Robinhood targets Indonesia with double acquisition

California-based Robinhood Markets announced ambitious plans to enter Indonesia's financial market, the largest and fastest growing in Southeast Asia, through the strategic acquisition of two local entities: securities brokerage firm PT Buana Capital Sekuritas and licensed digital asset trader PT Pedagang Aset Kripto.

These acquisitions position Robinhood to serve a potential base of over 19 million capital market investors and 17 million cryptocurrency traders in Indonesia.

The transactions, the financial terms of which were not disclosed, are subject to approval by the Indonesian Financial Services Authority (OJK) and are expected to close in the first half of 2026.

Strategic Entry into a High-Potential Market

Robinhood chose to focus on Indonesia because of its young, technologically advanced population and favourable regulatory climate, a potential for expansion that the company highlighted in its official announcement.

This move follows the recent opening of a regional headquarters in Singapore and the licence obtained for its Bitstamp cryptocurrency exchange.

Robinhood is coming to Indonesia. 'We are excited to work with the teams at Buana Capital and PT Pedagang Aset Kripto to democratise finance for this fast-growing market,' posted Quirk on X

Indonesia's regulatory framework supports digital asset trading: by Q3 2025, OJK had granted licences to 28 entities involved in cryptocurrency trading, including a regulated exchange and infrastructure providers.

By acquiring established local companies, Robinhood benefits from streamlined regulatory compliance and faster market access.

The dual-acquisition approach offers benefits on both traditional securities (via PT Buana Capital Sekuritas) and digital assets (via PT Pedagang Aset Kripto).

Pieter Tanuri, the majority shareholder of both companies, known for his work with the Bali United football team, will remain involved as a strategic advisor.

Steve Quirk, Robinhood's Chief Brokerage Officer, shared on social media the company's commitment to expanding financial participation and empowering more people in the financial system.

Integration Plans and Global Context

Robinhood intends to maintain current services for Buana Capital clients and will gradually introduce its broader product range. The initial launch will include local Indonesian products, followed in later stages by access to US equities and cryptocurrencies.

This expansion coincides with the global growth of Robinhood, which now serves around 27 million users and has seen its shares rise by almost 268% by 2025, a figure that underlines investors' confidence in its strategy. The company was added to the S&P 500 index this year, a milestone in its institutional profile.

In spite of this, Robinhood continues to face challenges, including a $45 million fine in the US for a 2021 data breach and ongoing discussions with UK regulators over potential entry into that market.

Investors welcomed the news: market reaction saw Robinhood's shares rise 1.17% after the announcement, indicating optimism about the company's ability to gain share in the promising Indonesian environment.