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.

A Robinhood spokesperson told The Block the company had spent the past year integrating Bitstamp into its UK app and website. 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.

Notably, external crypto transfers will not be available at launch, though the company expects to add more features to the UK app in the near future, the spokesperson said.

"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 in the statement. "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 and Robinhood Chain traction

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.

Sinclair told CNBC that the feature is intended to help customers understand why crypto prices are moving across assets such as BTC, XRP, and SOL, rather than simply prompting them to trade. "It doesn't necessarily mean they have to trade, but at least they're understanding price movements and informing their strategy," he said.

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, while Robinhood is exploring bringing onchain products such as Stock Tokens to its UK app as the crypto landscape evolves, the spokesperson said.

Robinhood also plans to further integrate its platform with Bitstamp for UK retail customers over the longer term, while Bitstamp will continue to serve institutional clients as part of Robinhood's UK business, the spokesperson added.

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.

Updated with additional details from Robinhood throughout.

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