Robinhood
Markets (NASDAQ: HOOD) is rolling out futures trading to UK customers, adding
more than 40 CME Group contracts to its platform as the California-based broker
works to expand its international footprint beyond its home market.
The company
said UK customers can now trade index, energy, metals and foreign exchange
futures through the Robinhood app and its desktop platform, Robinhood Legend.
Contract fees start at $0.75 per trade, with real-time market data included at
no extra charge. Exchange and regulatory fees apply separately.
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Products
available include futures on the S&P 500, crude oil, gold and major
currency pairs. Trading will phase in over the coming weeks to eligible
customers who pass approval requirements.
Jordan Sinclair, President of Robinhood UK; Photo: LinkedIn
Jordan
Sinclair, President of Robinhood UK, said futures markets have largely remained
out of reach for individual traders in Britain. “In the UK, futures
trading has traditionally been seen as the preserve of institutional investors,
with limited resources to help retail traders get started,” Sinclair said.
“Today, we start changing that.”
The broker
entered the UK market in late 2023 after two earlier attempts to establish
operations in the country. Since then, it has steadily added features aimed at
more sophisticated retail investors.
In
February, Robinhood launched options trading in the UK, allowing customers to
trade contracts on stocks and indices. That product generated $202 million in
revenue for the company in the third quarter of 2024 across all markets, though
crypto trading has recently overtaken it as a revenue driver.
Desktop Platform Targets
Active Traders
The company
rolled out its Robinhood Legend desktop platform to UK users in May. The
browser-based tool offers advanced charting, customizable layouts and real-time
data at no additional cost. According to the broker, more than 11 million UK
residents currently use desktop platforms for investing.
“The
goal is for Robinhood to be the number one platform for active investors
globally,” Sinclair said at the time of the Legend launch.
The desktop
platform lets UK customers trade 6,000 US stocks and options contracts. The
company launched Legend in the US market in October 2024 specifically to appeal
to active retail traders who want more sophisticated tools.
CME Partnership Expands
Product Range
CME Group
first made its futures products available on Robinhood’s US platform in
January. The partnership gave US retail customers access to equity index
futures, cryptocurrency contracts, foreign exchange pairs and commodity
products.
Julie Winkler, Chief Commercial Officer at CME Group, Source: LinkedIn
Julie
Winkler, Chief Commercial Officer at CME Group, said futures provide retail
traders with a transparent way to access liquid markets. “Futures offer
retail traders a fully transparent, cost-effective way to participate in some
of the most liquid markets in the world,” Winkler said.
CME has
been pushing to grow its retail presence. The Chicago-based exchange added
83,000 new retail clients in the first quarter of 2025, up 44% from the same
period in 2024. The company now works with more than 130 retail brokers
globally and has increased its retail trader count to over 500,000 from about
150,000 five years ago.
Prediction Markets
Expansion Considered
Robinhood
has also held talks with UK and European regulators about expanding its
prediction markets product beyond the US, according to reports in September.
The company has discussed the possibility with the Financial Conduct Authority,
though such products face different regulatory treatment across jurisdictions.
In the US,
prediction market contracts are classified as futures and overseen by the
Commodity Futures Trading Commission. Other countries often treat them as
gambling products, creating regulatory complications for cross-border
expansion.
Since
adding prediction markets earlier this year, Robinhood has processed more than
four billion event contracts. The company’s CEO, Vlad Tenev, said in September
that more than two billion contracts were traded in the third quarter alone.
Robinhood
requires customers to complete an approval process before trading futures. The
company provides educational resources through its Robinhood Learn section and
YouTube videos explaining how futures work and their associated risks.
Robinhood
Markets (NASDAQ: HOOD) is rolling out futures trading to UK customers, adding
more than 40 CME Group contracts to its platform as the California-based broker
works to expand its international footprint beyond its home market.
The company
said UK customers can now trade index, energy, metals and foreign exchange
futures through the Robinhood app and its desktop platform, Robinhood Legend.
Contract fees start at $0.75 per trade, with real-time market data included at
no extra charge. Exchange and regulatory fees apply separately.
- Robinhood Adds Binance’s BNB After Massive Rally to Nearly $150B Market Cap
- Robinhood Faces New Rival as Galaxy Digital Launches Retail Trading Service
Products
available include futures on the S&P 500, crude oil, gold and major
currency pairs. Trading will phase in over the coming weeks to eligible
customers who pass approval requirements.
Jordan Sinclair, President of Robinhood UK; Photo: LinkedIn
Jordan
Sinclair, President of Robinhood UK, said futures markets have largely remained
out of reach for individual traders in Britain. “In the UK, futures
trading has traditionally been seen as the preserve of institutional investors,
with limited resources to help retail traders get started,” Sinclair said.
“Today, we start changing that.”
The broker
entered the UK market in late 2023 after two earlier attempts to establish
operations in the country. Since then, it has steadily added features aimed at
more sophisticated retail investors.
In
February, Robinhood launched options trading in the UK, allowing customers to
trade contracts on stocks and indices. That product generated $202 million in
revenue for the company in the third quarter of 2024 across all markets, though
crypto trading has recently overtaken it as a revenue driver.
Desktop Platform Targets
Active Traders
The company
rolled out its Robinhood Legend desktop platform to UK users in May. The
browser-based tool offers advanced charting, customizable layouts and real-time
data at no additional cost. According to the broker, more than 11 million UK
residents currently use desktop platforms for investing.
“The
goal is for Robinhood to be the number one platform for active investors
globally,” Sinclair said at the time of the Legend launch.
The desktop
platform lets UK customers trade 6,000 US stocks and options contracts. The
company launched Legend in the US market in October 2024 specifically to appeal
to active retail traders who want more sophisticated tools.
CME Partnership Expands
Product Range
CME Group
first made its futures products available on Robinhood’s US platform in
January. The partnership gave US retail customers access to equity index
futures, cryptocurrency contracts, foreign exchange pairs and commodity
products.
Julie Winkler, Chief Commercial Officer at CME Group, Source: LinkedIn
Julie
Winkler, Chief Commercial Officer at CME Group, said futures provide retail
traders with a transparent way to access liquid markets. “Futures offer
retail traders a fully transparent, cost-effective way to participate in some
of the most liquid markets in the world,” Winkler said.
CME has
been pushing to grow its retail presence. The Chicago-based exchange added
83,000 new retail clients in the first quarter of 2025, up 44% from the same
period in 2024. The company now works with more than 130 retail brokers
globally and has increased its retail trader count to over 500,000 from about
150,000 five years ago.
Prediction Markets
Expansion Considered
Robinhood
has also held talks with UK and European regulators about expanding its
prediction markets product beyond the US, according to reports in September.
The company has discussed the possibility with the Financial Conduct Authority,
though such products face different regulatory treatment across jurisdictions.
In the US,
prediction market contracts are classified as futures and overseen by the
Commodity Futures Trading Commission. Other countries often treat them as
gambling products, creating regulatory complications for cross-border
expansion.
Since
adding prediction markets earlier this year, Robinhood has processed more than
four billion event contracts. The company’s CEO, Vlad Tenev, said in September
that more than two billion contracts were traded in the third quarter alone.
Robinhood
requires customers to complete an approval process before trading futures. The
company provides educational resources through its Robinhood Learn section and
YouTube videos explaining how futures work and their associated risks.
