Robinhood began offering crypto trading to UK investors this week through a partnership with Bitstamp, adding more than 50 digital assets to its app with zero trading fees and no account maintenance or custody charges.
The expansion marks the first time Robinhood has offered crypto directly to British customers. Users can now trade Bitcoin, Ethereum, XRP, Cardano, Chainlink, and Hyperliquid alongside traditional stocks and shares ISAs within the same app. Network fees for blockchain transfers may still apply, and foreign exchange fees of 0.1 to 0.3 percent are charged separately on conversions.
Robinhood has long operated equities and options trading in the UK through FCA regulation, but crypto access remained unavailable to British customers. The company has held a brokerage license in the country since 2021. Bitstamp, a Luxembourg-based exchange owned by Belgium's Tilman Ehlers, holds an FCA-registered crypto asset firm license and operates across most EU jurisdictions, making it an eligible partner for UK retail distribution.
The zero-fee structure for spot trading and custody breaks from the typical model in UK retail crypto. Most platforms charge 0.1 to 0.5 percent in trading fees for stablecoin pairs and higher spreads on altcoins. Robinhood's move lowers the entry cost for a market where retail participation has grown but where trading fees have remained a friction point for regular traders.
The announcement arrived as the FCA has tightened oversight of consumer crypto marketing but permitted retail trading of regulated stablecoin pairs and major coins like Bitcoin and Ethereum. XRP and certain altcoins like Cardano carry higher regulatory uncertainty in the UK; their inclusion shows confidence from both Robinhood and Bitstamp in their ability to offer them under current guidance. The FCA's recent consultation on retail crypto trading rules has not yet closed, leaving the regulatory frame for coins outside the major pair still in flux.
Robinhood's UK user base reached 2.2 million customers by the end of 2025, a majority holding equity positions. Crypto adoption among Robinhood's UK customer base has not been separately disclosed. Adding 50 assets to the platform doubles the typical altcoin roster available to UK retail investors on major brokers, which typically offer 15 to 30 coins.
The expansion follows Robinhood's April 2026 acquisition of a UK brokerage license and comes as the company matures its international operations. The US company already operates retail crypto trading in Australia and several European countries through local partnerships. This UK launch is the company's largest new-market crypto rollout in two years and the first to pair integrated crypto and equity trading for the same user.
Robinhood has not disclosed exclusivity terms with Bitstamp or stated whether the arrangement will extend to other crypto assets in the future. If the zero-fee offer remains permanent, the cost advantage over alternatives could reshape trading patterns for UK retail crypto investors.
