Robinhood's UK crypto debut via Bitstamp puts 50+ assets at zero trading fees. HOOD rose 0.77% premarket; Bernstein keeps a $160 target for the stock.
Robinhood Markets will begin offering crypto trading in the UK this week through Bitstamp, adding more than 50 digital assets to the app that already carries stocks, ISAs, options and futures. The rollout, announced Monday, includes Bitcoin, Ethereum, XRP and Hyperliquid. HOOD shares rose 0.77% in premarket trading to above $94.
Pricing is zero-fee at the trade level. Robinhood will charge no trading fee. Account maintenance and custody are free as well. The one explicit charge is foreign exchange: 0.1% on sterling conversions, rising to 0.3% on certain weekend conversions. For a £1,000 purchase, that works out to £1 on a weekday and £3 at the weekend. Exact conditions for the higher weekend rate were not detailed in the announcement. Crypto markets trade around the clock, so the weekend rate applies to real volume rather than an edge case.
Robinhood framed the structure as a direct challenge to incumbents. "Our new product provides a transparent, low-cost alternative to many incumbent U.K. platforms, which often rely on opaque pricing structures and apply wide spreads that can erode customers' returns," Robinhood said. Robinhood did not name the platforms it was targeting. The approach sets a published conversion fee in place of a spread hidden inside the quoted price.
Monday's announcement also brought a new AI feature. Robinhood introduced Cortex Digests for Crypto, a generative AI tool that analyses breaking news and market data, including technical indicators, and then draws on Robinhood's own insights to explain why a single crypto asset moved on a given day. The company said the service helps explain the key factors behind a token's price move. The tool is part of the UK app from launch.
UK crypto trades will run through Bitstamp UK. Robinhood secured crypto registration from the Financial Conduct Authority, a step that allows the British unit to operate legally and meet the country's anti-money laundering rules. The FCA registration covers Robinhood's UK crypto compliance obligations. The registration does not change the status of the digital assets in the app.
The rollout lands after a second quarter with two very different signals. Crypto transaction revenue dropped to $100 million, while the broader earnings report beat Wall Street estimates. HOOD stock has climbed nearly 8% since that report. It closed Friday up 2.84% at $93.29 after trading between $92.52 and $95.75, and added 0.77% in premarket trading Monday. The UK rollout gives Robinhood a new market for crypto volume, a channel that did not exist when the company reported the $100 million result.
Bernstein kept a $160 price target on HOOD, implying about 85% upside from Friday's close. Bernstein's analysts named Robinhood Chain, tokenized stocks, Bitstamp and Robinhood Earn as growth areas beyond the core brokerage. Tokenized equities are part of that thesis. Tokenized QQQ drove 288% of July volume; Robinhood Chain bets on it tracks Robinhood's involvement in that category.
AlphaScala's scoring system rates HOOD at 36 out of 100, a Mixed score. Full HOOD rating details are on the stock page.
Crypto holdings held through Bitstamp UK sit outside the Financial Services Compensation Scheme and the Financial Ombudsman Service. FSCS protection for bank deposits up to £85,000 per person does not extend to the digital assets in the app.
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