Stephanie Douse 
Robinhood has agreed to acquire Ziglu Ltd. a London-based crypto and payments company with an eye on global expansion
Robinhood Acquires U.K. Crypto Firm Ziglu Ltd.
Robinhood Markets Inc. has agreed to acquire Ziglu Ltd., a London-based crypto and payments company, putting an end to the US brokerage’s long hiatus from international expansion.
The transaction will provide Robinhood with a platform that will allow customers to buy and sell 11 cryptocurrencies, as well as move and spend money abroad, according to a statement released Tuesday by the Menlo Park, California-based company. The terms were not disclosed.
Ziglu, founded in 2014 by entrepreneur Mark Hipperson, who assisted in the establishment of UK digital lender Starling Bank, allows retail investors to purchase cryptocurrencies. Robinhood did not specify how much it paid for Ziglu.
The group, which was valued at £85 million in November when it raised £7 million, said its customer base quadrupled last year as investor enthusiasm for cryptocurrency exploded and the sector attracted more investment from mainstream financial firms.
HOOD Now Has Approval From UK’s Financial Regulator
Robinhood’s acquisition comes just over two months after the brokerage warned that the pandemic-driven retail trading boom was coming to an end. HOOD stock has dropped by more than 30% this year.
The Ziglu acquisition also makes the crypto group one of the few cryptocurrency groups to have received approval from the UK’s financial regulator.
The cryptocurrency group postponed plans to expand in Europe and Asia after retail trading in the United States exploded following the start of the pandemic.
“We’ll work together with the Ziglu team to leverage the best of both companies, exploring new ways to innovate and break down barriers for customers across the U.K. and Europe,” Robinhood CEO Vlad Tenev said in a statement.
The crypto group stated that it intended to integrate Ziglu and expand its operations into Europe in the future. The transaction marks the first time the US brokerage has targeted the UK since abandoning a plan to enter the market in July 2020.