Robinhood, the popular trading app, is expanding its services to include futures trading for Bitcoin and Ethereum. This move comes in addition to traditional commodities like oil and gold. The announcement, initially teased on social media, was detailed further through a partnership with the Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME).

New Offerings on Robinhood

Robinhood has been diversifying its offerings over the past few months. The firm recently joined Polymarket to offer elections betting and re-listed some former assets in November. In January, the CEO expressed interest in RWA tokenization, and now futures trading is being added to the list.

Robinhood first hinted at these futures trading services in a social media post, which was followed by more detailed information on the company’s official website. Shortly after, CME released its own press statement, revealing the partnership that made these offerings possible.

Julie Winkler, Chief Commercial Officer at CME Group, stated, “We are extremely pleased to offer some of our most popular futures contracts to the broad network of retail traders on Robinhood. Demand for futures has skyrocketed as a new generation of self-directed traders is seeking diversified investment opportunities.”

Focus on Bitcoin and Ethereum

Currently, Robinhood is not offering futures trading for any other cryptoassets besides Bitcoin and Ethereum. Statements from CME last week clarified that the exchange has no immediate plans to offer futures contracts for Solana or XRP. The company has been offering Bitcoin futures for years but has taken a conservative approach towards most altcoins.

Impact on Robinhood’s Growth

This expansion is a significant development for Robinhood, which reported substantial revenue gains in 2024, with a 114% increase in trading volume from the previous year. By introducing futures trading, Robinhood aims to strengthen its commitment to the growing crypto market while also catering to traditional commodity traders.

Tech and stock trading influencer Amit commented on X (formerly Twitter), “Brand new revenue stream that the business has never had and should only deepen the relationships users have with the platform. I have never traded a futures contract before so my first time will be on Robinhood. Futures also requires you have margin so we could see an increase in margin balances as people enable futures.”

Aligning with Web3 Ethos

Additionally, Robinhood emphasized that these commodities futures would still benefit from the Web3 trading ethos. This includes features like low fees and round-the-clock trades, which are typical in cryptocurrency exchanges but less common in traditional finance (TradFi).

With this launch, Robinhood is ensuring that it appeals to a broad consumer base by offering both modern and traditional trading options.