London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Sunday, Jun 01, 2025

Robinhood reveals new investigation hours before its IPO

Robinhood reveals new investigation hours before its IPO

Regulators are investigating the fact that Robinhood CEO Vlad Tenev is not licensed by FINRA, Wall Street's powerful self-regulator, the online trading platform announced Tuesday.

News of the probe comes more than five months after CNN Business reported that Tenev, the public face of Robinhood, is not registered with FINRA, short for the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority. That's despite the fact that he presides over one of the nation's largest and most powerful online brokerages.

It also comes on the eve of a blockbuster initial public offering that could value Robinhood at $35 billion.

In a filing late Tuesday, Robinhood said it received a FINRA investigative request seeking documents and information related to its compliance with the agency's registration requirements for member personnel.

Robinhood said the FINRA investigation is related to the "non-registration status" of both Tenev and co-founder Baiju Bhatt, who now serves as chief creative officer.

"Robinhood is evaluating this matter and intends to cooperate with the investigation," the company said in the filing.

FINRA declined to comment on the matter, noting that its investigations are confidential. Robinhood did not respond to a request for comment.

Robinhood is expected to price its IPO on Wednesday and begin trading on the Nasdaq the following morning, CNN Business previously reported.

"Robinhood is facing lots of scrutiny in the run up to its IPO, and regulators are poring through its operations and structure," James Tierney, an assistant professor of law at the University of Nebraska College of Law, said in an email.

Tierney, who previously worked at the SEC on FINRA registration matters, said it's not surprising this scrutiny "extends to Tenev's registration status, given his prominent role as the public face" of the company.

Should Tenev be FINRA-registered?


The FINRA investigation comes after Senator Elizabeth Warren, in a February statement to CNN Business, called on regulators to examine whether executives like Tenev "should be licensed and trained on market rules and risks."

FINRA generally requires that the CEOs of registered broker-dealers be registered with the agency. The aim is to make sure these executives receive compliance training and demonstrate the competence required for leadership roles. Being registered with FINRA also allows the public to track any violations by licensed individuals via the agency's Broker Check tool.

Tenev is the CEO of Robinhood Markets, the parent company that is not registered with FINRA. (Robinhood Markets owns a broker-dealer and a clearing broker.)

The CEO of a parent company that owns a broker-dealer does not necessarily need to be registered.

At the time of the initial CNN report, Robinhood told CNN Business that Tenev does not directly oversee the FINRA-registered managers of the broker-dealer or the clearing broker, but declined to say who does.

Some experts expressed alarm at the fact that Tenev is not registered with FINRA, while others said it may not be a problem.

Latest run-in with FINRA


Some of Robinhood's rivals do have CEOs with FINRA licenses, while others do not. For instance, the CEOs of Charles Schwab (SCHW) and Robinhood rival Webull are registered with FINRA and have their Series 24 licenses as principals.

However, Square (SQ) CEO Jack Dorsey is not listed as being registered with FINRA. (In addition to its payment platform, Square's Cash App lets users invest in bitcoin and individual stocks).

The key may be just how involved Tenev is with Robinhood's day-to-day operations. Some of Tenev's prior comments suggest he holds a significant managerial role, including being involved in delicate negotiations with its clearinghouse during the GameStop trading turmoil in January.

In a late February letter to Sen. Warren, FINRA said that these determinations are "fact-specific" and require "careful assessment of the individual's activities."

The FINRA licensing investigation is just Robinhood's latest run-in with the regulator.

Last month, FINRA slapped the brokerage with its biggest-ever penalty and accused the company of harming millions of customers and giving investors "false or misleading information."

Robinhood neither admitted to nor denied the charges.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Hegseth Warns of Potential Chinese Military Action Against Taiwan
OPEC+ Agrees to Increase Oil Output for Third Consecutive Month
Jamie Dimon Warns U.S. Bond Market Faces Pressure from Rising Debt
Turkey Detains Istanbul Officials Amid Anti-Corruption Crackdown
Taylor Swift Gains Ownership of Her First Six Albums
Bangkok Ranked World's Top City for Remote Work in 2025
Satirical Sketch Sparks Political Spouse Feud in South Korea
Indonesia Quarry Collapse Leaves Multiple Dead and Missing
South Korean Election Video Pulled Amid Misogyny Outcry
Asian Economies Shift Away from US Dollar Amid Trade Tensions
Netflix Investigates Allegations of On-Set Mistreatment in K-Drama Production
US Defence Chief Reaffirms Strong Ties with Singapore Amid Regional Tensions
Vietnam Faces Strategic Dilemma Over China's Mekong River Projects
Malaysia's First AI Preacher Sparks Debate on Islamic Principles
White House Press Secretary Criticizes Harvard Funding, Advocates for Vocational Training
France to Implement Nationwide Smoking Ban in Outdoor Spaces Frequented by Children
Meta and Anduril Collaborate on AI-Driven Military Augmented Reality Systems
Russia's Fossil Fuel Revenues Approach €900 Billion Since Ukraine Invasion
U.S. Justice Department Reduces American Bar Association's Role in Judicial Nominations
U.S. Department of Energy Unveils 'Doudna' Supercomputer to Advance AI Research
U.S. SEC Dismisses Lawsuit Against Binance Amid Regulatory Shift
Alcohol Industry Faces Increased Scrutiny Amid Health Concerns
Italy Faces Population Decline Amid Youth Emigration
U.S. Goods Imports Plunge Nearly 20% Amid Tariff Disruptions
OpenAI Faces Competition from Cheaper AI Rivals
Foreign Tax Provision in U.S. Budget Bill Alarms Investors
Trump Accuses China of Violating Trade Agreement
Gerry Adams Wins Libel Case Against BBC
Russia Accuses Serbia of Supplying Arms to Ukraine
EU Central Bank Pushes to Replace US Dollar with Euro as World’s Main Currency
Chinese Woman Dies After Being Forced to Visit Bank Despite Critical Illness
President Trump Grants Full Pardons to Reality TV Stars Todd and Julie Chrisley
Texas Enacts App Store Accountability Act Mandating Age Verification
U.S. Health Secretary Ends Select COVID-19 Vaccine Recommendations
Vatican Calls for Sustainable Tourism in 2025 Message
Trump Warns Putin Is 'Playing with Fire' Amid Escalating Ukraine Conflict
India and Pakistan Engage Trump-Linked Lobbyists to Influence U.S. Policy
U.S. Halts New Student Visa Interviews Amid Enhanced Security Measures
Trump Administration Cancels $100 Million in Federal Contracts with Harvard
SpaceX Starship Test Flight Ends in Failure, Mars Mission Timeline Uncertain
King Charles Affirms Canadian Sovereignty Amid U.S. Statehood Pressure
Trump Threatens 25% Tariff on iPhones Amid Dispute with Apple CEO
Putin's Helicopter Reportedly Targeted by Ukrainian Drones
Liverpool Car Ramming Incident Leaves Multiple Injured
Australia Faces Immigration Debate Following Labor Party Victory
Iranian Revolutionary Guard Founder Warns Against Trusting Regime in Nuclear Talks
Macron Dismisses Viral Video of Wife's Gesture as Playful Banter
Cleveland Clinic Study Questions Effectiveness of Recent Flu Vaccine
Netanyahu Accuses Starmer of Siding with Hamas
Junior Doctors Threaten Strike Over 4% Pay Offer
×