Robinhood has cleared an important UK regulatory hurdle, but customers still cannot buy or sell cryptocurrency through the Robinhood UK app.
Key Takeaways
- The company has not launched crypto trading or announced when it will become available.
- Only 67 of the 388 applications determined by the FCA resulted in registration.
- Bitstamp generated $6.3 billion in May crypto volume, compared with $5.9 billion through the Robinhood app.
The Financial Conduct Authority’s register now lists Robinhood U.K. Ltd under the Money Laundering Regulations, effective July 31, 2026.
The registration allows the UK entity to conduct covered crypto exchange or custody activities under the current regulatory framework. It does not launch those services automatically.
Robinhood’s UK support page still lists cryptocurrency among cssets unavailable through the platform. The company has not disclosed a launch date, supported tokens, fees or custody arrangements.
What Changes for UK Customers
Robinhood U.K. Ltd can now prepare a crypto service without beginning the FCA registration process from zero. Existing customers, however, cannot trade cryptocurrency through the UK app at the time of writing.
The registration also does not automatically place crypto losses under the Financial Services Compensation Scheme. The protection available to customers will depend on the product, the regulated entity providing it and the circumstances of any complaint or failure.
Robinhood U.K. Ltd already gives UK customers access to products including US-listed stocks, options and futures through arrangements with affiliated US companies.
The new registration belongs specifically to the UK entity. Permissions held elsewhere in the group do not automatically transfer across subsidiaries or jurisdictions.
Robinhood Crypto, LLC provides cryptocurrency services in the United States. Robinhood Europe, UAB operates the company’s European crypto business, while Bitstamp remains a separately regulated exchange owned by Robinhood.
The Registration Covers Financial-Crime Controls
The UK has required certain crypto exchange and custody businesses to register under the Money Laundering Regulations since January 2020.
The FCA assesses applicants’ systems for customer identification, transaction monitoring, sanctions screening, risk management and suspicious-activity reporting.
Robinhood’s entry on the register shows that its UK entity met the requirements of that regime. It is not an FCA endorsement of the safety, value or profitability of any future crypto product.
The application process has excluded most firms that entered it. As of July 1, the FCA had determined 388 applications since the regime began, with only 67 resulting in registration. The remainder were withdrawn, rejected or refused.
A Separate Authorisation Will Be Needed in 2027
The current registration does not guarantee Robinhood access to the broader regulatory framework taking effect on October 25, 2027.
Companies carrying out newly regulated crypto activities will then require authorisation under the Financial Services and Markets Act.
The FCA states that registration under the Money Laundering Regulations does not guarantee approval under the incoming FSMA regime.
Depending on the services offered, the later assessment may include requirements covering:
- Consumer protection and the Consumer Duty.
- Capital and broader prudential standards.
- Safeguarding of customer assets.
- Operational resilience and governance.
- Market conduct, disclosures and abuse controls.
Robinhood will therefore need a separate authorisation if its planned UK activities fall within the new framework.
Bitstamp Gives Robinhood an Existing Crypto Operation
The UK registration sits within a wider expansion of Robinhood’s crypto business.
Robinhood completed its acquisition of Bitstamp in June 2025, adding an established exchange with institutional customers, trading infrastructure and licences across several markets.
Bitstamp already accounts for a large share of Robinhood’s crypto trading volume.
In May 2026, Robinhood recorded $12.2 billion in total crypto trading volume:
- Bitstamp: $6.3 billion.
- Robinhood app: $5.9 billion.
Bitstamp generated slightly more volume than Robinhood’s original retail crypto product. Combined, the two businesses processed just over twice the volume recorded through the app alone.
The acquisition gave Robinhood access to infrastructure and institutional relationships that would have taken time to build internally. It does not confirm that Bitstamp will execute trades or hold assets for a future Robinhood UK service.
The UK Registration Is One Part of a Wider Expansion
Robinhood has also expanded through other acquisitions and blockchain-based products.
The company completed its acquisition of WonderFi in June 2026, adding more than one million registered users and an established presence in Canada’s regulated crypto market.
In Europe, Robinhood expanded its Stock Tokens offering to approximately 2,000 assets. The products use blockchain infrastructure to provide exposure linked to traditional securities.
Robinhood also launched the public testnet for Robinhood Chain, an Ethereum Layer 2 designed for tokenized real-world assets. The company said the test network had processed more than 100 million transactions by the end of the first quarter.
These businesses serve different parts of the market: Robinhood’s applications focus on retail distribution, Bitstamp provides crypto trading infrastructure and institutional access, WonderFi expands the company’s Canadian presence, and Robinhood Chain supports its tokenization plans.
Each operation remains subject to the rules and permissions of its own entity and jurisdiction.
What Robinhood Has Not Announced
The FCA registration leaves several product questions unanswered.
Robinhood has not said which cryptocurrencies it intends to support, whether users will be able to transfer assets to external wallets, which entity will provide custody or how spreads and other trading fees will be calculated.
It has also not confirmed whether Bitstamp will supply liquidity, execute orders or provide custody for UK customers.
Robinhood now has the registration needed to prepare a UK crypto service, but the company has not yet revealed what the product will include or when it will launch.
- Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute financial, investment or legal advice. FCA cryptoasset registration is not a product endorsement and does not guarantee that Financial Ombudsman Service or Financial Services Compensation Scheme protection applies.
- Methodology: The article uses Robinhood U.K. Ltd’s FCA register entry, official FCA guidance on the current MLR regime and the incoming FSMA framework, Robinhood UK’s current product-support information and Robinhood’s disclosures concerning Bitstamp, WonderFi, Stock Tokens, Robinhood Chain and May 2026 trading volumes.
Kosta has reported on cryptocurrency markets and blockchain infrastructure since 2020, bringing over six years of hands-on experience in the crypto industry built through daily tracking of markets, trends, and emerging blockchain developments. Specializing in Bitcoin on-chain analysis, institutional ETF flows, and digital asset price action, his work at Coindoo has been cited by other news agencies and consistently covers market developments with a focus on data-driven reporting across Bitcoin, Ethereum, Solana, and XRP.
Over the years, Kosta has contributed to multiple crypto media outlets in different regions, authoring over 6,000 articles across the sector. His reporting spans cryptocurrency markets and the broader fintech industry, tracking not only price action but also the technological and regulatory forces shaping the ecosystem.
To support his analysis, Kosta actively leverages on-chain data and metrics from leading platforms such as Santiment, Glassnode, and CryptoQuant, enabling deeper, evidence-based market insights. He believes in the power of transparency and the data that underpins the blockchain ecosystem.
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