Robinhood rolls out public blockchain to enhance crypto offerings
The retail trading giant launched its own Ethereum Layer 2 network, signaling a shift from brokerage to infrastructure provider
Robinhood launched Robinhood Chain, a permissionless Ethereum Layer 2 blockchain, on July 1. Built on Arbitrum infrastructure, the network features 100ms block times and is designed specifically for tokenized real-world assets like equities and ETFs. The chain is accessible to developers across more than 120 countries where Robinhood operates.
From brokerage to blockchain operator
It acquired crypto exchange Bitstamp in June 2025, giving it institutional-grade exchange infrastructure. By late 2025, the company was sitting on $51B in crypto custody assets under management. Now it’s running its own blockchain.
The public testnet went live on February 10, and developers have had roughly five months to experiment with the network before mainnet launch. The chain supports smart contract deployment and self-custody options, which means users aren’t forced to keep assets on Robinhood’s platform to interact with the network.
Tokenized US stocks and ETFs that were initially deployed on Arbitrum will transition over to Robinhood Chain.
The RWA play
The 100ms block times are worth pausing on. That’s fast enough for financial-grade applications where settlement speed actually matters. For context, Ethereum’s mainnet processes blocks roughly every 12 seconds.
The focus on tokenized equities and ETFs also reveals Robinhood’s strategy for international expansion. Tokenizing US stocks on-chain makes them accessible to users in countries where buying American equities through traditional brokerages is expensive, slow, or simply unavailable. More than 120 countries can now access these products through Robinhood’s ecosystem.
What this means for investors
The company has also signaled that EU perpetual futures and US staking services are on the roadmap. Staking support for assets like ETH and SOL would give Robinhood users a way to earn yield directly through the platform.
The key metric to track will be total value locked on Robinhood Chain and how quickly developers migrate applications to the network. A blockchain backed by a company with $51B in crypto custody AUM has a built-in demand advantage that most new networks do not.