Public Key is a weekly summary. decryption Track major publicly traded crypto companies. In this week’s roundup, we bring you the latest on CME, Walmart’s crypto trading (for real this time), and the booming Robinhood.
HOOD’s all-time high
Robinhood, the stock and cryptocurrency trading app, hit a new high this week following reports that it will expand its prediction market offering outside the United States.
Reports surfaced this week that the company was in talks with Britain’s Financial Conduct Authority about expanding its operations in the UK, but the company did not immediately respond to confirm or deny the news.
According to Grand View Research, predictions suggest that the prediction market space could eventually occupy more than $82 billion.
But things move quickly. Earlier in the week, Robinhood’s new all-time high meant the company’s stock price topped $140. However, the rise continues. With more than an hour left until Friday’s closing bell, Robinhood stock is currently nearing $150.
The company, which trades under the ticker HOOD on Nasdaq, is up 21.69% over the past five days and nearly 47% over the past month.
The latest news from CEO Vlad Tenev is that Strategy preferred stocks such as Stretch (STRC) and Strike (STRK) are now available on the company’s platform.
“We have heard from many strategy investors that this was a key factor before migrating their accounts to Robinhood, and we are thrilled to be able to unlock this for them,” Tenev told X.
Meanwhile, Strategy had some bullish news of its own this week, but it still falls short of its all-time high of $473.83. The company was bracing for a hefty 15% tax bill on the huge unrealized gains on its Bitcoin treasury. But now the company believes it has dodged that bullet.
big box hug
OnePay, Walmart’s Apple and Google Pay competitor, has added crypto trading and storage capabilities to its mobile app.
first reported news CNBC According to anonymous sources, BTC and ETH trading will be offered to the platform’s more than 3 million monthly active users. But Walmart has been aggressive in trying to attract more users to its app.
The retailer does not allow Apple or Google Pay in its physical stores, only OnePay and WalmartPay, which are features of its own app.
Don’t worry, so far it hasn’t been anything like the Litecoin debunked news in 2021.
It’s no surprise that Walmart-owned companies are opening up their apps to cryptocurrencies. Parent company Walmart has indicated that it is interested in experimenting with stablecoins.
all night again
CME said it is considering moving to “24/7” trading in crypto futures and options, currently Bitcoin and Ethereum. But Solana and XRP options will soon join them.
This change is expected to take place in early 2026.
CME framed the move as a response to record sales volumes and customer demand in 2025. Currently, crypto assets can be traded at any time. And there are many crypto derivatives exchanges (Deribit being the largest) that offer similar always-on availability.
But CME says customers want 24-hour risk management in regulated venues.
CME said it is formally planning the transition, but it all depends on regulatory review. There are already signs that regulators are agreeing to allow certain assets to be traded at all times.
In fact, the SEC and CFTC announced something similar a month ago, which was to make securities tradable at all times.
In the 154 years since continuous trading began on Wall Street, these markets have always followed a strict schedule, and since 1985 they have been open only during specific business hours on weekdays.
Other keys
In a galaxy not far away… Samsung is integrating Coinbase access within its Wallet app for US users. This means that your crypto holdings can be used through Samsung Wallet and Samsung Pay. This means 75 million Samsung device users now have easy access to cryptocurrencies.
call it a comeback Securities research firm Benchmark has more than tripled its price target for Bakkt Holdings. Over the years, the company has experienced various situations, even close to bankruptcy. But now analysts are keen to add crypto industry investor Mike Alfred to the board.
