Shares in Robinhood Markets Inc. surged 14% at the moment after Bloomberg printed a report claiming that cryptocurrency trade FTX Digital Markets Ltd. is exploring buying the corporate.
The report, referencing individuals with information of the matter, says FTX is deliberating internally on the way to purchase Robinhood. No formal takeover strategy has been made and FTX may decide towards pursuing the deal.
FTX Chief Govt Officer Sam Bankman-Fried neither denied nor confirmed the report. “We’re enthusiastic about Robinhood’s enterprise prospects and potential methods we may companion with them,” Bankman-Fried mentioned in a press release. “That being mentioned, there are not any lively M&A conversations with Robinhood.”
The important thing within the assertion is the wording: Bankman-Fried doesn’t deny that FTX is contemplating buying Robinhood, solely stating that there are presently no merger and acquisition conversations, which is according to the Bloomberg report. Notably, Emergent Constancy Applied sciences Ltd., an organization managed by Bankman-Fried, has owned a 7.6% stake in Robinhood since Might.
Any try by FTX to amass Robinhood would come at a time of continued points in cryptocurrency markets and an ongoing decline in Robinhood’s share worth. After buying and selling as excessive as $55 per share in August, Robinhood’s share worth has hit a low of $6.89 per share.
Robinhood has reported common disappointing earnings studies — 4 straight quarters of misses because it went public in July. The corporate lower 9% of its full-time staff on April 26 forward of one other disappointing earnings report on April 28.
FTX snapping up Robinhood may ship benefits to each firms. Though Robinhood’s fortunes have floundered, combining the 2 firms would supply synergies. Though Robinhood’s customers are buying and selling much less, they nonetheless have a big buyer base that FTX may leverage.
Robinhood shares closed common buying and selling at $9.12 however dropped virtually 5% after the bell. Robinhood’s market cap sat at $7.95 billion.
FTX is an trade that has raised severe cash — $1.7 billion in whole and $400 million as of its final spherical in January on a $32 billion valuation. Nevertheless, that was earlier than the crypto crash that has seen the worth of fashionable cryptocurrencies drop by two-thirds and typically extra throughout the 12 months.
Presuming a premium is obtainable in a deal to amass Robinhood, FTX will want someplace within the neighborhood of $8 billion to $10 billion, presumably increased, except the deal is equity-based. Even in its distressed state, Robinhood remains to be a dear acquisition for FTX, given its funds.
Photograph: Nasdaq
