Robinhood has launched its public blockchain, Robinhood Chain, enabling tokenized stock trading and decentralized finance services.
Robinhood is enhancing its cryptocurrency offerings with a new public blockchain.
Robinhood has launched the public mainnet for its Layer 2 blockchain, Robinhood Chain, marking a significant step in the company's efforts to integrate cryptocurrency with traditional finance. This new platform was introduced at an event in London and allows for tokenized stock trading across over 120 countries, although availability will depend on local regulations.
The Robinhood Chain, built on Arbitrum, aims to facilitate tokenized real-world assets and decentralized finance (DeFi) applications. With the mainnet now active, users can trade stock tokens via Robinhood Wallet, which supports continuous trading and the use of these tokens in DeFi applications such as lending protocols.
In addition to the blockchain launch, Robinhood introduced Robinhood Earn, a decentralized lending service that offers an estimated 7% yield on its stablecoin, USDG. Users can lend USDG through a self-custody wallet, further enhancing the platform's crypto capabilities.
Robinhood plans to expand its offerings, including perpetual futures trading in Europe across commodities, ETFs, and foreign exchange, alongside its existing cryptocurrency services. The company also aims to initiate crypto trading in the U.K. and has recently expanded into Canada following its acquisition of WonderFi.
Moreover, Robinhood launched Agentic Accounts for crypto, an AI-powered trading feature that allows U.S. users to connect AI models to their trading while retaining control over their investments. Senior Vice President Johann Kerbrat emphasized that decentralized finance presents opportunities beyond traditional finance, although it has historically required technical expertise.
This expansion reflects Robinhood's broader strategy to merge cryptocurrency with traditional financial services, moving beyond simple stock trading into tokenized assets, derivatives, and more. The firm is pursuing an "everything exchange" model to centralize various trading and financial activities on its platform, increasingly leveraging blockchain technology.
Despite these advancements, Robinhood announced a workforce reduction of approximately 10% last month, affecting about 290 employees, as part of its restructuring efforts. Following the blockchain launch, Robinhood's stock saw a 5% increase, although it remains approximately 30% lower than its peak in October.
