Robinhood launched its long-awaited desktop platform and added futures and index options trading features to its mobile app on Wednesday, as the fintech firm aims to take market share from traditional brokerages.
The 11-year-old commission-free trading app, which became synonymous with mom-and-pop investors in 2021, is now seeking to mature into a full-fledged financial services provider and compete with established brokerages that serve institutional investors.
The Menlo Park, California-based company said its desktop trading platform, dubbed ‘Robinhood Legend,’ will focus on active traders.
“We’ve matured alongside our customers and have heard loud and clear that they want access to more advanced products and more active trading tools,” Chief Brokerage Officer Steve Quirk told Reuters.
“Our long-term goal is for Robinhood to be the primary financial services company that meets all of customers’ needs.”
The platform, available at no additional cost, will offer advanced trading tools, real-time data, as well as custom and preset layouts.
Meanwhile, the app will allow users to trade futures on the benchmark S&P 500 index, oil and bitcoin, among others. Customers can also trade index options
BATTLE FOR MARKET SHARE
Long dominated by high-profile names like Vanguard, Charles Schwab, and Fidelity Investments, the U.S. brokerage industry saw its first disruption in decades when Robinhood pioneered commission-free trading in 2013.
A decade on, Robinhood is expanding to cater to more seasoned investors. Trading in futures and options has typically been the domain of large banks, hedge funds and asset managers, due to higher margin requirements, increased volatility, complexity and commissions.
Subscribers to Robinhood’s premium Gold tier will be able to trade futures for as low as 50 cents per contract, while non-Gold users will need to pay a commission of 75 cents.
This compares with Schwab’s charges of $2.25 per contract, while Morgan Stanley’s E*TRADE takes $1.50 for futures and $2.50