- Robinhood launched tokenized U.S. stock trading in the EU, with plans to expand to private company shares.
- A custom Robinhood blockchain and 24/7 trading are in the works, with “thousands” of tokenized stocks expected by year-end.
- New crypto tools like perpetual futures (EU) and staking (U.S.) highlight Robinhood’s continued push into the crypto space.
Robinhood just dropped a pretty big announcement in France, and it’s shaking things up. Starting now, customers in the European Union can trade over 200 U.S. stocks and ETFs—including big names like Nvidia, Apple, and Microsoft—not as traditional shares, but as tokens. These tokenized assets are available commission-free and can be traded 24 hours a day, five days a week.
And that’s just the beginning. Robinhood says it’s planning to bring in private company stock tokens too—starting with OpenAI and SpaceX. Yes, that means people might soon be able to trade shares linked to Sam Altman and Elon Musk’s high-profile ventures, even before they go public.
Robinhood’s stock popped nearly 10% on the news, hitting a new record. The tokens are being launched in partnership with blockchain platform Arbitrum, and the company is clearly leaning into the growing global appetite for accessible U.S. equity markets—especially as AI continues to dominate headlines.
The Future of Trading? It Might Already Be Here
Tokenized equities aren’t exactly new, but they’ve been slowly gaining steam. They blur the line between traditional finance and crypto, offering more flexible hours, lower fees, and fewer barriers for global investors. And now, Robinhood’s betting big on them.
The company, based out of Menlo Park, California, has even bigger plans. CEO Vlad Tenev said they’re working on their own blockchain, which would expand trading hours from the current 24/5 to a full 24/7 setup. By year-end, he says Robinhood aims to offer thousands of stock tokens.
“Tokenization is going to open the door to a massive trading revolution,” Tenev said during the event.
It’s worth noting Kraken, another major crypto exchange, just launched equity-linked tokens for non-U.S. users last month. So yeah, the race is on.
Robinhood Adds More Crypto Tools Too
In addition to stock tokens, Robinhood also rolled out a few new crypto features. EU users will get access to crypto perpetual futures—basically leveraged trades that don’t expire—letting them bet on price moves without worrying about rollover dates.
Meanwhile, U.S. users are getting something else: staking. That’s where you lock up your crypto to support blockchain operations and earn rewards. It’s been a controversial feature in the past, but last month the SEC softened its stance, saying not all staking services are considered securities.
Coinbase is also planning to launch perpetuals for U.S. customers next month, so the competition is clearly heating up.
