Robinhood (NASDAQ:HOOD) recently received a Wells Notice from the Securities and Exchange Commission, which was unexpected given the company’s conservative approach to cryptocurrency listings, according to a KBW research report released on Monday.
KBW highlighted that Robinhood offers a relatively modest selection of fifteen cryptocurrencies on its U.S. platform, in contrast to some competitors who list over two hundred digital assets. Analysts led by Kyle Voigt believe that Robinhood’s crypto operations in the U.S. will remain unchanged, and they anticipate the SEC will likely file a lawsuit in the coming months.
“Our preliminary assessment suggests that Robinhood would opt to contest the SEC in court and stands a better chance of prevailing than many of its U.S. peers, should they face similar challenges. This is due in part to Robinhood’s stringent listing criteria,” the KBW report stated.
Cryptocurrency trading accounts for 12% of Robinhood’s total revenue. KBW speculates that the SEC’s focus might be on a specific group of digital assets offered on the platform. From a revenue risk standpoint, the most critical scenario would be if the SEC decides to classify Ethereum as a security, since it represents approximately 25% of Robinhood’s crypto trading volume.
The brokerage maintains a market perform rating on Robinhood’s stock with a target price of $20. Following the news, Robinhood’s shares saw a slight increase, trading up by 1.3% early Tuesday, at around $18.
According to KBW, Robinhood shareholders may not receive a definitive resolution on the potential legal case until late 2025 at the earliest, drawing parallels to the ongoing regulatory proceedings against Coinbase (NASDAQ:COIN).
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