Robinhood Soars 47%, Walmart Adds Crypto, CME Goes 24/7

Robinhood Markets Inc. has experienced an extraordinary rally, with its HOOD stock gaining 21.69% in the past five days and nearly 47% over the past month, pushing the share price toward the $150 mark. This surge comes amid reports that the company is in discussions with the UK’s Financial Conduct Authority about expanding its prediction market offerings beyond the United States. While Robinhood hasn’t officially confirmed the expansion plans, the potential move into international markets has generated significant investor optimism.

The prediction market space represents a substantial growth opportunity for Robinhood, with Grand View Research projecting the sector could eventually account for more than $82 billion globally. CEO Vlad Tenev reinforced the platform’s expansion strategy by announcing that Strategy preferred stock offerings, including Stretch (STRC) and Strike (STRK), are now available on Robinhood. “We’ve heard from many Strategy investors that this was an important factor before moving their accounts to Robinhood, and we’re excited to unlock this for them,” Tenev stated on social media platform X.

In a significant move for retail cryptocurrency adoption, Walmart’s payment application OnePay has integrated Bitcoin and Ethereum trading capabilities for its more than 3 million monthly active users. The development, first reported by CNBC through unnamed sources, marks Walmart’s most substantial foray into digital assets to date and represents a strategic enhancement to its payment ecosystem.

Walmart has been aggressively promoting OnePay usage by blocking competing payment services like Apple Pay and Google Pay in its physical stores, forcing customers to use either OnePay or WalmartPay. This calculated strategy creates a captive audience for the newly introduced crypto trading features. The move aligns with broader signals from the retail giant, which has previously indicated interest in developing a stablecoin, suggesting a comprehensive digital currency strategy is underway.

CME Group, the world’s leading derivatives marketplace, has announced plans to transition to 24/7 trading for its crypto futures and options products starting in early 2026. The expansion will initially cover Bitcoin and Ethereum derivatives, with Solana and XRP options scheduled to join the offering soon after. This landmark shift represents a significant modernization of traditional financial market infrastructure.

The move comes in direct response to record trading volumes projected for 2025 and growing client demand for continuous risk management on regulated venues. While cryptocurrency assets themselves trade around the clock and platforms like Deribit already offer always-on derivatives trading, CME’s initiative marks the first time a major regulated exchange will provide 24/7 access to crypto derivatives. The company emphasized that final implementation depends on regulatory review, though recent statements from the SEC and CFTC suggest openness to continuous trading for certain assets.

These coordinated moves by major financial institutions signal a maturing cryptocurrency ecosystem with increasing institutional participation. The developments span multiple sectors—from retail trading platforms and payment applications to traditional derivatives markets—demonstrating comprehensive integration of digital assets into mainstream finance.

Additional market developments reinforce this trend. Samsung has integrated Coinbase access within its wallet app for U.S. users, enabling 75 million Samsung device owners to use crypto holdings through Samsung Wallet and Samsung Pay. Meanwhile, Bakkt Holdings received a significant vote of confidence as research firm Benchmark more than tripled its price target for the company, citing the addition of crypto industry investor Mike Alfred to its board as a positive development.