US fintech giant Robinhood establishes first European hub in Lithuania

Robinhood, a leading US financial services company, has established its first European hub in Lithuania. The company obtained both a Category A financial brokerage license and a crypto asset services provider license, from the Bank of Lithuania. 

Founded in 2013, Robinhood is a leading financial services company headquartered in the United States and publicly traded on Nasdaq. The company operates a trading platform that offers stocks, options, ETFs, and cryptocurrency trading. Serving over 25 million customers worldwide, Robinhood has expanded its services beyond traditional brokerage to include cash management, retirement accounts, and crypto wallet services across multiple markets. 

In Europe, Robinhood has launched a dedicated cryptocurrency trading platform through its Lithuania-based entity, Robinhood Europe, UAB, marking a significant milestone in the company’s global growth strategy. With a crypto asset services provider license Robinhood Europe is authorised to provide crypto asset custody, administration, and transaction services in Lithuania and across the European Economic Area. This represents the first license issued by the Bank of Lithuania under the EU’s MiCA (Markets in Crypto Assets) regulation. 

The Category A financial brokerage license, granted in April, allows Robinhood to offer dealing on own account services, order reception and transmission services, order execution on behalf of clients, proprietary trading, and additional financial services. With both licenses, Robinhood Europe aims to continue expanding its product offering in Europe, bringing a user-friendly investing experience to millions of customers across the region. 

According to Minister of the Economy and Innovation Lukas Savickas, Robinhood’s expansion aligns with Lithuania’s strategy to diversify its fintech sector beyond payments into wealth management and investment services.