Robinhood Buys Bitcoin Too: Why Did the $100 Billion Giant Settle for $25 Million?

Robinhood added $25 million worth of Bitcoin to its balance sheet, while company management said the message behind the purchase mattered more than its size.

Johann Kerbrat, Robinhood’s senior vice president of crypto and international, confirmed the purchase in an interview with The Block. The company, with a market capitalization of around $100 billion, made a Bitcoin investment that, according to Kerbrat, is not large enough to change the company’s financial trajectory; the main goal is to better align Robinhood’s vision with the crypto community.

The message behind the Bitcoin purchase matters more than the amount

Kerbrat explained the rationale for the purchase, saying, “We care deeply about Bitcoin and the ecosystem around it.” While acknowledging that the $25 million investment is small compared with Robinhood’s scale, the executive presented the move as a sign of the company’s commitment to crypto.

Robinhood, which facilitates the buying and selling of crypto assets, has now added Bitcoin to its own balance sheet as well. The company’s Nasdaq-listed shares closed Tuesday down 1.85% at $112.

New U.S. trading products and growth on its own network

The purchase comes as Robinhood expands its crypto services. Last week, the company announced plans to offer perpetual futures to eligible U.S. users in the coming months. Users will be able to open bullish or bearish positions on crypto assets, including Bitcoin and Ethereum.

Robinhood Chain, built with Arbitrum technology, opened to the public in July. Total value locked on the network reached $1.05 billion as of Tuesday. Robinhood has also launched tokenized stock products that allow eligible users to trade on the network around the clock.