Robinhood beats Q1 estimates despite revenue, crypto trading dip

Trading platform Robinhood has still managed to beat Wall Street estimates as its first-quarter revenues fell and its crypto trading volume cooled from a record high in Q4. Robinhood’s Q1 results shared on April 30 show revenues fell 8.6% from the previous quarter to $927 million, topping Zacks analyst estimates by 3.16%. The company’s crypto revenue plummeted nearly 30% quarter-on-quarter to $252 million from the firm’s record-setting Q4 2024. The drop could be partly attributed to the Trump administration’s tariffs, which triggered an 18% fall in the crypto market cap over the quarter. Crypto trading volume on Robinhood also fell 35% over Q1 compared to the fourth quarter of 2024, which the firm attributed to a 10% drop in customer trades placed and a 27% fall in average notional volume per trade. Robinhood CEO Vladimir Tenev said on an earnings call that crypto trading volumes would continue to fluctuate but the firm is more focused on capturing as much market share as possible. Despite the fall from last quarter, Robinhood’s crypto revenue rose 100% from the same quarter a year ago, while trading volumes jumped 28% over the same period. Robinhood’s quarterly revenues by segment since Q1 2023. Source: Robinhood The firm also added $500 million to its now $1.5 billion buyback authorization program, aimed at boosting shareholder value and confidence in the firm’s financial health. The company has bought back $667 million worth of shares so far. Shares in Robinhood (HOOD) rose 1.51% in after-hours trading on April 30 to $49.85 since the firm disclosed its Q1 results, Google Finance data shows. Tenev said Robinhood’s $200 million acquisition of Bitstamp crypto exchange is still looking likely to receive regulatory approval in the middle of 2025, which would enable it to serve institutional investors in the US. Regulatory pressure also eased for Robinhood in Q1 after the Securities and Exchange Commission closed its investigation into the firm’s crypto business on Feb. 21. Crypto tokenization remains a key focus for Robinhood Tenev said Robinhood is still exploring integrating crypto tokenization into the company’s services. Tokenizing private equities is a “huge unlock” for both individuals and companies that can solve a lot of problems in secondary market transactions, he said. Related: Ripple $4B-$5B bid to purchase Circle rejected — Report “I think that will unlock a ton of economic value for the crypto industry in the US,” Tenev said. The Robinhood CEO previously said crypto tokenization could let investors buy tokenized shares in big-name private firms like OpenAI and SpaceX within minutes. “That's been kind of our primary policy objective in Washington when it comes to crypto,” Tenev said. Magazine: ZK-proofs unlock trillions in Bitcoin for DeFi — BitcoinOS and Starknet