Robinhood is expanding its lineup of services in the crypto market. At the HOOD Summit held in Houston, Texas, on September 29, 2026, the brokerage platform announced the launch of crypto perpetual futures trading. This new offering runs on Robinhood Derivatives infrastructure and the Bitstamp exchange. Through this service, users now gain access to up to 10x leverage specifically for Bitcoin and Ethereum trades, alongside a 3x limit on other altcoins.
Entering the perpetual futures arena brings a sharper level of risk compared to typical spot market trades. Because it utilizes borrowed funds, even the slightest asset price movement in the wrong direction can lead to the forced liquidation of a trader’s position.
Handing Trade Execution Over to AI
However, futures contracts were not Robinhood’s only move at the event. The company officially launched “Robinhood Agents,” a feature that hands over the execution of stock, options, and crypto trades to artificial intelligence. To power these automated agents, users are free to choose which large language model will process data, with options from OpenAI or Anthropic.
This automation feature runs via a mechanism called “Loops.” Users only need to embed a permanent set of instructions into their agents. The bot then takes over the task of non-stop market monitoring and executes trading strategies the moment conditions are met. This ecosystem immediately drew third parties, notably Unusual Whales, which launched an app for options traders inside the Robinhood AI Agent Marketplace.
The transition to machine execution is taking up a significant share on their platform. Since the company opened access to external AI agents earlier this year, users have created more than 150,000 “agentic” accounts. These hundreds of thousands of autonomous bots generate millions of tool-call executions every day.
Breaking Traditional Exchange Boundaries
Robinhood is also challenging conventional exchange schedules. Through the Bruce ATS alternative trading system, the platform launched weekend trading services for U.S. stocks and ETFs. This update marks the first time equity instruments can be traded around the clock on Saturdays and Sundays. “One of our top priorities is to be number one for active traders,” said Abhishek Fatehpuria, Vice President of Product Management at Robinhood.
In conventional equity markets, Robinhood shares under the ticker HOOD traded at $116.21. The competition to capture active trader volume is no longer just about operating hours, but about who offers the fastest bot infrastructure. Reported by CoinDesk.
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Disclaimer: This article is for informational and educational purposes only, not financial advice. Cryptocurrency assets are highly volatile and carry significant risk. Always do your own research (DYOR) and never invest more than you can afford to lose.
