Blockchain

Robinhood Launches Layer-2 Blockchain, 24/7 Tokenized Stocks and AI-Powered Crypto Trading in Biggest Web3 Expansion Yet

Robinhood has unveiled its most ambitious blockchain initiative to date with the launch of Robinhood Chain, a public Ethereum Layer-2 network built using Arbitrum’s technology stack. Alongside the mainnet launch, the company introduced 24/7 tokenized stock trading, decentralized lending, perpetual futures integration, and announced plans to bring AI-powered agentic crypto trading to eligible users. The sweeping product rollout positions Robinhood as one of the first major fintech companies to combine traditional finance, decentralized finance (DeFi), tokenized real-world assets, and artificial intelligence into a single blockchain ecosystem.

The announcements were made during Robinhood’s “The World is Flat” keynote in London, where executives outlined a vision of making global financial markets accessible around the clock through blockchain infrastructure. The launch represents a significant shift for the company, moving beyond crypto brokerage services into building the underlying on-chain infrastructure that could power the next generation of digital finance.

Robinhood Chain Goes Live on Mainnet

After several months in public testnet, Robinhood Chain is now officially live on mainnet.

Built using Arbitrum’s Layer-2 technology, the network is designed specifically for tokenized real-world assets (RWAs), decentralized finance applications, and institutional-grade blockchain settlement. Robinhood says the permissionless network is optimized to support financial products that operate around the clock while maintaining the security of the Ethereum ecosystem.

The company also launched the network with several major infrastructure partners already integrated, including:

  • Uniswap
  • Chainlink
  • BitGo
  • Alchemy
  • Pleiades

Together, these partners provide liquidity, custody, oracle services, and developer infrastructure from day one.

24/7 Tokenized Stocks Become Reality

One of the largest announcements was the rollout of Stock Tokens, allowing eligible users outside the United States to trade tokenized U.S. equities 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Unlike traditional stock markets that close overnight and on weekends, Robinhood’s tokenized assets operate continuously on Robinhood Chain and can also be traded through decentralized exchanges including Uniswap1inchArcusRialto, and Lighter.

Robinhood noted that these products are structured as tokenized debt securities that track the value of underlying stocks rather than representing direct ownership of the shares themselves.

The company plans to make the products available across more than 120 countries, subject to local regulatory requirements.

Robinhood Earn Brings DeFi Lending to Mainstream Users

Robinhood also announced Robinhood Earn, a decentralized lending product built on the Morpho protocol.

Eligible users will be able to lend USDG stablecoins through self-custody wallets while earning an estimated 7% APY. According to Robinhood, the product includes insurance coverage arranged through Lloyd’s of London and RELM, providing additional protection against certain smart contract and cybersecurity risks.

The launch marks another step toward integrating decentralized finance directly into mainstream financial applications.

Perpetual Futures Expand Through Lighter

Robinhood Wallet users in eligible jurisdictions will also gain direct access to perpetual futures trading through Lighter, one of the fastest-growing decentralized derivatives exchanges.

Rather than leaving the Robinhood ecosystem, users can access crypto perpetual contracts directly from the wallet application, expanding Robinhood’s presence within decentralized derivatives markets.

The company indicated that additional perpetual products covering commodities, ETFs, and foreign exchange markets are expected to follow in select international markets.

AI Agents Will Soon Trade Crypto

Perhaps the most forward-looking announcement involved Robinhood’s expanding Agentic Trading platform.

The company confirmed that eligible U.S. users will soon be able to connect third-party AI models directly to Robinhood’s trading infrastructure for cryptocy investing. Rather than placing trades manually, users will allow AI systems to monitor markets continuously, analyze millions of data points, and execute trading strategies within user-defined risk parameters.

Robinhood emphasized that customers—not the AI agents—will remain responsible for setting capital limits and trading guardrails, ensuring human oversight remains central to the platform.

Robinhood Is Building a Full On-Chain Financial Ecosystem

The latest announcements demonstrate how dramatically Robinhood’s strategy has evolved.

What began as a commission-free stock trading platform is rapidly transforming into a global blockchain infrastructure company supporting:

  • Tokenized stocks
  • Stablecoin lending
  • Decentralized finance
  • Perpetual futures
  • AI-powered trading
  • Real-world asset tokenization

Combined with Robinhood’s continued international expansion into CanadaSingapore, and additional European markets, the company is positioning itself as a bridge between traditional finance and Web3.

Terron Gold

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