Robinhood Markets, Inc. has completed its $200 million acquisition of Bitstamp, the world’s longest-running cryptocurrency exchange, in a major strategic move to broaden its global crypto presence. This all-cash deal, finalised on 2 June 2025, marks a significant expansion of Robinhood’s operations into the European, UK, and Asian markets, and comes as the fintech firm sharpens its focus on institutional crypto services and real-world asset tokenisation.

A Strategic Global Push Beyond the US

The Luxembourg-based Bitstamp, founded in 2011, brings with it more than 50 active crypto licenses and registrations, as well as a robust institutional and retail user base. Bitstamp serves over 5,000 institutional clients and 50,000 retail customers, with a majority of its trading volume driven by institutional activity.

Robinhood, which until now had largely focused its crypto operations within the United States, sees this acquisition as a pivotal step in its international growth strategy. In a statement, the company highlighted that Bitstamp’s established regulatory framework and experienced client base would help Robinhood accelerate its expansion across key global markets.

With this acquisition, Robinhood effectively enters the competitive European and Asian crypto exchange space, leveraging Bitstamp’s operational infrastructure and longstanding credibility.

Institutional Integration and Platform Synergy

Robinhood has already begun integrating Bitstamp’s trading infrastructure into its broader crypto ecosystem. According to the firm, Bitstamp is now connected to Robinhood Legend, its proprietary trade execution system and Smart Exchange Routing, enhancing performance and access for institutional clients.

Although the $200 million acquisition price remains unchanged from the original June 2024 agreement, Robinhood expects to incur approximately $65 million in Bitstamp-related integration costs through the end of 2025. However, the long-term payoff appears promising: Bitstamp generated $95 million in revenue over the 12 months ending 30 April 2025, complementing Robinhood’s own strong Q1 crypto revenue of $252 million.

Strengthening Crypto Presence in Canada

In addition to its European move, Robinhood is also eyeing growth in the Canadian market. On 13 May 2025, the company agreed to acquire Canadian crypto platform WonderFi for approximately $179 million. This acquisition forms part of a broader regional strategy and highlights Robinhood’s appetite for expanding its reach in regulated, high-potential crypto markets.

Robinhood Crypto’s general manager, Johann Kerbrat, hinted that more acquisitions could be on the horizon. Speaking to CNBC, Kerbrat noted that any opportunity to accelerate the company’s crypto roadmap by “at least 18 months or two years” would be seriously considered.

These back-to-back acquisitions underscore Robinhood’s commitment to becoming a global crypto powerhouse, with a growing emphasis on serving institutional clients through trusted, regulated platforms.

The Next Frontier

Robinhood CEO Vladimir Tenev has made clear that tokenisation, the process of representing real-world assets as blockchain-based tokens is the company’s next major crypto objective. Speaking during the Q1 earnings call, Tenev called tokenising private equity “a huge unlock” for both individual and institutional investors.

He suggested that tokenised assets could address longstanding inefficiencies in secondary markets and potentially allow investors to gain exposure to shares in top-tier private firms such as OpenAI and SpaceX with unprecedented ease.

This vision aligns with a broader industry trend toward tokenising real-world assets, including private equity, real estate, and collectibles, a market that is expected to grow significantly over the coming years.

Market Reaction and Future Outlook

Following the Bitstamp announcement, shares in Robinhood (NASDAQ: HOOD) closed up 2.77% at $67.98 on 2 June, with after-hours gains of 0.44%, reflecting investor optimism around the company’s strategic direction.

By acquiring two regulated crypto platforms in less than a month and signalling interest in further deals, Robinhood is making bold moves to solidify its position in the global crypto landscape. With increasing focus on institutional services and asset tokenisation, the firm appears well-positioned to tap into the next phase of blockchain innovation, one that goes far beyond trading coins.

As regulatory clarity improves and tokenisation gains momentum, Robinhood’s aggressive expansion strategy could prove instrumental in shaping the future of mainstream crypto adoption.