Robinhood Goes All-In on Blockchain with Tokenized Stocks, Perpetual Futures, and Staking

Robinhood’s Crypto Expansion Hits Overdrive

At the Ethereum Community Conference (ETHCC) 2025 in Cannes, Robinhood revealed a sweeping expansion into the tokenized finance sector, showcasing a bold pivot toward becoming a full-spectrum blockchain-powered investment platform. The firm’s headline announcement? A planned Layer 2 blockchain, support for tokenized stocks and ETFs, crypto staking, and perpetual futures - all designed to reshape how retail users engage with both traditional and decentralized finance.

This shift represents Robinhood’s most aggressive step yet to merge TradFi with DeFi, offering seamless access to tokenized real-world assets and introducing new high-yield, high-risk crypto trading options. 

Stock Tokens Launch Across Europe on Arbitrum

In a major product reveal, Robinhood confirmed that over 200 tokenized US stocks and ETFs will soon be available to customers in 31 EU and EEA countries. These digital assets will be commission-free, offer dividend support, and feature 24/5 trading availability - features that traditional brokers still struggle to match.

Importantly, these stock tokens will be issued on Arbitrum, an Ethereum Layer 2 scaling solution known for fast transactions and low fees. By using Arbitrum, Robinhood ensures scalability and low-cost execution, while giving European users a true on-chain trading experience without leaving the Robinhood app.

At the same time, the company unveiled early plans to launch the Robinhood Chain, a custom Layer 2 blockchain built on Arbitrum, optimized specifically for real-world asset (RWA) tokenization. While no official launch date has been confirmed, the chain promises 24/7 trading, seamless bridging, and self-custody support, hinting at a long-term goal of reducing third-party reliance. 

Derivatives Debut: Perpetual Futures in the EU

In another first, Robinhood announced its entry into leveraged derivatives with crypto perpetual futures for eligible EU customers. The new feature enables up to 3x leverage and real-time position management through a simplified, app-native interface.

Trades will be routed via Bitstamp’s perpetual futures exchange, allowing users to open and close positions continuously while Robinhood manages margin requirements and risk. This marks the company’s debut into the high-octane world of leveraged crypto, signaling its ambitions to serve active and experienced traders alongside casual investors.

The rollout has already begun and is expected to reach full availability across the EU by late summer 2025. 

Ethereum and Solana Staking Now Live in the US

For users in the US, Robinhood is finally enabling staking for Ethereum and Solana directly through its app. With just a few taps, customers can now delegate their assets, earn staking rewards, and actively participate in network validation - all without leaving the Robinhood ecosystem.

This positions Robinhood as a regulated alternative to native wallets like MetaMask and Phantom, offering competitive yields while appealing to users who prefer centralized simplicity. With staking becoming a growing revenue stream for both users and platforms, this feature moves Robinhood closer to Coinbase-style Web3 integration. 

Power Tools for Power Users 

Alongside its blockchain announcements, Robinhood also rolled out a suite of advanced features aimed at more sophisticated traders:

• Smart Exchange Routing: Orders are now automatically routed to partner exchanges for the best price execution, with fee tiering and API trading coming soon. 

• Tax Lot Selection: US traders can now manually choose tax lots to optimize gains or losses—a key upgrade for savvy investors. 

• Advanced Charting Tools: High-resolution, customizable desktop-grade charts are being rolled out to the mobile app for equities, with crypto charting support arriving in August.

These features suggest that Robinhood is no longer content with being the beginner’s crypto app. The firm is actively bridging the gap between retail simplicity and professional-grade control. 

A New Era for Robinhood

Robinhood’s ETHCC presentation signals a dramatic evolution from a stock-and-crypto trading app into a multi-chain fintech platform. From tokenized stocks and real-world asset support to staking, perpetuals, and its own blockchain, the company is aggressively positioning itself as a major Web3 player - not just a retail gateway.

With these updates, Robinhood is signaling to both investors and the broader market: the lines between TradFi and DeFi are vanishing - and it plans to lead the charge.