news

Bankman-Fried's FTX says no talks to acquire Robinhood

Kitco Media
By Reuters
Published
Updated
Kitco News
The Leading News Source in Precious Metals

Kitco NEWS has a diverse team of journalists reporting on the economy, stock markets, commodities, cryptocurrencies, mining and metals with accuracy and objectivity. Our goal is to help people make informed market decisions through in-depth reporting, daily market roundups, interviews with prominent industry figures, comprehensive coverage (often exclusive) of important industry events and analyses of market-affecting developments.

By Manya Saini, John Mccrank and Krystal Hu

June 27 (Reuters) - Sam Bankman-Fried's FTX crypto exchange said it is not in talks to acquire Robinhood Markets Inc (HOOD.O), after a report on Monday claimed the exchange was exploring such a deal.

Bloomberg News reported on Monday FTX was discussing internally how to buy the app-based brokerage and that Robinhood had not received a formal takeover approach, citing people with knowledge of the matter.

"There are no active M&A conversations with Robinhood," Bankman-Fried said in an emailed statement."We are excited about Robinhood's business prospects and potential ways we could partner with them."

Robinhood declined to comment. The retail-trading platform's shares were down 5% in extended trading after jumping over 14% on the report.

Last month, the founder and chief executive of FTX revealed a 7.6% stake in Robinhood but said he did not have any intention of taking control of the retail-trading platform.

Robinhood's dual-class shares give its founders control of 64% of the voting shares outstanding, making it virtually impossible for takeovers without their support. read more

The popular trading platform has come under pressure this year as trading volumes ease from 2021's frenetic pace - when retail investors used it to pump money into shares of so-called meme stocks such as GameStop (GME.N) and AMC Entertainment (AMC.N).

That slowdown, along with a sell-off in high-growth technology stocks, has driven a near 50% slump in Robinhood shares this year. The company had a market valuation of nearly $7 billion as of Friday's closing price.

FTX's U.S. arm announced in May it would launch a stock trading platform by the end of the summer. Last week, it acquired partner Embedded Financial Technologies for an undisclosed amount, which would add custody, execution and clearing services to its equity trading platform.

FTX and its billionaire founder Bankman-Fried have rescued other players during the crypto market's recent crash. It provided crypto lender BlockFi with a $250 million revolving credit facility to help the firm avoid a liquidity crunch.

Reporting by Manya Saini in Bengaluru, John McCrank and Krystal Hu in New York; Editing by Aditya Soni and Richard Chang

Share

Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are those of the author and may not reflect those of Kitco Metals Inc. The author has made every effort to ensure accuracy of information provided; however, neither Kitco Metals Inc. nor the author can guarantee such accuracy. This article is strictly for informational purposes only. It is not a solicitation to make any exchange in commodities, securities or other financial instruments. Kitco Metals Inc. and the author of this article do not accept culpability for losses and/ or damages arising from the use of this publication.