Robinhood Markets (NASDAQ: HOOD) is rolling out futures trading to UK customers, adding more than 40 CME Group contracts to its platform as the California-based broker works to expand its international footprint beyond its home market.
Robinhood Adds Futures to UK Platform
The company said UK customers can now trade index, energy, metals and foreign exchange futures through the Robinhood app and its desktop platform, Robinhood Legend. Contract fees start at $0.75 per trade, with real-time market data included at no extra charge. Exchange and regulatory fees apply separately.
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Products available include futures on the S&P 500, crude oil, gold and major currency pairs. Trading will phase in over the coming weeks to eligible customers who pass approval requirements.
Jordan Sinclair, President of Robinhood UK, said futures markets have largely remained out of reach for individual traders in Britain. “In the UK, futures trading has traditionally been seen as the preserve of institutional investors, with limited resources to help retail traders get started,” Sinclair said. “Today, we start changing that.”
The broker entered the UK market in late 2023 after two earlier attempts to establish operations in the country. Since then, it has steadily added features aimed at more sophisticated retail investors.
In February, Robinhood launched options trading in the UK, allowing customers to trade contracts on stocks and indices. That product generated $202 million in revenue for the company in the third quarter of 2024 across all markets, though crypto trading has recently overtaken it as a revenue driver.
Desktop Platform Targets Active Traders
The company rolled out its Robinhood Legend desktop platform to UK users in May. The browser-based tool offers advanced charting, customizable layouts and real-time data at no additional cost. According to the broker, more than 11 million UK residents currently use desktop platforms for investing.
“The goal is for Robinhood to be the number one platform for active investors globally,” Sinclair said at the time of the Legend launch.
The desktop platform lets UK customers trade 6,000 US stocks and options contracts. The company launched Legend in the US market in October 2024 specifically to appeal to active retail traders who want more sophisticated tools.
CME Partnership Expands Product Range
CME Group first made its futures products available on Robinhood's US platform in January. The partnership gave US retail customers access to equity index futures, cryptocurrency contracts, foreign exchange pairs and commodity products.
Julie Winkler, Chief Commercial Officer at CME Group, said futures provide retail traders with a transparent way to access liquid markets. “Futures offer retail traders a fully transparent, cost-effective way to participate in some of the most liquid markets in the world,” Winkler said.
CME has been pushing to grow its retail presence. The Chicago-based exchange added 83,000 new retail clients in the first quarter of 2025, up 44% from the same period in 2024. The company now works with more than 130 retail brokers globally and has increased its retail trader count to over 500,000 from about 150,000 five years ago.
Prediction Markets Expansion Considered
Robinhood has also held talks with UK and European regulators about expanding its prediction markets product beyond the US, according to reports in September. The company has discussed the possibility with the Financial Conduct Authority, though such products face different regulatory treatment across jurisdictions.
In the US, prediction market contracts are classified as futures and overseen by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission. Other countries often treat them as gambling products, creating regulatory complications for cross-border expansion.
Since adding prediction markets earlier this year, Robinhood has processed more than four billion event contracts. The company's CEO, Vlad Tenev, said in September that more than two billion contracts were traded in the third quarter alone.
Robinhood requires customers to complete an approval process before trading futures. The company provides educational resources through its Robinhood Learn section and YouTube videos explaining how futures work and their associated risks.
