Robinhood Markets Coming to Indonesia as It Seeks to Expand in Southeast Asia
By Fabiana Negrin OchoaRobinhood Markets is preparing to enter Indonesia's fast-growing trading market by acquiring two local entities as it seeks to expand its footprint to Southeast Asia.The U.S.-listed retail brokerage, which shot to fame during the meme-stock craze of 2021, said it has inked agreements to acquire PT Buana Capital Sekuritas, an Indonesian brokerage, and PT Pedagang Aset Kripto, a licensed Indonesian digital financial asset trader."Indonesia represents a fast-growing market for trading, making it an exciting place to further Robinhood's mission to democratize finance for all," said Patrick Chan, head of Asia at Robinhood.Pieter Tanuri, the majority owner of Buana Capital and Pedagang Aset Kripto, will stay on as a strategic advisor, Robinhood said in a blog post on Sunday.Robinhood, which operates primarily in the U.S., but has also entered markets like the U.K., said it will continue to serve Buana Capital's brokerage customers with Indonesian financial products."Over time, we hope to also offer Robinhood brokerage and crypto trading products and connect Indonesian customers to U.S. equities, cryptocurrencies, and more at scale," it said.Both Indonesian acquisitions are expected to close in the first half of 2026, pending regulatory approvals.Indonesia's crypto market has seen explosive growth in 2025, making it among the largest globally by adoption, according to financial platform OneSafe.This boom has come alongside evolving regulations, with stricter compliance rules, a new regulatory sandbox, and real-time reporting for transparency and consumer protection, according to Ignacio E. Carballo at Payments and Commerce Market Intelligence."Despite volatility, crypto and blockchain are increasingly seen as tools for financial inclusion and innovation, especially as nearly half of Indonesia's adult population remains unbanked," he said in a report earlier this year.Write to Fabiana Negrin Ochoa at [email protected]