Robinhood brings crypto trading to main UK app through Bitstamp

Robinhood (HOOD) has begun rolling out cryptocurrency trading to eligible customers in the UK, allowing users to buy and sell more than 50 digital assets directly within its main investing app through Bitstamp, the long-serving exchange it acquired for $200 million last year.

The rollout, which starts this week, adds cryptocurrencies to its existing stocks and shares ISAs, equities, options, and futures products in a single application, according to a statement shared with The Block.

Robinhood said the service will launch with zero trading fees, no account maintenance fees, and no custody fees. However, UK customers will pay a 0.1% foreign exchange fee, which rises to 0.3% for certain weekend conversions.

The offering includes assets such as BTC, ETH, XRP, and HYPE. Cryptocurrency trading is provided through Bitstamp UK Ltd, which is registered with the UK Financial Conduct Authority as a crypto asset service provider. Robinhood noted that crypto holdings through Bitstamp UK are not covered by the Financial Services Compensation Scheme or the Financial Ombudsman Service.

"A new wave of UK investors sees digital assets as an important part of a diversified portfolio," Jordan Sinclair, President of Robinhood UK Ltd and GM of Bitstamp UK Ltd, said. "With today’s launch, we're taking another major step toward becoming the all-in-one investment platform for the UK."

AI-powered crypto analysis

The launch also introduces Robinhood Cortex Digests for Crypto in the UK. The generative AI-powered feature analyzes breaking news, market data, technical indicators, and Robinhood's proprietary insights to explain factors driving price movements in individual crypto assets. It is designed to provide market context to help investors make more informed decisions, according to the firm.

Beyond the new in-app crypto features, Robinhood also highlighted its broader digital asset ecosystem, including Robinhood Chain, its permissionless Arbitrum-based Layer 2 blockchain. Developers can build on the network globally, including in the UK, with Robinhood describing it as being built to "institutional standards."

The company said the network has generated more than $18 billion in decentralized exchange trading volume and surpassed $840 million in total value locked since its July 1 launch.

The UK crypto launch follows the company's recent push to diversify its business beyond trading. Robinhood reported second-quarter crypto transaction revenue of $100 million on July 29, down 38% from a year earlier, while revenue from prediction markets reached $156 million, surpassing crypto for the first time.

Robinhood's total net revenue jumped 32% year-over-year to $1.31 billion, with net income of $573 million representing a 48% increase compared to Q2 2025.

"We delivered record revenues and drove new highs across equity, option, and event contract volumes, as we continue to win market share," Robinhood's Chief Financial Officer Shiv Verma said at the time.

During the earnings period, executives also highlighted early traction for Robinhood Chain, with CEO Vlad Tenev saying it had become the fastest Ethereum Virtual Machine-compatible chain to reach 100 million transactions.