HOOD cashes in on the Trump-fueled crypto rally

Robinhood added four new cryptocurrencies to its platform: solana, cardano, XRP and PEPE

article-image

Robinhood Markets CEO Vlad Tenev | Photo by Lauren Sopourn for Blockworks

share

This is a segment from the Forward Guidance newsletter. To read full editions, subscribe.


Trading app Robinhood on Wednesday added four new cryptocurrencies to its platform: solana, cardano, XRP and memecoin pepe. The move comes after the SEC has, in separate instances, named both SOL and Cardano’s ADA token securities. 

The SEC classified SOL and ADA, along with 11 other crypto assets, as securities in its June 2023 lawsuit against Coinbase. That suit is ongoing. Both tokens were also called out in the Wells notice the securities regulator sent to Crypto.com last month. 

Robinhood’s move comes as the crypto industry continues to ride a wave of euphoria and higher prices in the wake of Donald Trump’s win last week. His promises to overhaul SEC leadership and make the US a hub for digital asset businesses have many feeling optimistic. 

But let’s consider a scenario. Even if Trump replaces Gary Gensler with another current commissioner, most legal experts agree that Trump can’t actually remove Gensler entirely. So he’d still be a commissioner even if, say, Mark Uyeda becomes acting chair in January. 

To drop a lawsuit (such as the one against Coinbase), SEC staff would have to propose it to the commissioners, who would then vote. Even if the vote passes, the SEC would still have to have the motion approved by the court. 

A lot of ‘ifs’ here. I wouldn’t hold your breath.


Get the news in your inbox. Explore Blockworks newsletters:

Tags

Decoding crypto and the markets. Daily, with Byron Gilliam.

Upcoming Events

Old Billingsgate

Mon - Wed, October 13 - 15, 2025

Blockworks’ Digital Asset Summit (DAS) will feature conversations between the builders, allocators, and legislators who will shape the trajectory of the digital asset ecosystem in the US and abroad.

recent research

Research Report Templates.jpg

Research

Figure, founded by former SoFi CEO Mike Cagney, has emerged as a leader in onchain RWAs, with ~$17.5B publicly tokenized. The platform’s ecosystem volume is growing ~40% YoY as it expands beyond HELOCs into student loans, DSCR loans, unsecured loans, bankruptcy claims, and more. Operationally, Figure cuts average loan production cost by ~93% and compresses median funding time from ~42 days to ~10, creating a durable speed-and-cost advantage.

article-image

The Ethereum co-founder suggested LINEA holders would be eligible for other airdrops in cryptic tweet

article-image

The layer-2’s biggest release yet brings benefits — but a post-upgrade outage caused a chain reorg

article-image

Crypto is shifting into risk-on mode — pump.fun dominates meme activity, while Lido leans on treasury maneuvers

article-image

If the president breaks the Fed, he’ll own the budget problems

article-image

Combining Franklin Templeton’s tokenization expertise with Binance’s trading infrastructure could speed crypto adoption, companies say

article-image

The firm’s upcoming filing comes as competition heats up over the USDH stablecoin