Is Robinhood Regulated? Is it safe? - TU Expert review
License is the most important document you have to consider when choosing a broker. Many traders, who would like to start working with Robinhood try to check whether it is regulated. Traders Union experts have already done that. In this article, you will learn whether Robinhood is regulated, what regulatory authorities supervise the broker and whether it is safe to work with the company in general.
Short summary about the broker Robinhood
Robinhood is an investment company that has provided services on the on the stock market for over ten years. Its owners engaged in software development for hedge funds ab initio and then teamed up to create a company that makes investing available to all. The broker is licensed to provide its services and is a member of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA, CRD#: 165998/SEC#: 8-69188) in the United States. There is no information about the broker receiving awards for their activities. Is Robinhood Safe? Learn More About It
| 💰 Account currency: | USD |
|---|---|
| 🚀 Minimum deposit: | $0 for standard accounts, $2,000 for Robinhood Gold account. |
| ⚖️ Leverage: | Depends on the type of asset |
| 💱 Spread: | No |
| 🔧 Instruments: | Stocks, gold, options, money management, cryptocurrency |
| 💹 Margin Call / Stop Out: | No |
Pros and cons of Robinhood
👍 Advantages of trading with Robinhood:
•trading stock market instruments without paying commissions;
•the ability to trade from mobile devices;
•hassle-free registration procedure.
👎 Disadvantages of Robinhood:
•the broker does not offer Forex instruments for trading;
•there are no offers for receiving passive income;
•training materials on the website are limited;
•the company works with clients exclusively from the US;
•lack of online support.
Why is it important to work with a regulated broker?
License is a document that certifies that a broker operates legally and guarantees fulfillment of its obligations to the traders. A financial license is issued by a financial regulatory authority of a country (the National Bank) or a specialized authority (for example, Securities Commission, Futures Trading Commission, etc.). It is important to choose licensed brokers for the following reasons:
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A license guarantees that the broker operates in compliance with the rules of the financial regulator that issued the document.
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In order to obtain the license, a broker must comply with certain requirements, for example, the size of the authorized capital or personnel qualification. It is simply not lucrative for scammers to comply with such requirements.
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A broker’s license provides access to real markets, and you can be sure that the quotes are real and up-to-date.
The best option is to work with a broker that holds the license of the jurisdiction, where the trader resides. You can also choose a company with a financial license of another reliable jurisdiction, for example, the U.S. or the European Union.
Is Robinhood Regulated? Broker’s license
Security (Protection for Investors)
The cryptocurrency arm of the broker Robinhood Crypto LLC is licensed to provide services (license number 61417) issued by the State of Georgia and a fund transfer license obtained in New Jersey (license number 1803456-C22).
Robinhood Markets is a member of FINRA, the US Financial Services Regulatory Authority, and is overseen by the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).
👍 Advantages
- Licensed to provide services in the United States
- The presence of a regulatory body
👎 Disadvantages
- The regulator does not accept claims for compensation for moral damages
Brokerage fees
Broker’s regulation is the most important choice criterion. However, before you start working with the broker, it is also important to analyze its commissions and fees. TU analysts have studied the commissions and fees charged by Robinhood, which you can see below.
Analysts of the Traders Union have reviewed the trading conditions of Robinhood Markets for implicit and explicit commissions and fees. Hidden commissions were not revealed. The broker does not charge a trading fee for the replenishment of the deposit or the withdrawal of funds. No commission is charged for order execution. Please note: there is no commission for assets from the US market only. A trading fee is charged to traders for trading European stocks.
| Account type | Spread (minimum value) | Withdrawal commission |
| Robinhood Instant | From $0 | No |
| Robinhood Gold | From $0 | No |
| Robinhood Cash | From $0 | No |
Brokers that are similar to Robinhood
Many brokers operate legally, obtaining relevant licenses and permissions. However, when choosing a broker, it is important to compare their trading conditions. TU experts have prepared a comparative analysis of Robinhood conditions with its closest competitors.
Comparison of Robinhood with other Brokers
| Robinhood | RoboForex | Pocket Option | Exness | FreshForex | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Trading platform |
No |
MT4, MT5, R MobileTrader, R StocksTrader, R WebTrader |
Pocket Option, MT5, MT4 |
Exness Trade App (mobile), Exness Terminal (web), MetaTrader5, MetaTrader4 |
MT4, MobileTrading |
Min deposit |
No |
$10 |
$5 |
$10 |
No |
Leverage |
No |
From 1:1 |
From 1:1 |
From 1:1 |
From 1:1 |
Trust management |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
Accrual of % on the balance |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
Spread |
No |
From 0 points |
From 1.2 point |
From 1 point |
From 0 points |
Level of margin call / stop out |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
Execution of orders |
No |
Market Execution, Instant Execution |
Market Execution |
Market Execution, Instant Execution |
Market Execution, Instant Execution |
No deposit bonus |
No |
No |
No |
No |
$30 |
Cent accounts |
No |
Yes |
No |
No |
Yes |
Robinhood markets is focused on working with traders from America but does not provide opportunities for active trading in currency pairs.
The minimum deposit in RoboForex is $10. Leverage up to 1:2000. Traders choose RoboForex for reliability, favorable trading conditions, minimum spreads, and commission fees. The company is recommended for beginner traders and experienced investors.
Pocket Option offers a wide range of trading instruments and copy trading services. It constantly improves its service quality and expands the list of assets and trading platforms. The broker is suitable even for novice traders without significant capital due to the low initial deposit. Experienced traders who work with CFDs and binary options can also use Pocket Option’s services.
Exness broker is a trusted broker partner that is compliant with all relevant terms. Exness complies with all payment obligations and pays money earned.
FreshForex is a reliable Forex broker providing a standard set of trading tools. The company is a good option for traders of all levels, from beginner to professional traders. It is mid-range in terms of size and number of registered traders and they are reliable based on our research and analysis.
Conclusions
Robinhood is a quite reliable broker for trading. Robinhood operates on the license of a reliable jurisdiction and its operation is regularly monitored. However, the company does not offer the best trading conditions compared to competitors. You can choose this broker and not worry about the safety of your funds, but there are better options in terms of trading conditions.
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FAQ
How difficult is it to obtain a brokerage license?
The procedure for obtaining a license differs depending on the jurisdiction, but it is very difficult and expensive to get the document in a reliable jurisdiction. This is why only reliable brokers obtain licenses.
Why is it not recommended to work with offshore brokers?
Offshore brokers have to meet minimum requirements for obtaining a license and reporting, which is why often scammers get such licenses.
Can an offshore broker be reliable?
Yes, although there are not many of such brokers. There are brokers with a good reputation, but with an offshore license. You still need to be very cautious when working with such companies.
How do I check a broker’s reputation?
In order to check a broker’s reputation, you need to read user reviews. However, it is recommended to only use independent websites for that.
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Team that worked on the article
Mikhail Vnuchkov joined Traders Union as an author in 2020. He began his professional career as a journalist-observer at a small online financial publication, where he covered global economic events and discussed their impact on the segment of financial investment, including investor income. With five years of experience in finance, Mikhail joined Traders Union team, where he is in charge of forming the pool of latest news for traders, who trade stocks, cryptocurrencies, Forex instruments and fixed income.
Olga Shendetskaya has been a part of the Traders Union team as an author, editor and proofreader since 2017. Since 2020, Shendetskaya has been the assistant chief editor of the website of Traders Union, an international association of traders. She has over 10 years of experience of working with economic and financial texts. In the period of 2017-2020, Olga has worked as a journalist and editor of laftNews news agency, economic and financial news sections. At the moment, Olga is a part of the team of top industry experts involved in creation of educational articles in finance and investment, overseeing their writing and publication on the Traders Union website.