Robinhood quarterly profit jumps as volatility fuels trading volumes surge

Retail trading platform Robinhood's first-quarter profit more than doubled and beat analysts' estimates, driven by a surge in trading volumes from clients looking to hedge their positions amid choppy markets.
The company's transaction-based revenue, or income generated from fees for facilitating trading in options, cryptocurrency and equities, jumped 77 per cent in the quarter.
Majority of the gains came from a 100 per cent jump in crypto trading activity as bitcoin remained choppy during the quarter.
U.S. President Donald Trump's erratic trade policy had triggered volatility across asset classes during the first three months of the year, benefiting platforms such as Robinhood by boosting trading activity.
Options revenue was up 56 per cent while equities revenues surged 44 per cent in the quarter, while net interest revenues, the bulk of which comes from margin investing, jumped 14 per cent to $290 million.
Net income attributable to common stockholders came in at $336 million, or 37 cents per share, in the three months ended March 31. That compares with a profit of $157 million, or 18 cents per share, a year earlier.
Analysts had expected a profit of 33 cents per share, according to data compiled by LSEG.
Shares of the company, which have gained nearly 32 per cent in 2025, were last down 2 per cent in choppy trading after the bell.