American financial services company, Robinhood Markets, Inc. (Robinhood), has entered an agreement to acquire Bitstamp, a global cryptocurrency exchange.
Strategically acquiring the global exchange in a US$200m deal is designed to better position Robinhood outside of the United States (US) and aims to bring a trusted and reputable institutional business to Robinhood. It also aims to accelerate Robinhood Crypto’s expansion worldwide, despite warnings from the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) over its digital-assets business.
Bitstamp was first founded in 2011 and currently holds offices in Luxembourg, the United Kingdom (UK), Slovenia, Singapore and the US. The acquisition is expected to close in the first half of 2025, subject to customary closing conditions and regulatory approvals.
The news comes in the wake of Robinhood announcing the launch of crypto trading in the European Union (EU).
Robinhood to grow its crypto presence
An acquisition of this scale will enable Robinhood to grow its crypto business worldwide. Bitstamp is a significant venture, as the cryptocurrency exchange is consistently trusted by its clients for reliable trade execution, deep order books and API connectivity.
Robinhood states that the acquisition will enable it to expand its crypto products across international markets. Specifically in the US, the company will focus on enabling crypto-for-crypto trading among institutional clients.
Bitstamp is the world’s longest-running crypto exchange and allows trading between fiat and multiple cryptocurrencies including Bitcoin, Ethereum, Litecoin, and Ripple. Already offering Bitstamp-as-a-service, institutional lending and staking, Robinhood will be able to enter an expanded crypto space with active and already-established relationships, in addition to greater infrastructure and industry-leading products.
“As the world’s longest running cryptocurrency exchange, Bitstamp is known as one of the most-trusted and transparent crypto platforms worldwide,” states JB Graftieaux, CEO of Bitstamp. “Bringing Bitstamp’s platform and expertise into Robinhood’s ecosystem will give users an enhanced trading experience with a continuing commitment to compliance, security, and customer-centricity.”
See FinTech Magazine speaking to JB Graftieaux at Money 20/20 Europe in 2023 below:
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