Robinhood Launches Stock Tokens and L2 Blockchain To Expand Crypto Offerings in EU and US

Brokerage fintech firm Robinhood has unveiled a new suite of products and services, marking a major milestone for the cryptocurrency sector.

Vlad Tenev, CEO and chairman of Robinhood, announced today at Robinhood Presents: To Catch a Token event in Cannes, France, that the firm is launching US stock and exchange-traded fund (ETF) tokens.

“Our latest offerings lay the groundwork for crypto to become the backbone of the global financial system,” Tenev stated.

EU Customers Gain Exposure to Tokenized US Stocks

Tenev elaborated that Robinhood will provide eligible customers in the European Union (EU) with exposure to US equities through “Robinhood Stock Tokens.”

He explained that the tokens will feature zero commissions or additional spreads from Robinhood (although other fees may apply), while providing full support and 24-hour access.

“With tokenized stocks, our European app transitions from being a crypto-only app to an all-in-one investment app powered by crypto,” Tenev said.

Robinhood will provide European customers with access to over 200 US stock and ETF tokens. Stock token holders will also be able to receive dividend payments directly in the Robinhood app.

Robinhood’s Layer-2 Remains in Development

Tenev further added that stock tokens will initially be issued on the Ethereum layer-2 (L2) platform, Arbitrum.

Moving forward, he noted that the tokenized stocks will be facilitated by Robinhood’s own L2 blockchain, based on Arbitrum. Robinhood’s blockchain will be optimized for tokenized real-world assets and built to support 24/7 trading, seamless bridging, and self-custody.

According to a Bloomberg report published on May 7, Robinhood has been planning to launch its blockchain-based platform to allow users in Europe to trade US securities.

Robinhood Rolls Out Perpetual Futures

Additionally, Robinhood has introduced crypto perpetual futures in the EU.

According to Tenev, the platform will offer eligible customers access to a new class of derivatives, with continuous exposure and up to 3x leverage. He shared that perpetuals will be fully rolled out to eligible customers by the end of summer 2025.

“Designed to help reduce the complexity typically associated with trading perpetuals, we built our interface with intuitive controls for setting position size and managing margin,” he said.

Orders will be routed through Bitstamp’s perpetual futures exchange. Earlier in June, Robinhood announced it had completed a $200 million acquisition of crypto exchange Bitstamp. This allowed the fintech to secure more than 50 licenses and registrations worldwide.

Although Robinhood announced its entry into crypto futures last July, the company said the rollout would initially be limited to Bitcoin (BTC) and Ether (ETH).

Crypto Staking Launches in the US

Robinhood is also launching crypto staking for eligible US customers. The platform will begin with staking on Ethereum and Solana (SOL). Crypto staking was made available to all Robinhood customers in the EU and EEA last year.

Elaborating on Robinhood’s new products, Tenev stated that for a limited time, both US and EU investors can transfer crypto into the Robinhood app to earn a 1% deposit boost. Investors will also have the chance to double their boost to 2% if the total deposits reach a goal of $500 million.

Other new Robinhood products include Cortex, an AI-powered investing assistant that will be available later this year. A handful of Robinhood members will be able to use it to see curated insights, trends, and event-driven market analysis.

“This is designed to help customers quickly understand price movement and market shifts in real time,” Tenev stated.

Making Crypto Accessible to Everyone

Robinhood’s expansion into cryptocurrency trading began in 2018. Since then, the firm’s footprint in the sector has greatly expanded.

On June 27, Robinhood launched micro futures contracts for BTC, SOL, and XRP, giving crypto traders the ability to trade derivatives with much lower capital requirements.

Robinhood has also strengthened its crypto offerings through strategic acquisitions of major players in the space. In addition to acquiring Bitstamp, the firm acquired WonderFi—a Canadian company that operates regulated crypto trading platforms—for $179 million.

“Crypto was built by engineers for engineers, and has not been accessible to most people,” Johann Kerbrat, general manager and SVP of Robinhood Crypto, said. “We’re onboarding the world to crypto by making it as easy to use as possible—with the goal of bringing powerful tools into one intuitive platform.”

The post Robinhood Launches Stock Tokens and L2 Blockchain To Expand Crypto Offerings in EU and US appeared first on Cryptonews.