Public Keys: Robinhood Takes Flight, GM to Walmart, and By no means Not Buying and selling – Decrypt

Public Keys is a weekly roundup from Decrypt that tracks the important thing publicly traded crypto corporations. On this week’s roundup, we have got the most recent on CME, Walmart’s crypto play (for actual this time), and Robinhood flying excessive:

All-time highs for HOOD

Inventory and crypto buying and selling app Robinhood noticed a brand new all-time excessive this week on stories that it’ll prolong its prediction market choices exterior of the USA.

Experiences surfaced this week that the corporate has been talking with the U.Okay.’s Monetary Conduct authority about increasing there, however the firm didn’t instantly reply to verify or deny the information.

There have been projections that the prediction market area may finally account for greater than $82 billion, in response to Grand View Analysis.

However issues transfer quick. Firstly of the week, a brand new all-time excessive for Robinhood meant the corporate’s shares had breached $140. However the positive factors have stored rolling in. Robinhood’s inventory is now closing in on $150 with greater than an hour left earlier than the closing bell on Friday.

The corporate, which trades beneath the HOOD ticker on the Nasdaq, has gained 21.69% previously 5 days and practically 47% previously month.

The most recent information from CEO Vlad Tenev is that Technique most well-liked inventory choices, like Stretch (STRC) and Strike (STRK), at the moment are obtainable on its platform.

“We have heard from many Technique buyers that this was an essential issue earlier than shifting their accounts to Robinhood, and we’re excited to unlock this for them,” Tenev stated on X.

In the meantime, Technique had its personal bullish information this week, however hasn’t gotten wherever close to its all-time excessive of $473.83. The corporate had been bracing for a hefty 15% tax invoice on the unrealized positive factors of its hulking Bitcoin treasury. However now, the corporate thinks it has dodged that bullet.

Massive field embrace

Walmart’s Apple and Google Pay contender, OnePay, has added crypto buying and selling and custody to its cell app.

The information, first informed to CNBC by unnamed sources, will carry BTC and ETH buying and selling to the platform’s greater than 3 million month-to-month energetic customers. However Walmart has been aggressive about making an attempt to funnel extra customers into the app.

The retailer doesn’t permit Apple or Google Pay in its brick and mortar shops—simply OnePay and WalmartPay, a characteristic of its personal app.

Don’t fear, up to now this hasn’t gone the way in which of the Litecoin information that received debunked in 2021.

It shouldn’t come as a shock that the Walmart-owned agency is opening its app to crypto. Guardian firm Walmart has signaled it’s considering making an attempt out a stablecoin.

One other all nighter

CME stated it’s seeking to transfer to “24/7” buying and selling for its crypto futures and choices—proper now Bitcoin and Ethereum. However Solana and XRP choices will quickly be part of them.

The change would happen in early 2026.

CME framed the transfer as a response to report 2025 volumes and shopper demand. Proper now crypto property could be traded on a regular basis. And there are many crypto derivatives exchanges—Deribit being the most important—that provide the identical always-on hours.

However CME stated purchasers have stated they need around-the-clock danger administration on a regulated venue.

CME stated it’s formally planning to make the transfer—however it all depends upon regulatory evaluate. There’s already been indicators that regulators are on board with permitting sure property to be tradeable on a regular basis.

In truth, the SEC and CFTC stated as a lot a month in the past—however that was about making securities tradeable on a regular basis.

Within the 154 years since steady buying and selling debuted on Wall Road, such markets have at all times adopted a strict schedule, which since 1985 has stored markets open solely throughout sure enterprise hours on weekdays.

Different Keys

In a Galaxy not far-off… Samsung is integrating Coinbase entry inside its pockets app for U.S. customers, which implies crypto holdings may now be used by Samsung Pockets and Samsung Pay. That’s 75 million Samsung machine customers who now have simpler entry to crypto.

Name it a comeBAKKT Securities analysis agency Benchmark has greater than tripled its value goal for Bakkt Holdings. The corporate has been many issues over time—together with nearly broke. However now analysts are eager on the addition of crypto trade investor Mike Alfred to its board.