Robinhood Expands Crypto Push With Perps and AI Trading

Robinhood is widening its product set as it works to position itself as a broader financial platform rather than a retail brokerage with a crypto feature. The latest additions include crypto perpetuals, weekend stock trading and AI-assisted trading tools, all aimed at increasing user activity and keeping customers inside the app for more of the week.

The move reflects a clear strategic shift. Robinhood has been steadily building beyond basic equities and options trading, and its deeper crypto integration suggests management sees digital assets as a core part of the company’s long-term growth story. Perpetuals, in particular, point to a more advanced trading offering that could attract active crypto users seeking leveraged exposure and continuous market access.

Weekend stock trading also extends Robinhood’s reach beyond standard market hours, narrowing the gap between traditional brokerage services and the always-on structure of crypto markets. Combined with AI trading features, the product rollout supports Robinhood’s “everything app” ambition by blending execution, automation and broader asset access into a single interface.

For markets, the significance is less about immediate price impact and more about distribution. Robinhood has one of the largest retail user bases in U.S. finance, and any successful expansion into crypto derivatives or around-the-clock trading could influence how a new cohort of investors interacts with digital assets. That said, the company will need to balance growth with product risk, user education and regulatory scrutiny, particularly as it introduces more complex instruments.

The announcement also lands in a constructive market backdrop. With the Fear and Greed Index in greed territory, retail appetite for speculative products remains elevated. That environment can support faster adoption of new trading features, but it can also amplify short-term volatility if users move aggressively into leveraged or continuous trading products.