Can a brokerage firm subvert not only the commission system, but also the underlying structure of global asset transactions? Robinhood seems to have given its own answer. At the just-concluded Cannes, France press conference, this giant that has stirred up the US securities industry with zero commissions threw out an imaginative vision to the outside world: using blockchain and tokenization to push stocks, derivatives and even private equity onto the chain, and ultimately create a new Layer 2 public chain that can carry global real assets - Robinhood Chain.
This press conference is not just a list of products, but a declaration of Robinhoods future ten-year plan. Different breakthrough points have been defined for the three markets of Europe, the United States, and the world, but they echo each other and jointly depict a new order of all-weather trading driven by tokenized assets. This article will be divided into three parts, combining the information of Robinhoods press conference and the industry background, to deeply dismantle this on-chain brokerage chess game.
For the European market: Tokenized US stocks + perpetual contracts + All-in-One investment app
Main product information:
1. Robinhood launches tokenized trading of 200+ US stocks and ETFs based on Arbitrum, and will expand to more targets by the end of the year
2. European App upgraded from Robinhood Crypto to “Robinhood”, positioning itself as a comprehensive investment platform
3. Perpetual contracts will be launched this summer, and mobile orders will be more convenient
4. Bitstamp as a liquidity engine for perpetual and derivatives
5. Tokenized stocks support real-time dividends and stock splits
6. Europe covers 31 countries, and SpaceX and OpenAI private placement tokens can be purchased from July
Details worth noting:
1. Three-stage path:
a.TradFi Custody → Robinhood mints tokens
b. Bitstamp takes over weekend trading → 24/5 liquidity
c. Eventually support self-custody and cross-chain
2. Deposit before July 7 to enjoy 2% bonus
3. App name change and UI upgrade to strengthen the positioning of Investment Super App
Robinhood sees European users as the vanguard of its tokenization strategy, and the reason is not difficult to understand: the EU recently implemented MiCA (Markets in Crypto-Assets Act), which has clearer regulation than the United States, and Robinhoods penetration rate in the EU is far from saturated.
Robinhood announced at the press conference that more than 200 US-listed stocks and ETFs will be tokenized and traded through Arbitrum Layer 2, and European users can buy and sell these tokenized stocks on the Robinhood platform just like trading digital currencies. Since Robinhood also introduced a synchronous settlement mechanism on the chain, dividends, stock splits and other rights will also be automatically updated in the token holders account. Users dont even need to learn the complex details of the blockchain, and can get a 24/5 tradable US stock token market almost without feeling.
Robinhood said it will continue to expand tokenized assets by the end of the year, planning to cover thousands of U.S. stocks and ETFs. Technically, all transactions at this stage will be completed by Robinhood in cooperation with traditional brokers to purchase stocks and mint equivalent tokens to ensure 1:1 real positions. In the future, this process will be gradually migrated to the self-developed Robinhood Chain to achieve cross-chain and self-custody capabilities.
In addition to tokenized stocks, Robinhood also announced the launch of perpetual futures trading in Europe, with Bitstamp providing transaction matching and clearing support. This is also the first deep integration of Robinhood after it spent $200 million to acquire Bitstamp last year. Robinhood particularly emphasizes the user experience innovation of perpetual futures: in the mobile interface, the originally cumbersome margin, stop loss and take profit configurations are greatly simplified into slider operations, allowing retail investors to get started with advanced leverage tools at a lower threshold.
In response to these major updates, Robinhood renamed its European app, originally named “Robinhood Crypto,” to “Robinhood,” positioning itself as an All-in-One investment super app that integrates cryptocurrencies, tokenized stocks, and perpetual contracts, with the intention of establishing a first-mover advantage in the 31 EU countries + EEA.
What was most unexpected for the industry was the Private Equity Token plan announced by Robinhood at the conference: starting from July 7, European Robinhood users will be able to apply for the first batch of tokenized shares of SpaceX and OpenAI. This means that Robinhood has taken the lead in breaking the traditional private equity model that has long been monopolized by wealthy individuals and institutions, and opening up shares of the worlds most watched technology startups to retail users in the form of tokens.
This idea actually responds to a question that has been mentioned in the blockchain circle for a long time: How can ordinary people fairly participate in the accumulation of wealth in the future? Robinhood’s answer is that private equity should also be tokenized and have equal access.
For the US market: Advanced crypto trading + AI assistant + staking
Main product information:
1. Legend platform’s advanced charts and indicators will support mobile devices in the future
2. Smart Exchange Routing is launched to automatically match the lowest rate
3. Provide accurate position selection to facilitate tax management
4. Staking is launched in the US, with ETH and SOL supported first
5. AI assistant Cortex serves Robinhood Gold users
6. Rabbit Gold Card will be able to return cash in cryptocurrencies in the future 7. These features are planned to be expanded to Europe in the future
Noteworthy details:
1. Staking activities will offer 2% rewards and remove the threshold
2. Cortex information flow includes token dynamics and on-chain events
3. Smart Routing: Large transactions can be as low as 0.1% all-in
4. Staking is positioned as a “community-safe” way to participate
If Europe is Robinhoods tokenization testing ground, then the United States is undoubtedly its main battlefield with the most solid user base. Robinhood used this press conference to simultaneously release product upgrades for the U.S. market, intending to consolidate its position as the preferred platform for active traders through in-depth tools and richer investment scenarios.
First, Robinhood announced the launch of staking products in the United States, initially supporting Ethereum and Solana, and removing the minimum staking threshold. During the event, users can enjoy a 2% deposit reward, regardless of the size of the staking amount. Robinhood CEO Vlad Tenev mentioned the other meaning of staking many times at the meeting: it is not only a way to earn rewards, but also an opportunity for every user to participate in maintaining network security. He said: The security of the blockchain comes from people, and staking is also a manifestation of Robinhoods desire to include users in the co-construction of the financial system.
In terms of trading tools, Robinhoods flagship product Legend (currently mainly on desktop) announced that it will migrate advanced charts, indicator customization, and deep order book features to mobile this summer. This move is particularly attractive to mobile traders because in the past, Robinhoods mobile features were far behind the professional desktop version.
In conjunction with Legend, Robinhood also launched the Smart Exchange Routing feature, which searches for optimal liquidity across multiple exchanges and automatically routes, dynamically calculating fees based on 30-day rolling transaction volume, with the lowest being 0.1%, while eliminating the traditional maker/taker distinction. This logic is highly similar to the smart quote routing commonly used in the U.S. stock industry, and is a key step for Robinhood to attract large and quantitative crypto traders.
In addition, Robinhood also released the AI investment assistant Cortex at the conference. In the future, it will provide comprehensive analysis of market dynamics, large-value transfers on the chain, token news and even company financial reports for Robinhood Gold users. The goal of Cortex is to help users understand the root causes of digital asset fluctuations, not just provide simple price alerts.
Finally, the Rabbit Gold Card will add a “crypto cashback” feature, allowing cardholders to automatically convert cashback from daily purchases into selected cryptocurrencies. Robinhood said this is an innovation that “breaks the logic of cashback” and aims to seamlessly connect users’ daily lives with on-chain asset management.
Overall, Robinhood is upgrading from a zero-commission brokerage to a one-stop platform for on-chain asset management in the US market. From staking to AI, from credit cards to smart routing, it reflects Robinhoods further development of user life cycle management.
Global Strategy: Robinhood Chain + Private Equity Tokens + Full Ecosystem on-chain
Main product information:
1. Robinhood Chain is built on Arbitrum
2. In the medium term, you can switch between Bitstamp/TradFi liquidity
3. Allow self-custody and cross-chain migration in the long term
Noteworthy details:
1. SpaceX and OpenAI private equity tokens will be launched first, and private equity tokens are seen as the key to breaking the high net worth barrier
2. We are working with regulators to promote compliance on the chain and open it to developers in the future to promote the RWA ecosystem
All of the products mentioned above will eventually be integrated into Robinhood’s “global chess game” - Robinhood Chain.
Robinhood Chain evolved from the Arbitrum technology stack and is positioned by Robinhood as the first Layer 2 public chain dedicated to real assets. It will not only carry Robinhoods tokenized stock trading, but will also support the tokenization of all categories of real assets in the future, including real estate, bonds, artworks, and carbon credits.
At the press conference, Vlad Tenev gave a three-stage plan:
Phase 1: After the user places an order, Robinhoods US broker purchases the stock from the traditional exchange and holds it in custody. Robinhood generates tokens and distributes them simultaneously to ensure a 1:1 correspondence with the physical object.
Phase 2: Bitstamp and TradFi liquidity integration, enabling trading when traditional stock markets are closed (e.g. weekends, holidays)
Phase 3: Fully unlock the ability to transfer tokens through self-custody, allowing users to migrate these Robinhood-generated assets across chains to personal wallets or other DeFi protocols
In other words, Robinhood Chain is not only Robinhood’s own “second-layer settlement network”, but will also become a public chain ecosystem open to global developers and allowing third-party projects to issue real asset tokens on it.
This model directly competes with the RWA (Real World Assets) strategy that Coinbase and Kraken have recently been actively exploring. The difference is that Robinhood has brokerage qualifications and started with the tokenization of US stocks. It has a complete compliance brokerage chain and can open up the compliance channel between traditional finance and blockchain faster than pure exchange platforms.
It is particularly worth mentioning that Robinhood simultaneously announced the immediate issuance of OpenAI and SpaceX private equity tokens on the spot. In the future, these tokens can continue to flow on weekends through Robinhood Chain, without relying on a single custodian, and allow subsequent free cross-chain use. This attempt may change the liquidity structure of the entire private investment industry, just as Robinhood promoted the zero-commission revolution, and has a strong disruptive potential.
In the view of industry observers, if Robinhood successfully makes Robinhood Chain a global real asset base, not just stocks or futures, but also real estate, art and even carbon emission indicators may become composable assets in Robinhood users wallets in the future, which will be a very profound reconstruction of the global financial system.
The prototype of on-chain brokerage
From zero commission, to fractional share trading in U.S. stocks, to todays announcement of Robinhood Chain, Robinhood is writing a highly continuous innovation route: every step is aimed at the thresholds and inefficient links in the traditional financial system, and greatly reducing the entry barriers through technological means.
When tokenization moves from an Apple stock to a building, a private equity share, or even a work of art, blockchain is no longer just a tool for speculation, but truly has the meaning of asset internet. Robinhood saw this opportunity and hopes to use its user base and brand trust to be the first to come out during the window period when supervision is gradually becoming clear.
The report by Ripple and BCG predicts that the global tokenized real asset market will reach $18.9 trillion by 2033. Robinhood obviously does not intend to be just an intervenor, but to become the foundation builder of this market. The declaration at the Cannes press conference may be the finale: The foundation of future global finance is the Robinhood Chain.
