Robinhood Shares Surge Nearly 10% on Unprecedented Crypto Expansion, Launching Tokenized US Stocks and Proprietary Blockchain

CANNES, France – Robinhood Markets, Inc. announced a sweeping expansion of its crypto offerings at its "To Catch a Token" event, held in Cannes, France. The company hailed these developments as "the biggest product announcement in company history," signaling a significant shift in its global strategy and driving its shares up by nearly 10% following the revelations. The new initiatives aim to integrate traditional finance with blockchain technology.

A cornerstone of the announcement is the launch of tokenized US stocks and ETFs for European Union investors. This new offering allows EU customers to gain exposure to over 200 US assets, including major companies like Nvidia, Apple, and Microsoft, with 24/5 trading access, dividend support, and zero commission or spreads from Robinhood. These stock tokens will initially be issued on Arbitrum, with plans to migrate them to Robinhood's proprietary Layer 2 blockchain.

Robinhood is actively developing its own Layer 2 blockchain, based on Arbitrum's technology, designed to facilitate 24/7 trading, tokenized real-world assets, seamless bridging, and self-custody. This infrastructure is intended to serve as the foundation for a comprehensive crypto-native investing ecosystem, further blurring the lines between traditional and decentralized finance. CEO Vlad Tenev stated that these offerings "lay the groundwork for crypto to become the backbone of the global financial system."

Further expanding its product suite, Robinhood is introducing perpetual futures to eligible EU users, offering up to 3x leverage for advanced trading strategies. This feature is built in collaboration with Bitstamp, a crypto exchange recently acquired by Robinhood. Additionally, crypto staking is now live for eligible US users, starting with Ethereum (ETH) and Solana (SOL), allowing them to earn yield directly through the platform, a feature already available in the EU.

The company also revealed a full suite of enhanced crypto features, including Cortex AI for real-time token insights, deposit bonuses of up to 2% back, smart order routing across exchanges for optimal pricing, advanced charting tools, and crypto rewards via the Robinhood credit card. US users will also benefit from tax lot optimization. These integrated tools underscore Robinhood's vision of a future where financial services operate on-chain, making crypto more accessible to a broader audience.