Robinhood launches blockchain, tokenized stocks in 120-plus countries

Robinhood launched its Ethereum layer-2 mainnet on Wednesday, bringing tokenized stock trading to more than 120 countries and introducing a 7% yield on its USDG stablecoin through a new decentralized lending product.

"Decentralized finance unlocks possibilities beyond what traditional finance can offer, but historically, it has required technical expertise to navigate," Johann Kerbrat, senior vice president of crypto at Robinhood, said.

Robinhood Chain, built on Arbitrum technology, supports tokenized real-world assets and DeFi applications. Uniswap will deploy an automated market maker as a primary liquidity protocol, while Pleiades operates a separate venue for proprietary trading. The network also integrates with Alchemy, BitGo and Chainlink, according to the company.

The launch positions Robinhood among a growing cohort of corporate-backed blockchains, joining Coinbase's Base and Stripe's Tempo, as the brokerage pushes beyond its commission-free trading roots to become an everything exchange for stocks, tokens, derivatives and prediction markets.

The new Stock Tokens are debt securities issued by Robinhood Assets Jersey Limited that track the economic performance of underlying equities. Eligible users in more than 120 countries can hold and trade them through Robinhood Wallet around the clock and use them across DeFi applications, including as lending collateral. Holders do not receive voting rights or legal ownership of the underlying stocks, the company said.

Robinhood also introduced Robinhood Earn, a decentralized lending product that lets eligible US users lend USDG through a self-custody wallet. The estimated 7% annual yield is variable and not guaranteed, with lending infrastructure provided by Morpho and additional support from Steakhouse, Ethena, Spark and Maple.

The company's crypto transaction revenue fell 47% from a year earlier to $134 million in the first quarter, even as total revenue rose 15% to $1.07 billion. Assets on the platform grew 39% to $307 billion. Robinhood reported total net revenue of $4.5 billion for 2025.

International and AI expansion

In Europe, Robinhood is expanding perpetual futures to include commodities, ETFs and foreign exchange alongside crypto, offering up to 10x leverage. The company also plans to launch crypto trading in the UK and entered Canada after completing its acquisition of WonderFi in June.

In the US, Robinhood unveiled Agentic Accounts for crypto, allowing eligible users to connect outside AI models to dedicated trading accounts with parameters on capital allocation and activity. The company previously introduced similar tools for equities and options.

Robinhood shares rose 5% on Wednesday to around $108, still about 30% below the October record. The company cut about 10% of its workforce last month as part of a restructuring expected to generate $28 million in charges.

This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute investment advice.