Robinhood Expands Into Indonesia’s $39.7B Crypto Market, Targeting 17M Traders

Robinhood Markets is making a move to establish a real foothold in Indonesia - a country that's arguably one of the world's fastest...

Quick overview

  • Robinhood Markets is expanding into Indonesia by acquiring two local financial companies, Buana Capital and PT Pedagang Aset Kripto.
  • This move provides Robinhood access to a market of 19 million capital-market experienced individuals and 17 million crypto traders.
  • The acquisitions allow Robinhood to bypass lengthy licensing processes and leverage established regulatory approvals in Indonesia.
  • This expansion aligns with Robinhood's global growth strategy, aiming to tap into high-growth financial areas and meet the increasing demand for crypto assets.

Robinhood Markets is making a move to establish a real foothold in Indonesia – a country that’s arguably one of the world’s fastest-growing crypto economies. They’re doing this by buying out two local financial companies, as they announced over the weekend. They’re paying for Buana Capital, a licensed brokerage, and also taking over PT Pedagang Aset Kripto, a digital asset trading platform that’s already got the thumbs-up from Indonesian regulators.

Grabbing these established players gives Robinhood immediate access to a market of 19 million people who’ve got capital-market experience, and a further 17 million who trade crypto – it’s a scale that’s unmatched anywhere else in Southeast Asia. By buying in firms that already have the go-ahead from the Indonesian regulators, Robinhood can skip the big headache of going through the lengthy licensing process – and they get to tap into a tried and tested operating framework.

Robinhood’s Asia head, Patrick Chan, reckons Indonesia is a ‘fast-growing market for trading’ – and says the move fits with the company’s mission to give more people around the world access to financial services. They haven’t said how much the deal is worth, but they’re expecting it to wrap up in the first half of 2026.

Indonesia is Starting to Shine as a Regional Crypto Leader

Indonesia’s crypto market has really taken off. Not only is it the number 7 spot in Chainalysis’s adoption index for 2025 – it’s the number one spot in Southeast Asia. Put simply, the country is getting a lot clearer about the rules around crypto – there’s growing evidence that heaps of ordinary people are getting into it – and there’s a big increase in people learning about digital assets. It all adds up to Indonesia becoming a central hub for regional crypto activity.

According to some numbers we’ve seen from Reuters, the amount of money moving around in crypto in Indonesia has tripled in 2024 – and we’re talking about a big number: more than 650 trillion rupiah, or just under $40 billion. This is all a sign of a broader shift in the way people in Indonesia are thinking about money and finance – and young, digitally-minded investors are increasingly favouring crypto assets over the traditional lot.

Robinhood says it’s going to keep on serving the customers of Buana Capital with the usual bunch of domestic financial products – and then is going to start putting its own range of offerings on the table. In the future, Indonesian clients may also be able to get their hands on:

  • US shares
  • Mainstream cryptos
  • Robinhood’s low-cost brokerage offerings

The big idea here is that cross-border access to these global assets will be a real differentiator in a market with a strong appetite for global exposure.

Global Expansion is Part of the Plan

This Indonesia deal is part of Robinhood’s broader push to grow its business worldwide. Last year, they started trading in Europe and the UK, and this year they’ve acquired a number of strategic assets to expand their global footprint.

Just last November, they bought a firm linked to the FTX exchange to gain a foothold in prediction markets. And that’s now becoming one of the revenue-generating stars of the show.

The acquisitions are all part of a huge push by Robinhood to get into new, high-growth financial areas – and to keep ahead in the game where traditional equity and crypto trading are getting more and more intense.

By entering Indonesia, Robinhood is putting itself right at the heart of a rapidly expanding market with plenty of long-term growth opportunities.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR See More
Arslan Butt
Lead Markets Analyst – Multi-Asset (FX, Commodities, Crypto)
Arslan Butt serves as the Lead Commodities and Indices Analyst, bringing a wealth of expertise to the field. With an MBA in Behavioral Finance and active progress towards a Ph.D., Arslan possesses a deep understanding of market dynamics. His professional journey includes a significant role as a senior analyst at a leading brokerage firm, complementing his extensive experience as a market analyst and day trader. Adept in educating others, Arslan has a commendable track record as an instructor and public speaker. His incisive analyses, particularly within the realms of cryptocurrency and forex markets, are showcased across esteemed financial publications such as ForexCrunch, InsideBitcoins, and EconomyWatch, solidifying his reputation in the financial community.

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