Author: BlockBeats
A brokerage firm, can it disrupt not just the commission system, but the entire underlying architecture of global asset trading? Robinhood seems to have given its answer. At the recently concluded Cannes press conference, this giant that stirred the US securities industry with zero commissions threw out an imaginative vision: using blockchain and tokenization to push stocks, derivatives, and even private equity fully onto the chain, ultimately creating a new Layer2 public chain capable of carrying global real assets — Robinhood Chain.
This press conference is not just a product list, but Robinhood's announcement of its plans for the next decade. The three markets of Europe, the US, and globally have been delineated with different breakthroughs, yet they echo each other, jointly depicting a new order of around-the-clock trading driven by tokenized assets. This article will be divided into three parts, combining information from Robinhood's on-site press conference and the industry's broader context to deeply analyze this 'on-chain brokerage' grand chess game.
For the European market: tokenized US stocks + perpetual contracts + All-in-One investment app.
Main product information:
1. Robinhood launches tokenized trading for over 200 US stocks and ETFs, based on Arbitrum, with plans to expand more offerings by the end of the year.
2. The European app upgraded from Robinhood Crypto to 'Robinhood,' positioning itself as a comprehensive investment platform.
3. Perpetual contracts will launch this summer, with a simpler ordering process on mobile.
4. Bitstamp serves as the liquidity engine for perpetual and derivative products.
5. Tokenized stocks support real-time dividends and stock splits.
6. Coverage of 31 countries in Europe, with applications for SpaceX and OpenAI private tokens available starting July.
Notable details:
1. Three-phase path:
a. TradFi custody → Robinhood mints tokens.
b. Bitstamp undertakes weekend trading → 24/5 liquidity
c. Ultimately supporting self-custody and cross-chain.
2. A 2% reward for deposits made before July 7. 3. App renaming and UI upgrade, reinforcing the positioning of 'Investment Super App.'
Robinhood views European users as the vanguard of its tokenization strategy, which is easy to understand: the EU recently implemented MiCA (Markets in Crypto-Assets), which offers clearer regulations compared to the US, and Robinhood's penetration in the EU is far from saturated.
Robinhood announced at the press conference that over 200 US-listed stocks and ETFs will be traded tokenized through the Arbitrum Layer2, allowing European users to buy and sell these tokenized stocks on the Robinhood platform as if trading digital currencies. Since Robinhood is also introducing on-chain synchronous settlement mechanisms, rights such as dividends and stock splits will automatically update in the token holders' accounts. Users do not even need to learn complex blockchain details, obtaining a nearly seamless 24/5 tradable US stock token market.
Robinhood stated that it will continue to expand tokenized offerings until the end of the year, planning to cover 'thousands of US stocks and ETFs.' Technically, all trades at this stage will be completed in cooperation with traditional brokers for stock procurement and minting equivalent tokens, ensuring a 1:1 real holding. In the future, this process will gradually be migrated to the self-developed Robinhood Chain to achieve cross-chain and self-custody capabilities.
In addition to tokenized stocks, Robinhood also announced the launch of perpetual futures trading in Europe, supported by Bitstamp for trade matching and clearing. This is also the first deep integration following Robinhood's $200 million acquisition of Bitstamp last year. Robinhood particularly emphasizes the user experience innovation of perpetual contracts: in the mobile interface, the originally cumbersome margin and stop-loss settings have been simplified into slider operations, allowing retail investors to engage with advanced leverage tools at a lower threshold.
To echo these significant updates, Robinhood renamed its European app originally called 'Robinhood Crypto' to 'Robinhood,' positioning it as an All-in-One investment super app, integrating cryptocurrency, tokenized stocks, and perpetual contracts, intending to establish a first-mover advantage across 31 EU countries + EEA.
What surprised the industry the most was Robinhood's announcement of the 'private equity token' plan at the conference: starting July 7, European Robinhood users will be able to apply for the first batch of tokenized equity for SpaceX and OpenAI. This means Robinhood is breaking the traditional model where private equity has long been monopolized by the wealthy and institutions, opening shares of the world's most watched tech startups to retail users in token form.
This idea actually responds to a long-discussed question in the blockchain circle: how can ordinary people fairly participate in future wealth accumulation? Robinhood's answer is — private equity must also be tokenized and have equal access.
For the US market: advanced crypto trading + AI assistant + staking.
Main product information:
1. The Legend platform's advanced charts and indicators will support mobile in the future.
2. Launching Smart Exchange Routing, automatically matching the lowest rates.
3. Provides precise holding choices, facilitating tax management.
4. Staking launched in the US, initially supporting ETH and SOL.
5. AI assistant Cortex serves Robinhood Gold users.
6. Rabbit Gold Card will subsequently allow crypto cashback. 7. These features are planned to be expanded to Europe in the future.
Notable details:
1. Staking activity offers a 2% reward and eliminates thresholds.
2. Cortex information stream includes token dynamics and on-chain events.
3. Smart Routing large trades can be as low as 0.1% all-in.
4. Staking is positioned as a 'community security' participation method.
If Europe is Robinhood's tokenization testing ground, then the US is undoubtedly its most solid battleground for user base. Robinhood utilized this press conference to simultaneously release product upgrades for the US market, intending to solidify its status as 'the preferred platform for active traders' through deep tools and richer investment scenarios.
First, Robinhood announced the launch of staking products in the US, initially supporting Ethereum and Solana, and eliminating the minimum staking threshold. During the event, users can enjoy a 2% deposit reward, regardless of the amount staked. Robinhood CEO Vlad Tenev repeatedly mentioned another layer of meaning for staking: it is not just a way to earn rewards, but also an opportunity for every user to participate in maintaining network security. He said: 'The security of the blockchain comes from people, and staking is also a reflection of Robinhood's desire to involve users in co-building the financial system.'
In terms of trading tools, Robinhood's flagship product Legend (currently primarily on desktop) announced that this summer it will migrate advanced charts, indicator customization, and depth order book functions to mobile. This move is particularly attractive to mobile traders, as Robinhood's functionalities on mobile have historically been significantly less than those on the professional desktop version.
In conjunction with Legend, Robinhood also launched the Smart Exchange Routing function, which searches for optimal liquidity across multiple exchanges and automatically routes orders, dynamically calculating fees based on 30-day rolling trading volume, with a minimum of 0.1%, while eliminating the traditional maker/taker distinction. This logic is highly similar to the 'smart quote routing' commonly used in the US stock industry and is a key step for Robinhood to attract large and quantitative crypto traders.
In addition, Robinhood also announced the AI investment assistant Cortex at the conference, which will be available to Robinhood Gold users in the future, providing comprehensive analysis integrating market dynamics, large on-chain transfers, token news, and even company financial reports. The goal of Cortex is to help users understand the fundamental reasons for digital asset fluctuations, not just provide simple price alerts.
Finally, the Robinhood Gold credit card (Rabbit Gold Card) will add a 'crypto cashback' feature, allowing cardholders to automatically convert their cashback into selected cryptocurrencies. Robinhood claims this is an innovation to 'break the cash-back logic,' aiming to seamlessly connect users' daily lives with on-chain asset management.
Overall, Robinhood is upgrading from a 'zero-commission broker' to an 'on-chain asset management one-stop platform' in the US market, reflecting Robinhood's further in-depth management of user lifecycle through staking, AI, credit cards, and intelligent routing.
Global strategy: Robinhood Chain + private equity tokens + full ecosystem on-chain.
Main product information:
1. Robinhood Chain is built on Arbitrum.
2. Mid-term switching between Bitstamp and TradFi liquidity.
3. Long-term support for self-custody and cross-chain migration.
Notable details:
1. SpaceX and OpenAI private equity tokens will be launched first, seen as key to breaking the high net worth barrier.
2. Actively collaborating with regulators to promote compliance on-chain, with future plans to open RWA ecology to developers.
All the products mentioned above will ultimately converge into Robinhood's 'global chessboard' — Robinhood Chain.
Robinhood Chain is evolved from the Arbitrum tech stack and is positioned by Robinhood as 'the first Layer2 public chain dedicated to serving real assets.' It will not only carry Robinhood's tokenized stock trading but will also support full-category real asset tokenization in the future, including real estate, bonds, artworks, and carbon credits.
At the press conference, Vlad Tenev outlined a 'three-phase' plan:
Phase One: After users place orders, Robinhood's US brokers will purchase stocks from traditional exchanges and hold them, while Robinhood generates tokens and distributes them simultaneously, ensuring a 1:1 correspondence with the physical asset.
Phase Two: Integration of Bitstamp and TradFi liquidity to enable continued trading even when traditional stock markets are closed (e.g., weekends, holidays).
Phase Three: Fully unlock the self-custody withdrawal capability of tokens, allowing users to migrate these Robinhood-generated assets cross-chain to personal wallets or other DeFi protocols.
In other words, Robinhood Chain is not only Robinhood's 'Layer2 settlement network' but will also become a public chain ecosystem open to global developers in the future, allowing third-party projects to issue real asset tokens on it.
This model forms a direct competition with Coinbase and Kraken's recent active exploration of RWA (Real World Assets) strategies. The difference is that Robinhood has brokerage qualifications and started from US stock tokenization, possessing a complete compliance brokerage link, allowing it to connect traditional finance with blockchain compliance channels faster than purely exchange-type platforms.
Notably, Robinhood simultaneously announced the immediate issuance of OpenAI and SpaceX private equity tokens on-site. In the future, these tokens can still be liquid through Robinhood Chain on weekends, without relying on a single custodian, and allowing subsequent free cross-chain use. This attempt could change the liquidity structure of the entire private investment industry, possessing strong disruptive potential, just as Robinhood did with the zero-commission revolution.
From the perspective of industry observers, if Robinhood successfully establishes Robinhood Chain as the foundational layer for global real assets, not only stocks or futures but also real estate, artworks, and even carbon emission indicators could potentially become composable assets in the wallets of Robinhood users in the future, representing a profound reconfiguration of the global financial system.
The prototype of an on-chain brokerage.
From zero commissions to fractional trading of US stocks, to today proclaiming 'Robinhood Chain,' Robinhood is writing a highly continuous innovation path: each step targets barriers and inefficiencies in the traditional financial system, significantly lowering entry barriers through technological means.
When tokenization moves from a single Apple stock to a building, a private equity share, or even a piece of art, blockchain is no longer just a tool for speculation, but truly has the meaning of 'asset internet.' Robinhood sees this opportunity and hopes to leverage its user base and brand trust to take the lead during a period of gradually clarifying regulations.
A report by Ripple and BCG predicts that by 2033, the global tokenized real asset market could reach $18.9 trillion. Robinhood clearly does not intend to be just a participant, but aims to become the foundation builder of this market. The declaration made at the Cannes conference may serve as a conclusion: 'The foundation of global finance in the future will be Robinhood Chain.'
