Robinhood is bringing cryptocurrency perpetual futures to customers in the United States, offering contracts tied to Bitcoin and Ether with leverage of up to 10 times. Nicola White, the company’s vice president of institutional crypto, described the move and Robinhood’s broader push toward markets that operate around the clock, according to Bitcoin Magazine.
A US route for crypto perpetuals
The launch was made possible through several parts of Robinhood’s business and regulatory structure. White discussed the role of a no-action letter from the US Commodity Futures Trading Commission, or CFTC, as well as the involvement of Bitstamp and Robinhood Derivatives.
Perpetual futures are derivatives that track an underlying asset but do not have a fixed expiry date. In this case, US customers will be able to trade Bitcoin and Ether perpetual futures with up to 10x leverage. Leverage allows a trader to control a larger position using less initial capital, while also magnifying the effect of price movements on that position.
The discussion places the offering within Robinhood’s wider development of crypto and financial-market products. It also covers tokenized stocks and the “basis trade,” alongside the company’s stated interest in expanding access to products that connect retail and institutional market activity.
Why Robinhood wants markets open 24/7
Robinhood is also advocating for markets that remain available continuously across global time zones. The company presented this goal at its Hood Summit, where 24/7 stock trading and US crypto perpetuals were among the topics discussed.
Crypto markets already operate continuously, unlike traditional stock markets, which generally have set trading sessions. Robinhood’s position, as outlined by White, is that always-on markets could better reflect the global nature of digital assets and allow participants to respond without waiting for a conventional session to reopen.
Bitstamp is central to the initiative described in the interview. White discussed the exchange’s trading volume and its role in connecting retail participation with institutions. The conversation also examined what institutions seek to do with Bitcoin, including the ability to execute large block trades and access greater market depth.
Institutional demand and the next phase
The interview frames the US perpetual-futures launch as part of a broader institutional phase for digital assets. White discussed how institutions approach Bitcoin liquidity, as well as the operational controls Robinhood is developing for sub-accounts and potential AI trading agents.
The conversation also revisited lessons from the 2022 market meltdown and the issue of leverage limits in the United States. Those topics are relevant to the structure of leveraged derivatives, although the source material does not specify additional limits or a timetable beyond the product’s availability with leverage of up to 10 times.
Looking further ahead, White discussed how Bitcoin could affect finance over the next decade and Robinhood’s plans involving tokenized stocks. The material does not provide a forecast or a launch date for those products.
Moneyiar market picture
Moneyiar data at 09:48-09:49 on October 1, 2026, shows Bitcoin at $83,834.3561, up 0.35% over 24 hours and 0.92% over seven days. Plasma was $0.0967318, down 0.68% in 24 hours but up 10.26% over seven days. RedStone stood at $0.1823161, up 9% daily and 20.71% weekly. Tutorial was $0.0373206, down 6.82% over 24 hours and 41.91% over seven days.
