Robinhood confirms plan to support bitcoin, ether futures trading amid desktop rollout

Quick Take

  • Robinhood is set to expand its bitcoin and ether support to futures products amid a broader rollout of advanced trading tools for the platform.
  • It confirms earlier reports in the summer that Robinhood wanted to launch bitcoin and ether futures in the U.S. — something the firm said it had “no immediate plans” for at the time.

Stock trading and investing platform Robinhood confirmed plans to support bitcoin and ether futures amid a broader rollout of derivatives products and a new desktop platform announced at its HOOD Summit conference on Wednesday.

“You asked and we delivered. We’re launching futures trading directly in the Robinhood app, letting customers trade the S&P 500, oil, bitcoin and more,” Robinhood said in a statement

In July, Bloomberg reported, citing people familiar with the matter, that Robinhood wanted to launch CME-based bitcoin and ether futures in the U.S. and would use Bitstamp's licenses to offer perpetual futures for Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies in Europe.

However, a Robinhood spokesperson said it had “no imminent plans” to launch such offerings at the time. Robinhood previously announced its intention to acquire the crypto exchange Bitstamp in a potential $200 million deal.

The bitcoin and ether futures products will begin rolling out to customers in the coming months, the firm stated on Wednesday. At launch, it will support Bitcoin Futures, Micro Bitcoin Futures, Bitcoin Friday Futures, Ether Futures and Micro Ether Futures via the CME, a Robinhood spokesperson told The Block on Thursday.

Robinhood already offers access to Bitcoin and Ethereum ETFs in the U.S., and the cryptocurrencies can also be purchased directly via its Robinhood Crypto arm. 

Despite its crypto unit receiving a Wells notice from the SEC in early May, Robinhood seems set on expanding its crypto enterprise. The firm is also reportedly mulling a stablecoin launch, though, again, a spokesperson said it had “no imminent plans” to do so.

Robinhood rolls out Legend desktop trading app

In addition to the new futures products, the firm announced the rollout of its new “Robinhood Legend” desktop trading application, designed for active traders who want a fully customizable platform and index options.

“With Robinhood Legend, futures and index options, we’re helping customers harness the full power of the markets so they can take control of their financial future,” Robinhood Chairman and CEO Vlad Tenev said.

Following the news, Robinhood stock is currently up 2.8% in pre-market trading at $27.69, according to TradingView. HOOD has gained more than 111% year-to-date.

Updated with comment from Robinhood.


Disclaimer: The Block is an independent media outlet that delivers news, research, and data. As of November 2023, Foresight Ventures is a majority investor of The Block. Foresight Ventures invests in other companies in the crypto space. Crypto exchange Bitget is an anchor LP for Foresight Ventures. The Block continues to operate independently to deliver objective, impactful, and timely information about the crypto industry. Here are our current financial disclosures.

© 2025 The Block. All Rights Reserved. This article is provided for informational purposes only. It is not offered or intended to be used as legal, tax, investment, financial, or other advice.

AUTHOR

James Hunt is a reporter at The Block and writer of The Daily newsletter, keeping you up to speed on the latest crypto news every weekday. Prior to joining The Block in 2022, James spent four years as a freelance writer in the industry, contributing to both publications and crypto project content. James’ coverage spans everything from Bitcoin and Ethereum to Layer 2 scaling solutions, avant-garde DeFi protocols, evolving DAO governance structures, trending NFTs and memecoins, regulatory landscapes, crypto company deals and the latest market updates. You can get in touch with James on Telegram or 𝕏 via @humanjets or email him at [email protected].

See More
Connect on

Editor

To contact the editor of this story: Vishal Chawla at [email protected]

WHO WE ARE

The Block is a news provider that strives to be the first and final word on digital assets news, research, and data.

+ Follow us on Google News
Connect with the block on