Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis
ITEM 7. MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS
This section presents management’s perspective on our financial condition and results of operations, including performance metrics that management uses to assess company performance. The following discussion and analysis is intended to highlight and supplement data and information presented elsewhere in this Annual Report, and should be read in conjunction with our consolidated financial statements and notes elsewhere in this Annual Report. It is also intended to provide you with information that will assist you in understanding our consolidated financial statements, the changes in key items in those consolidated financial statements from year to year, and the primary factors that accounted for those changes. To the extent that this discussion describes prior performance, the descriptions relate only to the periods listed, which might not be indicative of our future financial outcomes. In addition to historical information, this discussion contains forward-looking statements that involve risks, uncertainties and assumptions that could cause results to differ materially from management’s expectations. Factors that could cause such differences are discussed in the sections titled “Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements” and “Risk Factors.”
We refer to our “users” and our “customers” interchangeably throughout this Annual Report to refer to individuals who hold accounts on our platforms.
Key Performance Metrics
In addition to the measures presented in our consolidated financial statements, we use the following key performance metrics to help us evaluate our business, identify trends affecting our business, formulate business plans, and make strategic decisions.
• Funded Customers: We define a Funded Customer as a unique person who has at least one account with a Robinhood entity and, within the past 45 calendar days (a) had an account balance that was greater than zero (excluding amounts that are deposited into a Funded Customer account by the Company with no action taken by the unique person) or (b) completed a transaction using any such account. Individuals who share a funded joint investing account (which launched in July 2024) are each considered to be a Funded Customer.
• Assets Under Custody (“AUC”) : We define AUC as the sum of the fair value of all equities, options, cryptocurrency, futures (including options on futures, swaps, and event contracts), and cash held by users in their accounts, net of receivables from users, as of a stated date or period end on a trade date basis. Net Deposits and net market gains (losses) drive the change in AUC in any given period.
• Net Deposits: We define Net Deposits as all cash deposits and asset transfers from customers, as well as dividends, interest, and cash or assets earned in connection with Company promotions (such as account transfer and retirement match incentives and free stock bonuses) received by customers, net of reversals, customer cash withdrawals, margin interest, Gold subscription fees, and assets transferred off of our platforms for a stated period. Prior to the second quarter of 2024, Net Deposits did not include inflows from cash or assets earned in connection with Company promotions and prior to January 2024, Net Deposits did not include inflows from dividends and interest or outflows from Robinhood Gold subscription fees and margin interest, although we have not restated amounts in prior periods as the impact to those figures was immaterial.
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• Average Revenue Per User (“ARPU”) : We define ARPU as total revenue for a given period divided by the average number of Funded Customers on the last day of that period and the last day of the immediately preceding period.
• Gold Subscribers: We define a Gold Subscriber as a unique person who has at least one account with a Robinhood entity and who, as of the end of the relevant period (a) is subscribed to Robinhood Gold and (b) has made at least one Robinhood Gold subscription fee payment.
Glossary Terms
• Automated Customer Account Transfer Service (“ACATS”) : A system that automates and standardizes procedures for the transfer of assets in a customer account from one brokerage firm and/or bank to another.
• Cash Sweep : We define Cash Sweep as the period-end total amount of participating users’ uninvested brokerage cash that has been automatically “swept” or moved from their brokerage accounts into deposits for their benefit at a network of program banks. This is an off-balance-sheet amount. Robinhood earns a net interest spread on Cash Sweep balances based on the interest rate offered by the banks less the interest rate given to users as stated in our program terms.
• Churned Customers: A Funded Customer is considered “Churned” if it was ever a New Funded Customer whose account balance (measured as the fair value of assets in the account less any amount due from the user and excluding amounts that are deposited into a Funded Customer account by the Company with no action taken by the unique person) drops to or below zero and has not completed a transaction using any account with a Robinhood entity for at least 45 consecutive calendar days. Negative balances typically result from Fraudulent Deposit Transactions (which occur when users initiate deposits into their accounts, make trades on our platforms using a short-term extension of credit from us, and then repatriate or reverse the deposits, resulting in a loss to us of the credited amount) and unauthorized debit card use, and less often, from margin loans.
• Growth Rate with respect to Net Deposits: Growth rate is calculated as aggregate Net Deposits over a specified 12 month period, divided by AUC for the fiscal quarter that immediately precedes such 12 month period.
• Investment Accounts: We define an Investment Account as a funded individual brokerage account, a funded joint investing account, or a funded individual retirement account (“IRA”). As of December 31, 2024 , a Funded Customer can have up to four Investment Accounts - individual brokerage account, joint investing account (which launched in July 2024), traditional IRA, and Roth IRA.
• Margin Book: We define Margin Book as our period-end aggregate outstanding margin loan balances receivable (i.e., the period-end total amount we are owed by customers on loans made for the purchase of securities, supported by a pledge of assets in their margin-enabled brokerage accounts).
• New Funded Customers: We define a New Funded Customer as a unique person who became a Funded Customer for the first time during the relevant period.
• Notional Trading Volume: We define Notional Trading Volume for any specified asset class as the aggregate dollar value (purchase price or sale price as applicable) of trades executed in that asset class over a specified period of time.
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• Options Contracts Traded: We define Options Contracts Traded as the total number of options contracts bought or sold over a specified period of time. Each contract generally entitles the holder to trade 100 shares of the underlying stock.
• Resurrected Customers: A Funded Customer is considered “Resurrected” in a stated period if it was a Churned Customer as of the end of the immediately preceding period and its balance (excluding amounts that are deposited into a Funded Customer account by the Company with no action taken by the unique person) rises above zero or it completes a transaction using its account.
Overview
With respect to the year ended December 31, 2024, as compared to the year ended December 31, 2023:
• total net revenues increased 58% to $2.95 billion compared to $1.87 billion;
• net income was $1.41 billion, or diluted earnings per share (“EPS”) of $1.56, compared to a net loss of $0.54 billion, or diluted EPS of -$0.61. Net income included the impact of:
◦ a $369 million deferred tax benefit, primarily from the release of the Company's valuation allowance on most of its net deferred tax assets;
◦ a $55 million benefit due to a reversal of an accrual as part of a regulatory settlement.
◦ The year ended December 31, 2023 included an expense of $485 million from the 2021 Founders Award Cancellation (the “2021 Founders Award Cancellation”);
• total operating expenses decreased 21% to $1.90 billion compared to $2.40 billion;
◦ SBC expense decreased 65% to $304 million compared to $871 million;
• Adjusted EBITDA (non-GAAP) increased 167% to $1.43 billion compared to $0.54 billion ;
• Funded Customers increased 8% to 25.2 million compared to 23.4 million and Investment Accounts increased by 10% to 26.2 million compared to 23.8 million;
• AUC increased 88% to $192.9 billion compared to $102.6 billion, driven by continued Net Deposits and higher equity and cryptocurrency valuations;
• Net Deposits were $50.5 billion, which translates to a growth rate of 49% relative to AUC at the end of the fourth quarter of 2023, compared to $17.1 billion, which translates to a growth rate of 27% relative to AUC at the end of the fourth quarter of 2022;
• ARPU increased 53% to $122 compared to $80; and
• Gold Subscribers increased 86% to 2.64 million compared to 1.42 million.
Adjusted EBITDA is a non-GAAP financial measure. For more information about Adjusted EBITDA, including the definition and limitations of such measure, and a reconciliation of net income (loss) to Adjusted EBITDA, please see “—Non-GAAP Financial Measures.”
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Recent Developments
Pending Business Acquisitions
In June 2024, we entered into an agreement to acquire all outstanding equity of Bitstamp, a globally-scaled cryptocurrency exchange with retail and institutional customers, for an aggregate consideration of approximately $200 million, subject to customary purchase price adjustments and payable in cash.
In November 2024, we entered into an agreement to acquire all outstanding equity of TradePMR, a custodial and portfolio management platform for registered investment advisors, for cash consideration of approximately $180 million and post-close equity compensation of approximately $120 million, for aggregate consideration and post-close compensation of approximately $300 million. The purchase consideration is subject to customary purchase price adjustments.
Both pending acquisitions are subject to customary closing conditions, including regulatory approvals, and are expected to close in the first half of 2025.
Key Performance Metrics
Key performance metrics for the relevant periods were as follows:
Year Ended December 31,
2022 2023 2024
Funded Customers (1) (in millions)
23.0 23.4 25.2
AUC (2) (in billions)
$ 62.2 $ 102.6 $ 192.9
Net Deposits (in billions)
$ 18.4 $ 17.1 $ 50.5
Growth Rate with respect to Net Deposits 19% 27% 49%
ARPU (in dollars)
$ 60 $ 80 $ 122
Gold Subscribers (in millions)
1.14 1.42 2.64
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(1) The following table describes the annual changes within Funded Customers:
Year Ended December 31,
(in millions) 2022 2023 2024
Beginning Funded Customers 22.7 23.0 23.4
New Funded Customers 1.3 1.1 2.2
Resurrected Customers 0.2 0.2 0.5
Churned Customers (1.2) (0.9) (0.9)
Ending Funded Customers 23.0 23.4 25.2
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(2) The following table sets out the components of AUC by type of asset:
Year Ended December 31,
(in billions) 2022 2023 2024
Equities $ 45.8 $ 69.4 $ 130.6
Cryptocurrencies 8.4 14.7 35.2
Options and futures (2)
0.3 0.6 1.8
Cash held by Customers 10.8 21.3 33.3
Receivables from Customers (primarily margin balances) (3.1) (3.4) (8.0)
AUC $ 62.2 $ 102.6 $ 192.9
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(2) Futures consists of futures, options on futures, and swaps, including event contracts, which we launched during the fourth quarter of 2024.
The following table describes the changes within AUC:
Year Ended December 31,
(in billions) 2022 2023 2024
Beginning AUC $ 98.0 $ 62.2 $ 102.6
Net Deposits 18.4 17.1 50.5
Net market gains (losses) (54.2) 23.3 39.8
Ending AUC $ 62.2 $ 102.6 $ 192.9
Non-GAAP Financial Measures
Adjusted EBITDA
We collect and analyze operating and financial data to evaluate the health of our business, allocate our resources and assess our performance. In addition to total net revenues, net income (loss), and other results under GAAP, we utilize non-GAAP calculations of adjusted earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization (“Adjusted EBITDA”). Adjusted EBITDA is defined as net income (loss), excluding (i) interest expenses related to credit facilities, (ii) provision for (benefit from) income taxes, (iii) depreciation and amortization, (iv) SBC, (v) significant legal and tax settlements and reserves, and (vi) other significant gains, losses, and expenses (such as impairments, restructuring charges, and business acquisition- or disposition-related expenses) that we believe are not indicative of our ongoing results. This non-GAAP financial information is presented for supplemental informational purposes only, should not be considered in isolation or as a substitute for, or superior to, financial information presented in accordance with GAAP, and may be different from similarly titled non-GAAP measures used by other companies.
The above items are excluded from our Adjusted EBITDA measure because these items are non-cash in nature, or because the amount and timing of these items are unpredictable, are not driven by core results of operations, and render comparisons with prior periods and competitors less meaningful. We believe Adjusted EBITDA provides useful information to investors and others in understanding and evaluating our results of operations, as well as providing a useful measure for period-to-period comparisons of our business performance. Moreover, Adjusted EBITDA is a key measurement used by
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our management internally to make operating decisions, including those related to operating expenses, evaluate performance, and perform strategic planning and annual budgeting.
The following table presents a reconciliation of Adjusted EBITDA to the most directly comparable GAAP measure, net income (loss):
Year Ended December 31,
(in millions) 2022 2023 2024
Net income (loss) $ (1,028) $ (541) $ 1,411
Add:
Interest expenses related to credit facilities 24 23 24
Provision for (benefit from) income taxes 1 8 (347)
Depreciation and amortization 61 71 77
EBITDA (non-GAAP) (942) (439) 1,165
Add: SBC
2021 Founders Award Cancellation — 485 —
SBC Excluding 2021 Founders Award Cancellation (1)
654 386 304
Significant legal and tax settlements and reserves (2)
20 104 (40)
Restructuring charges (3)
105 — —
Q4 2022 Processing Error (4)
57 — —
Impairment of Ziglu equity securities (5)
12 — —
Adjusted EBITDA (non-GAAP) $ (94) $ 536 $ 1,429
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(1) For the year ended December 31, 2022, SBC excluding 2021 Founders Award Cancellation benefited from restructuring-related net reversals of previously recognized expense of $77 million in connection with both the April 2022 Restructuring and August 2022 Restructuring.
(2) For the year ended December 31, 2024, significant legal and tax settlements and reserves included a $55 million benefit due to a reversal of an accrual as part of a regulatory settlement.
(3) Restructuring charges for the year ended December 31, 2022 related to both the April 2022 Restructuring and August 2022 Restructuring, consisting of $45 million of impairment and $9 million of accelerated depreciation, in each case relating to office closures, and $51 million of cash charges for employee-related wages, benefits and severance. Refer to Note 6 - Restructuring Activities to our consolidated financial statements in this Annual Report for further information.
(4) Q4 2022 Processing Error was due to delays in notification from third parties and process failures within Robinhood’s brokerage systems and operations in connection with the handling of a 1-for-25 reverse stock split transaction of Cosmos Health, Inc.
(5) Partially as a result of the termination of the stock purchase agreement, the advances made to Ziglu accounted for as non-marketable equity securities were impaired to a carrying value of zero.
Key Components of Our Results of Operations
Revenues
Transaction-Based Revenues
Transaction-based revenues consist of amounts earned from routing customer orders for options, cryptocurrencies, and equities to market makers. When customers place orders for options, cryptocurrencies, or equities on our platform, we route these orders to market makers and we receive consideration from those market makers. With respect to options and equities trading, such fees are known as PFOF. With respect to cryptocurrencies trading, we receive “Transaction Rebates” when routing to market makers. In the case of options, our fee is on a per contract basis based on the underlying security. For equities, the fees we receive are typically based on the size of the publicly quoted bid-ask spread for the security being traded; that is, we receive a fixed percentage of the difference between the publicly quoted bid and ask at the time the trade is executed. In the case of cryptocurrencies, our rebate is a fixed percentage of the notional order value.
Within each asset class, whether options, cryptocurrencies, or equities, the transaction-based revenue we earn is calculated in an identical manner among all participating market makers. We route
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option and equity orders in priority to participating market makers that we believe are most likely to give our customers the best execution, based on historical performance (according to order price, trading symbol, availability of the market maker and, if statistically significant, order size), and, in the case of options, the likelihood of the order being filled is a factor as well. For cryptocurrency orders, we route to market makers based on price and availability of the cryptocurrency from the market maker.
Net Interest Revenues
Net interest revenues consist of interest revenues less interest expenses. We earn interest revenues on margin loans to users, segregated cash, cash equivalents, and securities, deposits with clearing organizations, corporate cash and investments, Cash Sweep, and carried customer credit card balances. We also earn and incur interest revenues and expenses on securities lending transactions. We incur interest expenses in connection with our revolving credit facilities and borrowings by the Credit Card Funding Trust.
Other Revenues
Other revenues primarily consists of Robinhood Gold subscription fees, proxy revenues, advertising revenues, and ACATS fees charged to users for facilitating the transfer of part or all of assets in their accounts to another broker-dealer.
Robinhood Match Incentives
We offer a match incentive on customers’ eligible contributions to their retirement accounts and, from time to time, an incentive on other transfers of assets to our platform. All match incentives are recognized as a reduction to revenue when earned. The matches are allocated to certain revenue categories on a proportional basis.
Operating Expenses
Brokerage and Transaction
Brokerage and transaction costs primarily consist of cash compensation and employee benefits, SBC, as well as allocated overhead for employees engaged in clearing and brokerage functions, market data expenses, expenses related to our instant withdrawals feature, fees paid to centralized clearinghouses and regulatory fees, customer statement-related costs, and other brokerage and transaction costs such as costs related to our Cash Sweep and securities lending programs. A large portion of our brokerage and transaction costs are variable and tied to trading and transaction volumes on our platforms.
Technology and Development
Technology and development costs primarily consist of costs incurred to support and improve our platforms and develop new products, costs associated with computer hardware and software, including amortization of internally developed software, and compensation and benefits, including SBC, for engineering, data science, and design personnel, as well as allocated overhead.
Operations
Operations costs consist of customer service related expenses, including cash compensation and employee benefits, SBC, as well as allocated overhead for employees engaged in customer support, and costs incurred to support and improve customer experience (such as third-party customer service vendors).
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Provision for Credit Losses
The provision for credit losses consists of expected credit losses related to credit card and brokerage products. For credit card related, we have two types of provision for credit losses: i) one related to off-balance sheet credit card principal receivables, and ii) one related to on-balance sheet purchased credit card and interest receivables. Brokerage-related provision for credit losses primarily relates to unsecured balances of receivables from users due to Fraudulent Deposit Transactions and losses on margin lending.
Marketing
Marketing costs primarily consist of paid marketing channels such as digital marketing and brand marketing, as well as cash compensation, and employee benefits, SBC, and allocated overhead for employees engaged in the marketing function.
General and Administrative
General and administrative costs primarily consist of cash compensation and employee benefits, SBC, as well as allocated overhead for certain executives and employees engaged in legal, finance, human resources, risk, and compliance. General and administrative costs also include legal expenses, other professional fees, business insurance, and real estate charges including impairments on our operating leases and leasehold improvements, lease terminations, and settlements and penalties.
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Results of Operations
The following table summarizes our consolidated statements of operations data:
(in millions) Year Ended December 31,
2022 2023 2024
Revenues:
Transaction-based revenues $ 814 $ 785 $ 1,647
Net interest revenues 424 929 1,109
Other revenues 120 151 195
Total net revenues 1,358 1,865 2,951
Operating expenses: (1)
Brokerage and transaction 179 146 164
Technology and development 878 805 818
Operations 249 116 112
Provision for credit losses 36 43 76
Marketing 103 122 272
General and administrative 924 1,169 455
Total operating expenses 2,369 2,401 1,897
Other income (expense), net (16) 3 10
Income (loss) before income taxes (1,027) (533) 1,064
Provision for (benefit from) income taxes 1 8 (347)
Net income (loss) $ (1,028) $ (541) $ 1,411
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(1) Includes SBC expense as follows:
Year Ended December 31,
(in millions) 2022 2023 2024
Brokerage and transaction $ 5 $ 7 $ 9
Technology and development 212 211 192
Operations 8 8 7
Marketing 4 5 8
General and administrative 425 640 88
Total SBC expense
$ 654 $ 871 $ 304
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Comparison of the Years Ended December 31, 2024 and 2023
A discussion of our results for fiscal year 2023 compared to fiscal year 2022 can be found in “Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations — Comparison of the Years Ended December 31, 2023 and 2022” in Part II, Item 7 of our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2023, filed with the SEC on February 27, 2024.
Revenues
Transaction-Based Revenues
Year Ended December 31,
(in millions, except for percentages) 2022 2023 2024 2022 to 2023
% Change
2023 to 2024
% Change
Transaction-based revenues
Options $ 488 $ 505 $ 760 3 % 50 %
Cryptocurrencies 202 $ 135 626 (33) % 364 %
Equities 117 $ 104 177 (11) % 70 %
Other 7 $ 41 84 486 % 105 %
Total transaction-based revenues $ 814 $ 785 $ 1,647 (4) % 110 %
Transaction-based revenues as a % of total net revenues:
Options 36% 27% 26%
Cryptocurrencies 15% 7% 21%
Equities 9% 6% 6%
Other —% 2% 3%
Total transaction-based revenues 60 % 42 % 56 %
Transaction-based revenues increased by $862 million primarily driven by increases of $491 million in cryptocurrencies, $255 million in options, and $73 million in equities.
Cryptocurrencies revenues increased as a result of a 77% increase in the average Notional Trading Volume traded per trader and a 72% increase in the number of users placing cryptocurrency trades. In addition, cryptocurrencies revenues benefited from a higher rebate rate from crypto market makers (a rebate increase was effective in May 2024). The increase was offset by $19 million of match incentives paid to our customers (Refer to Note 1 - Description of Business and Summary of Significant Accounting Policies to our consolidated financial statements in this Annual Report for more information).
O ptions revenues increased due to a 29% increase in the number of users placing option trades and a 43% increase in Options Contracts Traded. In addition, we experienced higher option rebate rates due to the mix of ticker symbols traded as different ticker symbols pay different rebate rates. The increase was offset by $43 million of match incentives paid to our customers .
Equities revenues increased as a result of a 45% increase in the average Notional Trading Volume traded per trader and a 23% increase in the number of users placing equity trades. The increase was partially offset by lower equity rebate rates due to the mix of ticker symbols traded as different ticker symbols pay different rebate rates. The increase was offset by $10 million of match incentives paid to our customers.
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Net Interest Revenues
Year Ended December 31,
(in millions, except for percentages) 2022 2023 2024 2022 to 2023
% Change
2023 to 2024
% Change
Net interest revenues:
Margin interest $ 177 $ 243 $ 319 37 % 31 %
Interest on segregated cash, cash equivalents, securities, and deposits 57 210 261 268 % 24 %
Interest on corporate cash and investments 103 288 256 180 % (11) %
Cash Sweep 22 123 179 459 % 46 %
Securities lending, net 89 79 94 (11) % 19 %
Credit card, net — 9 24 NM 167 %
Interest expenses related to credit facilities (24) (23) (24) (4) % 4 %
Total net interest revenues $ 424 $ 929 $ 1,109 119 % 19 %
Net interest revenues as a % of total net revenues:
Margin interest 13% 13% 11%
Interest on corporate cash and investments 7% 16% 9%
Interest on segregated cash, cash equivalents, securities, and deposits 4% 11% 9%
Cash Sweep 2% 7% 6%
Securities lending, net 7% 4% 3%
Credit card, net —% —% 1%
Interest expenses related to credit facilities (2)% (1)% (1)%
Total net interest revenues 31% 50% 38%
Net interest revenues increased by $180 million, driven by growth in most of our interest-earning asset balances except for corporate cash and investments. Between September 2024 and the end of 2024, the Federal Reserve lowered interest rates by a total of 100 basis points, which negatively impacted our net interest revenues and adversely affected our customers returns on cash deposits. We anticipate any potential future rate cuts by the Federal Reserve will have a similar impact.
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The following table summarizes interest-earning assets, the revenue generated by these assets, and their respective annual yields:
(in millions, except for annual yield) Margin Book Cash and deposits (1)
Cash Sweep (off-balance sheet)
Credit card, net (2)
Total interest-earning assets Securities lending, net Interest expenses related to credit facilities (5)
Total net interest revenues
Year ended December 31, 2024
December 31, 2024 $ 7,909 $ 9,943 $ 26,064 $ 391 $ 44,307
December 31, 2023 3,458 10,107 16,352 205 30,122
Average (3)
5,082 10,252 21,352 261 36,947
Revenue (expense) 319 517 179 24 $ 1,039 $ 94 $ (24) $ 1,109
Annual yield (4)
6.28 % 5.04 % 0.84 % 9.20 % 2.81 % 3.00 %
Year ended December 31, 2023
December 31, 2023 $ 3,458 $ 10,107 $ 16,352 205 $ 30,122
December 31, 2022 3,089 9,530 5,837 N/A 18,456
Average (3)
3,302 9,979 11,348 197 24,826
Revenue (expense) 243 498 123 9 $ 873 $ 79 $ (23) $ 929
Annual yield (4)
7.36 % 4.99 % 1.08 % N/A 3.52 % 3.74 %
Year ended December 31, 2022
December 31, 2022 $ 3,089 $ 9,530 $ 5,837 N/A $ 18,456
December 31, 2021 6,467 10,600 2,095 N/A 19,162
Average (3)
4,519 9,931 2,920 N/A 17,370
Revenue (expense) 177 160 22 N/A $ 359 $ 89 $ (24) $ 424
Annual yield (4)
3.92 % 1.61 % 0.75 % N/A 2.07 % 2.44 %
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(1) Includes cash and cash equivalents, cash, cash equivalents, and securities segregated under federal and other regulations, deposits with clearing organizations, and investments.
(2) Credit card, net consists of i) an off-balance sheet amount representing customer principal amounts funded by Coastal Bank under the Program Agreement. Under the Program Agreement, Robinhood Credit collects interest from customers that carry a balance and pays interest on the amount funded by Coastal Bank, with the difference between those amounts resulting in net interest revenue; ii) an on-balance sheet amount representing purchased credit card receivables by the Credit Card Funding Trust. Robinhood Credit collects interest from customers that carry balances and pays interest on the amount funded through the Credit Card Funding Trust, with the difference in those amounts resulting in net interest revenues. As of December 31, 2024, $202 million was off-balance sheet and $189 million was on-balance sh eet. Refer to Note 12 - Financing Activities and Off-Balance Sheet Risk to our consolidated financial statements in this Annual Report for more information.
(3) Average balance rows represent the simple average of month-end balances in a given period. For the year ended December 31, 2023 the average balance for Credit card, net is calculated using the period from June 30, 2023 to December 31, 2023 based on Robinhood Credit’s acquisition date of July 3, 2023.
(4) Annual yield is calculated by dividing revenue for the given period by the applicable average asset balance.
(5) Includes interest expenses related to our revolving credit facilities and the Trust borrowing; interest expense related to the Credit Card Funding Trust is included in the credit card, net interest yield calculation. Refer to Note 12 - Financing Activities and Off-Balance Sheet Risk to our consolidated financial statements in this Annual Report for more information.
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Other Revenues
Year Ended December 31,
(in millions, except for percentages) 2022 2023 2024 2022 to 2023
% Change
2023 to 2024
% Change
Other revenues:
Gold subscription revenues
$ 68 $ 75 $ 109 10% 45%
Proxy revenues
44 61 60 39% (2)%
Other
8 15 26 88% 73%
Total other revenues $ 120 $ 151 $ 195 26% 29%
Other revenues as a % of total net revenues:
Gold subscription revenues
5% 4% 4%
Proxy revenues
3% 3% 2%
Other 1% 1% 1%
Total other revenues
9% 8% 7%
Other revenues increased by $44 million primarily driven by increased Gold subscription revenues of $34 million due to an increase in Gold Subscribers. Additionally, other revenues increased $11 million due to advertising revenue from Sherwood Media, which was launched during the second quarter of 2023.
Operating Expenses
Year Ended December 31,
(in millions, except for percentages) 2022 2023 2024 2022 to 2023
% Change
2023 to 2024
% Change
Operating expenses:
Brokerage and transaction $ 179 $ 146 $ 164 (18) % 12 %
Technology and development 878 805 818 (8) % 2 %
Operations 249 116 112 (53) % (3) %
Provision for credit losses
36 43 76 19 % 77 %
Marketing 103 122 272 18 % 123 %
General and administrative 924 1,169 455 27 % (61) %
Total operating expenses $ 2,369 $ 2,401 $ 1,897
Percent of total net revenues:
Brokerage and transaction 13 % 8 % 5 %
Technology and development 65 % 43 % 28 %
Operations 18 % 6 % 4 %
Provision for credit losses
3 % 3 % 3 %
Marketing 8 % 7 % 9 %
General and administrative 68 % 63 % 15 %
Total operating expenses 175 % 130 % 64 %
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Brokerage and Transaction
Year Ended December 31,
(in millions) 2022 2023 2024 2022 to 2023
% Change
2023 to 2024
% Change
Employee compensation, benefits, and overhead, excluding SBC $ 20 $ 31 $ 36 55 % 16 %
Market data expenses 26 23 26 (12) % 13 %
Instant withdrawals 1 7 20 (12) % 186 %
Broker-dealer transaction expenses 31 32 16 3 % (50) %
Customer statements 8 15 15 88 % — %
SBC 5 7 9 40 % 29 %
Q4 2022 Processing Error 57 — — NM NM
Other 31 31 42 — % 35 %
Total $ 179 $ 146 $ 164 (18) % 12 %
Brokerage and transaction costs increased by $18 million primarily driven by a $13 million increase in expenses related to our instant withdrawals feature due to higher customer activities. Other brokerage and transaction costs increased $11 million also primarily driven by higher customer activities in our Cash Sweep and securities lending programs. Additionally, employee compensation, benefits, and overhead increased by $5 million due to increased average headcount to continue support of our brokerage business. These increases were partially offset by a decrease of $16 million in broker-dealer transaction expenses mainly due to passing option trading fees onto users starting in the fourth quarter of 2023.
Technology and Development
Year Ended December 31,
(in millions) 2022 2023 2024 2022 to 2023
% Change
2023 to 2024
% Change
Employee compensation, benefits, and overhead, excluding SBC $ 367 $ 308 $ 287 (16) % (7) %
SBC 212 211 192 — % (9) %
Cloud infrastructure services 175 149 189 (15) % 27 %
Software and tools 105 114 123 9 % 8 %
Other 19 23 27 21 % 17 %
Total $ 878 $ 805 $ 818 (8) % 2 %
Technology and development costs increased by $13 million primarily due to increases of $40 million in cloud infrastructure expenses and $9 million in software and tools to meet increased capacity requirements for our platforms to support higher trading volumes. These increases were partially offset by decreases of $21 million in employee, compensation, benefits, and overhead, and of $19 million in SBC due to decreased average headcount as part of our efforts to improve efficiency and operating costs.
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Operations
Year Ended December 31,
(in millions) 2022 2023 2024 2022 to 2023
% Change
2023 to 2024
% Change
Employee compensation, benefits, and overhead, excluding SBC $ 144 $ 75 $ 72 (48) % (4) %
Customer experience 78 19 18 (76) % (5) %
SBC 8 8 7 — % (13) %
Other 19 14 15 (26) % 7 %
Total $ 249 $ 116 $ 112 (53) % (3) %
Operations costs decreased by $4 million primarily due to a decrease of $3 million in employee compensation, benefits, and overhead due to decreased average headcount as part of our efforts to improve efficiency and operating costs.
Provision for credit losses
Year Ended December 31,
(in millions) 2022 2023 2024 2022 to 2023
% Change
2023 to 2024
% Change
Provision for credit losses - credit card related $ — $ 21 $ 55 NM 162 %
Provision for credit losses - brokerage related 36 22 21 (39) % (5) %
Total $ 36 $ 43 $ 76 19% 77 %
Provision for credit losses cost increased by $33 million primarily due to a $34 million increase related to our credit card program that was launched during the third quarter of 2023.
Marketing
Year Ended December 31,
(in millions) 2022 2023 2024 2022 to 2023
% Change
2023 to 2024
% Change
Digital marketing $ 21 $ 39 $ 119 86 % 205 %
Brand marketing 14 21 45 50 % 114 %
Employee compensation, benefits, and overhead, excluding SBC 26 22 33 (15) % 50 %
Marketing incentives 11 7 16 (36) % 129 %
Creative services 14 10 12 (29) % 20 %
SBC 4 5 8 25 % 60 %
Other marketing 13 18 39 38 % 117 %
Total $ 103 $ 122 $ 272 18 % 123 %
Marketing costs increased by $150 million primarily due to higher expenses in digital marketing of $80 million, brand marketing of $24 million, and other marketing of $21 million, as we increased our investments in paid marketing channels and other marketing initiatives to promote our brand, products, and services. Additionally, employee compensation, benefits, and overhead increased by $11 million due to increased average headcount to support increased marketing initiatives.
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General and Administrative
Year Ended December 31,
(in millions) 2022 2023 2024 2022 to 2023
% Change
2023 to 2024
% Change
Employee compensation, benefits, and overhead, excluding SBC $ 239 $ 216 $ 235 (10) % 9 %
SBC excluding 2021 Founders Award Cancellation 425 155 88 (64) % (43) %
Legal expenses 76 96 71 26 % (26) %
Other professional fees 53 41 47 (23) % 15 %
Real estate related charges 45 5 2 (89) % (60) %
SBC related to 2021 Founders Award Cancellation — 485 — NM NM
Settlements and penalties 24 126 (29) 425 % NM
Other 62 45 41 (27) % (9) %
Total $ 924 $ 1,169 $ 455 27 % (61) %
General and administrative costs decreased by $714 million primarily due to a decrease of $485 million related to 2021 Founders Award Cancellation which occurred in 2023. In addition, settlements and penalties expenses decreased $155 million primarily due to a $55 million reversal of an accrual as part of a regulatory settlement.
Provision for (Benefit from) Income Taxes
Year Ended December 31,
(in millions) 2022 2023 2024 2022 to 2023
% Change
2023 to 2024
% Change
Provision for (benefit from) income taxes $ 1 $ 8 $ (347) 700 % NM
Benefit from income taxes increased by $355 million primarily due to a $369 million deferred tax benefit, primarily from the valuation allowance release on the U.S. federal and certain state deferred tax assets. Refer to Note 9 - Income Taxes to our consolidated financial statements in this Annual Report for more information on the valuation allowance release.
Liquidity and Capital Resources
Sources and Uses of Funds
Our principal sources of liquidity are cash flows generated from operations, and our cash, cash equivalents, investments, and stablecoin. Other sources of future funds may include potential borrowing under our revolving lines of credit and potential issuance of new debt or equity. Our liquidity needs are primarily to support and invest in our core business, including investing in new ways to serve our customers, potentially seeking strategic acquisitions to leverage existing capabilities and further build our business, and for general capital needs (including capital requirements imposed by regulators and SROs and cash deposit and collateral requirements under the rules of the DTC, NSCC, OCC, and CFTC). Based on our current level of operations, we believe our primary sources of liquidity will be adequate to meet our current liquidity needs for the next 12 months.
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Liquid Assets
As of December 31, 2024, we had cash and cash equivalents of $4.33 billion, held-to-maturity investments of $398 million, and stablecoin of $361 million. Refer to Note 8 - Investments and Fair Value Measurement to our consolidated financial statements in this Annual Report for further information.
Revolving Credit Facilities and Credit Card Funding Trust
As of December 31, 2024, we had a total of $3.00 billion in committed revolving credit facilities and a borrowing amount up to $300 million for our Credit Card Funding Trust. Refer to Note 12 - Financing Activities and Off-Balance Sheet Risk to our consolidated financial statements in this Annual Report for further information.
Commitments
The following table summarizes our short- and long-term material cash requirements for contractual obligations as of December 31, 2024:
Payments Due by Period
(in millions) Total 2025-2026 2027-2028 2029 Thereafter
Operating lease commitments $ 189 $ 56 $ 50 $ 23 $ 60
Purchase commitments (1)
637 601 35 1 —
Robinhood match incentives commitments (2)
142 142 — — —
Credit Card Funding Trust borrowing principal and interest 131 131 — — —
Total $ 1,099 $ 930 $ 85 $ 24 $ 60
_______________
(1) Purchase commitments are determined based on the non-cancelable quantities or termination amounts to which we are contractually obligated. These primarily relate to commitments for cloud infrastructure and data services and business insurance.
(2) Robinhood match incentives commitments represent non-cancelable future match payments on eligible cash deposits made by Robinhood Gold users . The future match payments are forfeited if deposits are not held on the platform during the specific earning period.
In addition to lease and purchase commitments, we have two committed financing agreements: one with a contractual term of 30 days and a daily minimum commitment of $25 million and another with a contractual term of 21 days with a daily minimum commitment of $35 million. See “Securities Borrowing and Lending” in Note 1 - Description of Business and Summary of Significant Accounting Policies to our consolidated financial statements in this Annual Report for further information.
Repurchase Program
On May 28, 2024, we announced that our board of directors approved the Repurchase Program authorizing us to repurchase up to $1 billion of our outstanding Class A common stock to return value to shareholders. As of December 31, 2024, we had made share repurchases of $257 million under the Repurchase Program. Refer to Part II, Item 5 and Note 13 - Common Stock and Stockholders' Equity to our consolidated financial statements in this Annual Report for more information about the Repurchase Program.
Regulatory Capital Requirements
Our broker-dealer subsidiaries (RHF and RHS) are subject to the SEC Uniform Net Capital Rule, administered by the SEC and FINRA, which requires the maintenance of minimum net capital, as defined.
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Net capital and the related net capital requirements may fluctuate on a daily basis. RHS and RHF compute net capital under the alternative method as permitted by the SEC Uniform Net Capital Rule.
Our FCM subsidiary (RHD) is subject to CFTC Regulation 1.17, administered by the CFTC and the NFA, which requires the maintenance of minimum net capital, as defined by CFTC Regulation 1.17. Net capital and the related net capital requirements may fluctuate on a daily basis.
The table below summarizes the net capital, capital requirements and excess net capital of RHS, RHF, and RHD as of periods presented:
December 31, 2024
(in millions) Net Capital Required Net Capital Net Capital in Excess of Required Net Capital
RHS $ 2,540 $ 178 $ 2,362
RHF 248 0.25 248
RHD
40 1 39
As of December 31, 2024, these subsidiaries were in compliance with their respective regulatory capital requirements.
Cash Flows
The following table summarizes our cash flow activities:
Year Ended December 31,
(in millions) 2022 2023 2024
Cash provided by (used in):
Operating activities $ (852) $ 1,181 $ (157)
Investing activities (60) (582) (148)
Financing activities — (610) (345)
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Operating activities
Net cash provided by operating activities decreased $1.34 billion compared to the prior period primarily due to:
• a decrease of $567 million in non-cash items due to higher SBC expense in 2023 as a result of the 2021 Founders Award Cancellation;
• a decrease of $369 million in non-cash deferred income taxes, primarily from the release of the Company's valuation allowance on most of its net deferred tax assets in 2024;
• an increase of $4.29 billion in receivables from users driven by higher margin balance due to lower rates;
• an increase of $397 million in securities segregated under federal and other regulations driven by cash used to purchase of U.S treasury securities;
• an increase of $341 million in other current and non-current assets driven by cash used to purchase of stablecoin; and
• increases of $2.20 billion in securities loaned and $1.96 billion in payable to users, both driven by increased customer activities.
Investing activities
Net cash used in investing activities decreased $434 million compared to the prior period primarily due to:
• an increase of $556 million from collection of purchased credit card receivables;
• an increase of $376 million from proceeds from maturities of held-to-maturity investments;
• an increase of $203 million driven by fewer purchases of held-to-maturity investments; and
• an increase of $748 million driven by purchases of credit card receivables by the Credit Card Funding trust.
Financing activities
Net cash used in financing activities decreased $265 million compared to the prior period primarily due to:
• a decrease of $351 million from less common stock repurchases;
• an increase of $132 million from borrowings by the Credit Card Funding Trust to purchase credit card receivables; and
• an increase of $232 million from taxes paid related to net share settlement of equity awards.
Critical Accounting Estimates
The preparation of financial statements in conformity with generally accepted accounting principles in the United States (“GAAP”) requires estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities, revenues and expenses, and related disclosures of contingent liabilities in the consolidated financial statements and accompanying notes. The SEC has defined a company’s critical accounting policies as the ones that are most important to the portrayal of the company’s financial condition and results of operations, and which require the company to make its most difficult and
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subjective judgments, often as a result of the need to make estimates of matters that are inherently uncertain. Based on this definition, we have identified the critical accounting estimates addressed below. We also have other key accounting policies, which involve the use of estimates, judgments, and assumptions that are significant to understanding our results. For additional information, refer to Note 1 - Description of Business and Summary of Significant Accounting Policies to our consolidated financial statements in this Annual Report. Although we believe that our estimates, assumptions, and judgments are reasonable, they are based upon information presently available. Actual results might differ significantly from these estimates under different assumptions, judgments, or conditions.
Allowance for Credit Losses
The amount of the allowance for credit losses represents management’s estimate of expected credit losses over the remaining expected life of our financial assets measured at amortized cost considering available information from internal and external sources. The allowance for credit losses provides for unsecured balances of receivables from users due to Fraudulent Deposit Transactions, losses on margin lending, purchased credit card receivables, and reserves on proxy revenue receivables. The allowance for credit losses takes into account relevant available information including the nature of the collateral, potential future changes in collateral values, and historical credit loss information.
The amount of the allowance for credit losses represents management’s estimate of expected credit losses from off-balance sheet credit exposure over the remaining expected life of credit card receivables originated under an arrangement with Coastal Bank. Coastal Bank is the legal lender and originator, the party to which the customer has a credit-borrower relationship, and the legal owner of the credit card receivables. We are responsible to pay Coastal Bank customer balances that are ultimately charged off or deemed uncollectible, generally when balances become outstanding for over 180 days. Allowance for credit losses takes into account information from internal and external sources and market data, which is estimated based on outstanding customer credit card principal balances owned by Coastal Bank and anticipated future customer payment rates based on past portfolio performance, both of which are unobservable inputs. The measurement of this liability using this method approximates fair value. For additional information, refer to Note 12 - Financing Activities and Off-Balance Sheet Risk to our consolidated financial statements in this Annual Report.
Business Combinations
We allocate the fair value of the purchase price to the tangible assets acquired, liabilities assumed, and intangible assets acquired based on their estimated fair values. The excess of the fair value of the purchase price over the fair values of these identifiable assets and liabilities is recorded as goodwill. Such valuations require management to make significant estimates and assumptions, especially with respect to intangible assets. Significant estimates in valuing certain intangible assets include, but are not limited to, future expected cash flows from acquired customer contracts, acquired technology, and trade names, based on expected future growth rates and margins, attrition rates, future changes in technology and royalty for similar brand licenses, useful lives, and discount rates. Management's estimates of fair value are based upon assumptions believed to be reasonable, but which are inherently uncertain and unpredictable and, as a result, actual results might differ from estimates.
Goodwill
Goodwill represents the excess of the purchase price over the fair value of net assets acquired in a business combination and is allocated to reporting units expected to benefit from the business combination. We test goodwill for impairment at least annually in the fourth quarter or whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that goodwill might be impaired. We evaluate our reporting units when changes in our operating structure occur, and if necessary, reassign goodwill using a relative fair value allocation approach. In testing for goodwill impairment, we first assess qualitative factors to determine whether the existence of events or circumstances leads to a determination that it is more likely than not
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that the fair value of a reporting unit is less than its carrying amount. If, after assessing the totality of events or circumstances, we determine it is not more likely than not that the fair value of a reporting unit is less than its carrying amount, then additional impairment testing is not required. However, if we conclude otherwise, we proceed to a quantitative assessment.
The quantitative assessment compares the estimated fair value of a reporting unit to its book value, including goodwill. If the fair value exceeds book value, goodwill is considered not to be impaired and no additional steps are necessary. However, if the book value of a reporting unit exceeds its fair value, an impairment loss will be recognized in an amount equal to that excess, limited to the total amount of goodwill allocated to that reporting unit.
Income Taxes
We make significant judgments and estimates to determine any valuation allowance recorded against deferred tax assets. Deferred tax assets are evaluated for future realization and reduced by a valuation allowance to the extent we believe that they will not be realized. We consider many factors when assessing the likelihood of future realization of our deferred tax assets including, but not limited to, historical cumulative loss experience and expectations of future earnings, tax planning strategies, and the carry-forward periods available for tax reporting purposes. Our judgment regarding future profitability may change due to many factors, including future market conditions and the ability to successfully execute business plans and/or tax planning strategies. Should there be a change in the ability to recover deferred tax assets, our tax provision would increase or decrease in the period in which the assessment is changed.
We recognize a tax benefit from an uncertain tax position when it is more likely than not that the position will be sustained upon examination, including resolutions of any related appeals or litigation, based on the technical merits. Income tax positions must meet a more-likely-than-not recognition threshold at the effective date to be recognized. We account for uncertain tax positions, including net interest and penalties, as a component of income tax expense or benefit. We make adjustments to these uncertain tax positions in accordance with applicable income tax guidance and based on changes in facts and circumstances. To the extent that the final tax outcome of these matters is different from the amounts recorded, such differences will affect the provision for income taxes in the period in which such determination is made and could have a material impact to our consolidated financial statements and operating results.
Share-based Compensation
Market-Based RSUs
We have granted RSUs that vest upon the satisfaction of all the following conditions: time-based service conditions, performance-based conditions, and market-based conditions (“Market-Based RSUs”). The time-based service condition for these awards is generally satisfied over six years. The performance-based conditions were satisfied upon the occurrence of an IPO. The market-based conditions are satisfied upon our achievement of specified share prices.
For market-based awards, we determined the grant-date fair value utilizing a Monte Carlo valuation model, which incorporates various assumptions including expected stock price volatility, expected term, risk-free interest rates, expected date of an IPO, and expected capital raise percentage. We estimated the expected term based on various vesting scenarios, as these awards are not considered “plain vanilla.” We estimated the expected date of an IPO based on our expectation at the time of measurement of the award’s value.
We recorded SBC expense for market-based equity awards on an accelerated attribution method over the requisite service period, and only if performance-based conditions were considered probable to be satisfied. We determined the requisite service period by comparing the derived service period to
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achieve the market-based condition and the explicit time-based service period, using the longer of the two service periods as the requisite service period. Remaining SBC related to the Market-Based RSUs was fully recorded over the remaining derived requisite service period by December 31, 2024. Previously recognized SBC related to the Market-Based RSUs will not be reversed even if the specified share prices are not achieved.
Recent Accounting Pronouncements
Refer to Note 2 - Recent Accounting Pronouncements to our consolidated financial statements in this Annual Report.