May 13 (Reuters) - Robinhood said on Tuesday it

will buy Canadian crypto firm WonderFi ( WONDF ) for C$250

million ($178.98 million), as the popular commission-free

brokerage looks to expand its international footprint.

The all-cash deal values WonderFi ( WONDF ) at 36 Canadian cents per

share, a 41% premium to its previous close.

The crypto industry, which is staging a comeback under U.S.

President Donald Trump, has seen a flurry of tie-ups in 2025,

including Coinbase's $2.9 billion purchase of Deribit

and Ripple's $1.25 billion acquisition of prime brokerage firm

Hidden Road.

Robinhood had struck a $200 million deal for crypto exchange

Bitstamp last year.

The company has been pursuing user growth through

acquisitions and making a deeper push into crypto as it evolves

beyond its roots as a stock-trading app to become a more central

part of its customers' financial planning.

WonderFi's ( WONDF ) brands include crypto exchanges Bitbuy and

Coinsquare. It processed over C$3.57 billion in crypto trading

volumes in fiscal year 2024, 28% higher than the previous year.

The company's focus on both "beginner and advanced crypto

users" makes it an "ideal partner", said Johann Kerbrat, Senior

Vice President and General Manager of Robinhood Crypto.

WonderFi's ( WONDF ) stock has declined 13.6% on the Toronto exchange

so far in 2025, giving it a market capitalization of C$163.9

million.

Its employees will join Robinhood, which already has a

workforce of more than 140 in Canada.

Interest in crypto has surged this year, with the price of

bitcoin rising despite disruption due to economic

uncertainty and trade tensions.

The benchmark S&P 500 index, on the other hand, has

dipped 0.6% in 2025.

($1 = 1.3968 Canadian dollars)