Robinhood launches blockchain with AI trading agents and tokenized stocks across 120 countries

Robinhood Chain Goes Live as AI-Native Ethereum Layer-2 Network

Robinhood launched the public mainnet for Robinhood Chain, its Ethereum layer-2 network built using Arbitrum technology, marking a significant shift in the company's evolution from retail brokerage to global financial platform 1

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. The network, described as "AI-native," supports AI trading through dedicated infrastructure and opens with integrations from BitGo, Chainlink, and partnerships with Uniswap and Pleiades to offer automated market making for public liquidity and proprietary trading 1

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. The Layer-2 blockchain is designed for institutional-grade performance while supporting decentralized applications focused on tokenized real-world assets 3

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AI Trading Agents Democratize Institutional-Grade Tools

CEO Vlad Tenev announced that Robinhood is introducing AI-powered trading tools that give everyday investors access to capabilities previously reserved for institutional players 2

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. Speaking on CNBC, Tenev explained that agentic trading builds on a simple premise: every capability a human trader can execute will be available to an AI agent 2

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. While high-frequency and algorithmic trading has been standard practice for institutional players for decades, that level of computing power has remained out of reach for everyday investors until now. Following the launch of Agentic Trading for stocks and options earlier this year, Robinhood announced Agentic Accounts for crypto trading in the US, allowing eligible users to connect AI models to Robinhood's Trading MCP infrastructure for autonomous market analysis and strategy execution 3

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Tokenized Stock Trading Expands to 120+ Countries

Robinhood introduced Stock Tokens, enabling eligible users in more than 120 countries to trade tokenized US equities directly on-chain through Robinhood Wallet 3

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. These tokenized, on-chain representations of shares in major companies like Nvidia and Apple allow users in eligible jurisdictions—which doesn't include the US—to place them in lending pools and use them as collateral in DeFi 1

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. Trading is active 24/7 via decentralized exchanges including Uniswap, 1inch, Rialto, Arcus and Lighter, with assets also acting as collateral 3

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. Tenev framed this as an extension of what Robinhood did for American retail investors, now applied globally 2

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Perpetual Futures Trading Arrives in Europe Beyond Crypto

Robinhood's biggest product launch for European investors is the expansion of perpetual futures trading beyond digital assets 3

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. Beginning this week, eligible users across 30 European countries can trade perpetual futures linked to commodities, exchange-traded funds, and foreign exchange markets, including gold, silver, Brent and WTI crude oil, the euro-dollar exchange rate, QQQ, and South Korea-focused ETF EWY 3

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. The contracts offer leverage of up to 10x and are available around the clock, allowing investors to speculate on price movements without owning the underlying assets 2

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. Tenev said the product is purpose-built for active traders who want capital-efficient directional exposure without the overhead of rolling traditional futures contracts 2

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Blockchain and DeFi Innovations Target US Market

Robinhood is expanding features within its Robinhood Wallet, opening up perpetual trading directly in-wallet via decentralized perpetuals exchange Lighter 1

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. For US users, Robinhood launched Robinhood Earn, its first decentralized lending product integrated into the main app, allowing eligible users to lend dollar-backed stablecoin USDG for around 7% APY 1

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. The lending platform is powered by Morpho and supported by partners including Ethena, Maple, Spark and Steakhouse, with insurance covering certain cyberattack and smart contract losses arranged through Lloyd's of London and RELM 3

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. The company also introduced maker order types for advanced US crypto trading, reducing trading fees to as low as 0% for high-volume liquidity providers 3

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Geographic Expansion Targets Nearly 28 Million Customers

A core focus of Robinhood's latest announcement is major geographic expansion, welcoming users from Canada and soon Singapore, which will add to its nearly 28 million existing customers 1

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. The company confirmed plans to launch crypto trading in the UK and disclosed that Robinhood Singapore has received a capital markets services licence from the Monetary Authority of Singapore 3

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. The company now serves customers across 38 countries 3

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. Shares in HOOD finished the day up more than 8% on Wednesday and now nearly 20% in the last month, changing hands at $108.65, though it remains more than 29% off its 52-week high of $153.86 1

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. Last month, the firm cut about 10% of its staff amid a severe downturn in revenue from its crypto offerings, which dropped 34% quarter-over-quarter to $134 million from $221 million 1

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