Robinhood Takes Equity Stake in Crypto.com, Taps Exchange to Power Prediction Markets

Robinhood, the stock trading app, is broadening its horizons in the prediction markets sector through a collaboration with Crypto.com and its spun-off derivatives platform, OG.com. The alliance aims to bolster the diversity and resilience of the marketplace. Starting today, Robinhood will channel a portion of its football prediction contracts to OG.com's CFTC-regulated exchange and clearinghouse.

The inaugural contracts are slated for launch as the new football season commences. Furthermore, Robinhood will acquire equity stakes in both Crypto.com and OG.com, with the values pegged to Citadel Securities' recent investment in Crypto.com Group, which estimated the company's worth at $20 billion. Consequently, OG.com's standalone valuation is pegged at $5 billion.

By distributing event contracts among different platforms, the deal aims to foster a more robust and varied trading environment. JB Mackenzie, Robinhood's VP and GM of futures and prediction markets, emphasized the significance of this move. As of the second quarter, Robinhood's prediction markets witnessed an unprecedented surge, with customers trading 13.6 billion event contracts.

The World Cup alone saw more than 5 billion contracts traded. To date, Robinhood customers have engaged in trading over 45 billion contracts since the business' inception nearly two years ago, with more than 30 billion trades occurring this year until August. OG.com will join other venues like Kalshi, ForecastEX, and Rothera in handling Robinhood's event contracts.

The distribution of contracts among these exchanges will be determined by factors such as availability.

In addition to this partnership, Robinhood is enhancing its football prediction markets by incorporating live data and a specialized hub. The company is also preparing a dedicated platform for the upcoming 2026 U.S. midterm elections. Just recently, Robinhood Chain recorded a record $1.33 billion in 24-hour DEX volume, driven by renewed retail speculation in meme coins and the growing interest in tokenized assets.