Building More Than a Trading App
The UK crypto launch is part of a broader strategy to build a larger financial ecosystem around Robinhood.
The company has also been developing Robinhood Chain, a permissionless Layer 2 blockchain built using Arbitrum technology.
According to Robinhood, the network has recorded more than $18 billion in decentralized-exchange trading volume and more than $840 million in total value locked since its July 1 launch.
The company says developers around the world, including those in the UK, can build applications on the network.
Robinhood CEO Vlad Tenev has also said the network became the fastest Ethereum Virtual Machine-compatible blockchain to reach 100 million transactions.
That suggests Robinhood’s strategy is extending beyond simply allowing users to trade existing cryptocurrencies.
The company increasingly wants to control more of the infrastructure surrounding digital assets.
Crypto Revenue Has Declined Despite Product Expansion
The UK launch comes at an interesting time for Robinhood’s crypto business.
The company reported that cryptocurrency transaction revenue fell 38% year over year to $100 million during the second quarter ended June 30.
At the same time, other areas of the business continued to expand.
Prediction markets generated $156 million during the quarter, surpassing crypto transaction revenue for the first time.
Overall, Robinhood’s net revenue increased 32% year over year to $1.31 billion, while net income climbed 48% to $573 million.
During the quarter, the company also launched Robinhood Chain, expanded Stock Tokens to more than 120 countries, introduced Robinhood Earn and completed its acquisition of Canadian crypto platform WonderFi.
The figures demonstrate how Robinhood is gradually reducing its dependence on traditional stock and crypto trading revenue by expanding into additional financial products.
Prediction Markets Become Another Growth Engine
Prediction markets have become an increasingly important part of Robinhood’s strategy.
The company already offers contracts through Kalshi and ForecastEx and operates Rothera through a joint venture with Susquehanna International Group.
Robinhood has also reportedly explored adding event contracts from Crypto.com to its prediction-market hub, although no agreement had been officially confirmed.
The expansion reflects a broader trend across financial platforms: users increasingly want access to stocks, crypto, derivatives, prediction markets and other forms of speculation from a single application.
Robinhood appears determined to compete for that broader financial relationship.
Robinhood Expands Into Venture Investing
The company is also expanding beyond public markets.
Robinhood recently filed plans to raise as much as $200 million for its second publicly listed venture fund, Robinhood Ventures Fund II.
The fund is expected to trade on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker RVII, subject to regulatory approval.
Unlike the first Robinhood Ventures Fund, which focused largely on later-stage private companies such as OpenAI, Stripe, SpaceX and Databricks, the new fund is designed primarily around earlier-stage businesses.
The portfolio is expected to begin with approximately 80 private companies, with a particular focus on seed-stage startups connected to Y Combinator.
The structure is intended to give retail investors exposure to startups much earlier in their development rather than waiting until those companies reach an IPO.
The second fund will also introduce a 2% annual management fee and a 20% incentive fee on realized gains, according to regulatory filings.
Robinhood’s Bigger Strategy
Robinhood’s UK crypto launch is therefore about more than adding another 50-plus tokens.
The company is building toward a broader financial platform that combines stocks, crypto, derivatives, prediction markets, AI-powered analysis, blockchain infrastructure and private-market investing.
The strategy is increasingly clear:
Own the interface where users manage their financial lives, then expand the number of markets and products available inside it.
For the UK crypto market, Robinhood’s arrival adds another major player just as regulators prepare to introduce a more comprehensive authorization regime.
For Robinhood, meanwhile, crypto is becoming one component of a much larger ambition: turning its investment app into an all-in-one financial marketplace.
