Robinhood Mulls Going Global with Prediction Markets
Posted on: September 30, 2025, 01:25h.
Last updated on: September 30, 2025, 01:57h.
- News arrives after broker said Q3 event contracts volume spiked
- Company held talks with relevant UK regulator
After realizing rapid prediction markets success in the US, Robinhood Markets (NASDAQ: HOOD) is looking to bring event contracts to its clients in other parts of the world.
The company behind the ubiquitous investing app sees rising international demand for prediction markets access. JB Mackenzie, vice president and general manager of futures and international at the financial services firm, told Bloomberg that Robinhood clients in countries outside the US are enthusiastic about prediction markets.
We’re definitely looking to offer it globally, and my goal or focus is to make sure it’s a regulatory-compliant product everywhere we go,” Mackenzie said in the interview.
For now, Robinhood’s regions of emphasis for non-US prediction markets ventures are the European Union (EU) and the UK. Mackenzie told Bloomberg the company spoke with the UK’s Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) on how to bring event contracts to clients in that country in a compliant fashion.
Robinhood’s Prediction Markets Biz is Booming
In the US, Robinhood derivatives clients have access to select event contracts, including sports, via the company’s partnership with Kalshi. Under the terms of their agreement, Kalshi and Robinhood evenly share the two cents per contract fee paid by traders.
That business is booming. By some estimates, Robinhood accounts for 25% to 35% of Kalshi’s soaring volume on a daily basis. Last week, Piper Sandler analyst Patrick Moley said prediction markets based on Robinhood’s estimated September run rate could drive $200 million or more in annual revenue for Robinhood.
That constructive outlook was bolstered Monday when CEO Vlad Tenev announced more than four billion event contracts have traded on Robinhood, with more than half of that tally processed in the current quarter, confirming the company is getting a boost from football derivatives.
When it comes to bringing event contracts to international markets, Robinhood is aware that the regulatory landscape differs from what’s seen in the US.
“It’s a swap here in the United States. So the question would be, where is swap oversight, let’s say in the UK? That’s a question that we’ve been asking the FCA — how do we work it?” said Mackenzie in the Bloomberg interview.
Europe, UK Could Be Prime Markets
Europe and the UK could be the ideal starting points for Robinhood’s international prediction markets expansion because bettors and traders in those regions already have exposure to the event contracts concept.
Flutter Entertainment’s (NYSE: FLUT) Betfair Exchange offers markets on horse racing, politics, and sports in much the same way Kalshi and others do in the US.
That’s to say, the concept isn’t a stretch in Europe and the UK, which potentially implies the biggest issue Robinhood needs to conquer when it comes to launching prediction markets outside the US will be regulatory in nature.
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