Robinhood leaning into advanced traders as crypto volatility reshapes user behavior

Finance Share Share this article Copy link X icon X (Twitter) LinkedIn Facebook Email Robinhood leaning into advanced traders as crypto volatility reshapes user behavior The trading platform is increasingly catering to advanced crypto traders with tools tailored to active, tax-aware users, its head of crypto said. By Helene Braun | Edited by Nikhilesh De Updated Jan 5, 2026, 4:19 p.m. Published Jan 5, 2026, 4:19 p.m. Johann Kerbrat, GM of Robinhood Crypto (Shutterstock/CoinDesk) What to know : Robinhood is increasingly targeting advanced crypto traders with new features like tax-lot selection and deeper liquidity access. The platform, once known for attracting beginners, is seeing more experienced users shift from rivals like Coinbase. Robinhood (HOOD) is sharpening its focus on advanced crypto traders, a pivot that reflects evolving customer behavior during a volatile year for digital assets. “What we’ve seen really depends on the customer segment,” Johann Kerbrat, head of crypto at Robinhood, said in an interview. STORY CONTINUES BELOW Don't miss another story. Subscribe to the Crypto Daybook Americas Newsletter today . See all newsletters Sign me up By signing up, you will receive emails about CoinDesk products and you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy . “We have a lot of customers that are a bit younger. For them, they see this as a ‘buy the dip’ opportunity because they have a longer-term horizon, so they care less about short-term impact," he said. But the company is also seeing a growing segment of more sophisticated users who are trading more frequently, including day trading and managing cost basis strategies, said Kerbrat, who will be speaking at Consensus Hong Kong in February 2026. “We’ve seen a lot more activity from our advanced trader segment,” he said. “It’s a combination of having more advanced traders now, and also more tools for them to use.” To support that shift, Robinhood has introduced features like tax-lot selection and custom cost basis options for crypto transfers, which help users manage their tax exposure more efficiently. Crypto trades can now route through seven liquidity venues, and trading fees drop as low as three basis points depending on user volume. For years, the trading platform was viewed as a beginner-friendly platform, a place where users got their start in crypto before moving on to more advanced tools elsewhere. Robinhood is now trying to shift that narrative. “For the longest time, I think people considered Robinhood more of a single product,” he said. “People were like, ‘Oh, you can start on Robinhood, but then you go to a different platform.’ Now, we’re seeing more advanced traders coming from other platforms into Robinhood because they’re excited about what we’re building.” That evolution comes as Robinhood plans to broaden its crypto business through international expansion, partnerships with on-chain protocols and infrastructure upgrades designed to support more advanced trading features. Still, the company says it’s less focused on raw trading volume — which can fluctuate with market conditions — and more on gaining market share. “If the volume is low, I can’t really do anything about that,” Kerbrat said. “But if someone prefers to use Kraken or Coinbase over Robinhood, that means my product isn’t good enough — so I’m going to focus on improving it.” As for what 2026 holds? “I think next year is going to be about accessibility,” Kerbrat said. “For too long, crypto was made by engineers for engineers. We want to expand that to everything we build on-chain.” Robinhood More For You KuCoin Hits Record Market Share as 2025 Volumes Outpace Crypto Market By CoinDesk Research Dec 22, 2025 Commissioned by KuCoin KuCoin captured a record share of centralised exchange volume in 2025, with more than $1.25tn traded as its volumes grew faster than the wider crypto market. What to know : KuCoin recorded over $1.25 trillion in total trading volume in 2025 , equivalent to an average of roughly $114 billion per month , marking its strongest year on record. This performance translated into an all-time high share of centralised exchange volume , as KuCoin’s activity expanded faster than aggregate CEX volumes , which slowed during periods of lower market volatility. Spot and derivatives volumes were evenly split , each exceeding $500 billion for the year, signalling broad-based usage rather than reliance on a single product line. Altcoins accounted for the majority of trading activity , reinforcing KuCoin’s role as a primary liquidity venue beyond BTC and ETH at a time when majors saw more muted turnover. Even as overall crypto volumes softened mid-year, KuCoin maintained elevated baseline activity , indicating structurally higher user engagement rather than short-lived volume spikes. 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