Robinhood adds AI agents, perps and weekend trading in push to win active traders
Robinhood unveiled a package of features at its HOOD Summit including weekend trading for a selection of U.S. stocks and ETFs, AI-powered trading agents that can research markets and execute trades, and crypto perpetual futures offering up to 10x leverage on bitcoin and ether. The firm also expanded options trading hours, increased intraday margin, and introduced binary earnings contracts to broaden its offerings for active traders.
Why It Matters
These changes move Robinhood closer to the always-on, high-leverage trading experience common on crypto platforms and are aimed at capturing more active retail traders by extending hours, adding leveraged products, and automating execution. The combination of weekend equity trading, agentic automation, and perps represents a notable convergence of traditional brokerage services and crypto-style trading features.
Key Facts
- Event: HOOD Summit, Houston, Sep. 29, 2026
- Weekend trading: Select U.S. stocks and ETFs available Saturdays and Sundays via Bruce ATS
- AI agents: Users can create agents using OpenAI or Anthropic models; agents can analyze markets, build watchlists and trade
- Loops feature: Will allow standing instructions for agents to monitor markets and execute strategies automatically
- Agent safeguards: Default requires user approval for each proposed trade; agents cannot borrow on margin at launch
Robinhood disclosed a set of product expansions at its HOOD Summit aimed at active traders, rolling out weekend trading for a selected list of U.S. stocks and ETFs, new AI-driven trading agents, and crypto perpetual futures. Weekend equity trading will be offered through Bruce ATS, closing the last gap in the firm's 24-hour market service introduced in 2023, which previously paused on weekends. The company also extended options hours and increased intraday margin availability.
A central piece of the announcement is Robinhood Agents, an embedded feature that lets customers instantiate AI agents inside the app using models from OpenAI or Anthropic. Those agents can research markets, construct watchlists and place trades across stocks, options and crypto. Robinhood said agents will eventually support Loops, a capability for standing instructions so agents can monitor conditions and execute strategies without a new prompt each time.
Robinhood emphasized oversight and limits for agents: the default setting will require users to approve every trade an agent proposes, and agents will be restricted from borrowing on margin at launch and can only access funds in their dedicated trading accounts. The company is also selling access to third-party data feeds—such as Unusual Whales options data, Nasdaq market data, Token Terminal crypto data and Quiver Quantitative government-activity data—for agents to incorporate into decision-making.
On the derivatives side, Robinhood will offer perpetual futures to eligible U.S. customers through Robinhood Derivatives and Bitstamp, beginning with bitcoin and ether contracts that permit up to 10x leverage, while other supported assets will start at 3x. The brokerage noted the higher risk associated with leverage and said it chose lower leverage for more volatile tokens with the possibility to adjust limits over time. Additionally, Robinhood introduced binary earnings contracts via Cboe that let customers trade on company metrics such as revenue or EPS.
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