Robinhood to Become Part of the S&P 500
Date: 2025-09-08 Author: Gabriel Deangelo Categories: BUSINESS
Robinhood Markets Inc. will officially join the S&P 500 index. The decision will take effect on September 22, 2025, and marks a significant moment for the company, which in recent years has become a symbol of retail traders’ participation in the stock market. It will join AppLovin Corp. and Emcor Group Inc. in the index, replacing MarketAxess Holdings Inc., Caesars Entertainment Inc. and Enphase Energy Inc.
Robinhood’s presence on the list of the largest publicly traded companies in the U.S. highlights not only its own progress, but also the role it has played in spurring the rise of private investing during the pandemic, according to a statement from S&P Dow Jones Indices. The news sent the platform’s shares up more than 7% in after-hours trading, while AppLovin rose 7.5% and Emcor gained about 2.5%.
Robinhood was founded in 2013 by Vlad Tenev and Baiju Bhatt. It quickly attracted investors’ attention thanks to its zero commissions and intuitive app, becoming the main arena for trading shares of GameStop, AMC, and other popular “meme stocks.” Today, Robinhood manages billions of dollars in client assets, including investments in cryptocurrencies and derivatives.
Experts emphasize that inclusion in the S&P 500 significantly increases brand recognition and its liquidity. This is due to the fact that shares of companies from the index are automatically added to the portfolios of many index funds, pension and savings programs around the world. Thus, Robinhood will receive an additional influx of institutional investments.
Robinhood also joins other crypto-focused players already included in the index, including Coinbase Global Inc. and Block Inc. Coinbase, for example, became the first crypto exchange to be added to the S&P 500 in May 2025.
It is noteworthy that Strategy, despite meeting all the criteria and having strong financials, was not added to the index in early September. This shows that the selection process remains selective and is not always directly related to financial results.
Thus, the upcoming inclusion of Robinhood, AppLovin, and Emcor in the S&P 500 reflects a shift in the balance of power in the US stock market and cements Robinhood as a significant player not only in the retail investment sector, but also in the financial industry as a whole.
