Robinhood Crypto glossary | Robinhood

Robinhood Crypto glossary

Here’s a list of terms and concepts you may come across as you begin to trade with your Robinhood Crypto account.

Bid-ask spread

The bid-ask spread is the difference between the highest price a buyer is willing to pay (best bid price) and the lowest price a seller is willing to accept (best ask price).

For crypto, the price we show in the app is the mark price, which is the midpoint between the bid price and the ask price. For example, if the bid price is $0.10 and the ask price is $0.20, the mark price is $0.15.

Robinhood Crypto shows real-time market data for buying and selling crypto. For details, check out Which crypto are available on Robinhood Crypto?

Bitcoin

Bitcoin, created in 2009, is the first decentralized crypto. Like many crypto, it’s not tied to any government or issuing authority, and there’s typically no intermediary involved when it’s used to purchase goods. Check out Buying and selling crypto to learn more.

Blockchain

A blockchain is a digital, decentralized ledger of crypto transactions. The Bitcoin and Ethereum networks are both blockchains where all transactions in those assets are recorded.

Buying power

Buying power is the amount of money you can use to purchase crypto.

Crypto

Crypto are digital currencies created and stored electronically on a blockchain using cryptography (also known as crypto) to control their creation and to verify the transfer of funds. Crypto is unique because it doesn't have any physical form and exists only on a network.

Ethereum

Like Bitcoin, Ethereum is a digital currency based on blockchain technology. Though the applications of Ethereum extend beyond currency, the coin, technically called ether, is a tradable asset on Robinhood. Its symbol is ETH. Check out Buying and selling crypto to learn more about trading Ethereum on Robinhood.

Fractional amounts

You can switch between placing trades in fractional amounts of the crypto and placing trades in dollar amounts by selecting Buy/Sell in USD or the selected crypto on the order screen. For details, check out Buying and selling crypto.

Good-til-canceled (GTC)

Good-til-canceled refers to a type of order you can place. A GTC order will remain open until you cancel it, or it’s filled. At Robinhood, a GTC order will expire after 90 calendar days.

Instant settlement

With a Robinhood Instant or Robinhood Gold account, you have instant access to funds from bank deposits and proceeds from sales.* This means that if you sell crypto today, you can use the funds right away, instead of waiting the typical 2 trading days for access to those funds.

*The amount of funds made available instantly depends on your account type and the source of the funds from a sale. Funds from recent stock, ETF, and options sales may not be available instantly for buying crypto.

Limit order

A limit order allows you to choose the price you’d like to buy or sell an asset for, so that if the asset rises or falls within that range it’ll get executed at that price or better.

For example, if ABC is trading at $10, you can place a limit buy order at $9, which will execute when ABC is offered at $9 or lower in the market. The same is true for limit sell orders: you can specify the minimum amount you’re willing to receive when you sell your asset.

Check out Limit orders to learn more.

Limit price

A limit price lets you choose a specific price that you’re willing to buy or receive for an asset. For a buy order, the limit price is the maximum amount you’ll pay. For a sell order, the limit price is the minimum amount you’ll receive.

Market order

A market order is an order that will execute at the next price in the market. Be careful, though, because crypto that’s highly volatile can change price quickly, and you’re never guaranteed a price with a market order.

To help combat dramatic price moves, we adjust market orders to limit orders collared up to 1% for buy orders, and 5% for sell orders. This means your order won’t execute if the price of the crypto moves more than 5% lower than its price at the time you placed a market sell order, or more than 1% higher than its price when you placed a market buy order. Market orders that don't execute after 5 minutes may be automatically canceled.

Partial execution

A partial execution occurs when only some of your order is filled. Before an order can execute, a buyer and seller must be on both sides of the trade. If the market doesn’t have enough shares at your limit price, it may take multiple trades to fill the entire order.

Was this article helpful?
Reference No. 3989785
Still have questions? Contact Robinhood Support

All Investing involves risk.

Brokerage services are offered through Robinhood Financial LLC, (“RHF”) a registered broker dealer (member SIPC), and clearing services through Robinhood Securities, LLC, (“RHS”) a registered broker dealer (member SIPC).

Cryptocurrency services are offered through an account with Robinhood Crypto, LLC (“RHC”) (NMLS ID: 1702840).Robinhood Crypto is licensed to engage in virtual currency business activity by the New York State Department of Financial Services. Please review a list of RHC's licenses for more information. Cryptocurrency held through Robinhood Crypto is not FDIC insured or SIPC protected.

The Robinhood spending account is offered through Robinhood Money, LLC (“RHY”) (NMLS ID: 1990968), a licensed money transmitter. Please review a list of our licenses for more information.

The Robinhood Cash Card is a prepaid card issued by Sutton Bank, Member FDIC, pursuant to a license from Mastercard® International Incorporated. Mastercard and the circles design are registered trademarks of Mastercard International Incorporated.

Robinhood Gold Card is subject to credit approval and underwriting. Robinhood Gold Card is offered by Robinhood Credit, Inc., and is issued by Coastal Community Bank, pursuant to a license from Visa U.S.A. Inc. Robinhood Credit, Inc. (“RCT”), is a financial technology company, not a bank.

Robinhood Gold is a subscription-based membership program of premium services offered through Robinhood Gold, LLC (“RHG”).

RHF, RHY, RHC, RCT, RHG, and RHS are affiliated entities and wholly owned subsidiaries of Robinhood Markets, Inc. RHF, RHY, RHC, RCT, RHG, and RHS are not banks. Investing products offered by RHF are not FDIC insured and involve risk, including possible loss of principal.

RHY is not a member of FINRA, and products are not subject to SIPC protection, but funds held in the Robinhood spending account and Robinhood Cash Card account may be eligible for FDIC pass-through insurance (review the Robinhood Cash Card Agreement and the Robinhood Spending Account Agreement).

Options trading entails significant risk and is not appropriate for all customers. Customers must read and understand the Characteristics and Risks of Standardized Options before engaging in any options trading strategies. Options transactions are often complex and may involve the potential of losing the entire investment in a relatively short period of time. Certain complex options strategies carry additional risk, including the potential for losses that may exceed the original investment amount.

The risk of loss in trading futures can be substantial. Carefully consider if it’s appropriate for you in light of your financial circumstances. Please read the Futures Risk Disclosure Statement prior to trading futures products. Futures accounts are not protected by the Securities Investor Protection Corporation (SIPC) and are not Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) insured. Prior to trading virtual currency Futures products, please review the NFA Investor Advisory & CFTC Advisory providing more information on these potentially significant risks. Futures trading and options on futures trading are offered by Robinhood Derivatives, LLC (“RHD”), a registered futures commission merchant with the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) and Member of National Futures Association (NFA) (NFA ID 0424278).

RO 3924940

Robinhood, 85 Willow Road, Menlo Park, CA 94025.© 2024 Robinhood. All rights reserved.
Follow us on

All Investing involves risk.

Brokerage services are offered through Robinhood Financial LLC, (“RHF”) a registered broker dealer (member SIPC), and clearing services through Robinhood Securities, LLC, (“RHS”) a registered broker dealer (member SIPC).

Cryptocurrency services are offered through an account with Robinhood Crypto, LLC (“RHC”) (NMLS ID: 1702840).Robinhood Crypto is licensed to engage in virtual currency business activity by the New York State Department of Financial Services. Please review a list of RHC's licenses for more information. Cryptocurrency held through Robinhood Crypto is not FDIC insured or SIPC protected.

The Robinhood spending account is offered through Robinhood Money, LLC (“RHY”) (NMLS ID: 1990968), a licensed money transmitter. Please review a list of our licenses for more information.

The Robinhood Cash Card is a prepaid card issued by Sutton Bank, Member FDIC, pursuant to a license from Mastercard® International Incorporated. Mastercard and the circles design are registered trademarks of Mastercard International Incorporated.

Robinhood Gold Card is subject to credit approval and underwriting. Robinhood Gold Card is offered by Robinhood Credit, Inc., and is issued by Coastal Community Bank, pursuant to a license from Visa U.S.A. Inc. Robinhood Credit, Inc. (“RCT”), is a financial technology company, not a bank.

Robinhood Gold is a subscription-based membership program of premium services offered through Robinhood Gold, LLC (“RHG”).

RHF, RHY, RHC, RCT, RHG, and RHS are affiliated entities and wholly owned subsidiaries of Robinhood Markets, Inc. RHF, RHY, RHC, RCT, RHG, and RHS are not banks. Investing products offered by RHF are not FDIC insured and involve risk, including possible loss of principal.

RHY is not a member of FINRA, and products are not subject to SIPC protection, but funds held in the Robinhood spending account and Robinhood Cash Card account may be eligible for FDIC pass-through insurance (review the Robinhood Cash Card Agreement and the Robinhood Spending Account Agreement).

Options trading entails significant risk and is not appropriate for all customers. Customers must read and understand the Characteristics and Risks of Standardized Options before engaging in any options trading strategies. Options transactions are often complex and may involve the potential of losing the entire investment in a relatively short period of time. Certain complex options strategies carry additional risk, including the potential for losses that may exceed the original investment amount.

The risk of loss in trading futures can be substantial. Carefully consider if it’s appropriate for you in light of your financial circumstances. Please read the Futures Risk Disclosure Statement prior to trading futures products. Futures accounts are not protected by the Securities Investor Protection Corporation (SIPC) and are not Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) insured. Prior to trading virtual currency Futures products, please review the NFA Investor Advisory & CFTC Advisory providing more information on these potentially significant risks. Futures trading and options on futures trading are offered by Robinhood Derivatives, LLC (“RHD”), a registered futures commission merchant with the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) and Member of National Futures Association (NFA) (NFA ID 0424278).

RO 3924940

Robinhood, 85 Willow Road, Menlo Park, CA 94025.© 2024 Robinhood. All rights reserved.