FX.co ★ Robinhood launches debit card

Robinhood (HOOD) is launching a Cash Card, banking on consumer spending trends to unlock its next growth opportunity.

For each transaction, Robinhood Cash Card customers can round up their change and choose an investment asset to direct their spare change to.

As the economy continues to open up after years of the COVID-19 pandemic, spending is anticipated to trend higher even amid multi-decade high inflation. An increase in spending among cardholders would then provide Robinhood more trading volume as consumers choose to use their change from purchases to invest in equities or cryptocurrency.

Robinhood is directly targeting existing micro-investing category leaders such as Acorns and Stash, which are both unicorn private companies valued at more than $1 billion which have prioritized affordable market entry and investing by using loose change.

The Cash Card also leans into cryptocurrency adoption. Market orders on Robinhood can be placed for the equivalent of nickels, so spare change can be invested in digital coins, a relatively passive entry point compared to saving to purchase bitcoin or ethereum.

During 2021, crypto assets under custody on Robinhood increased by 528% to $22.1 billion.

The company plans to roll out the Cash Card product to a waitlist first with a data review period to gauge, and also to determine if cardholders prefer a digital wallet card or a physical card.