Robinhood’s crypto arm is building a dedicated Ethereum layer-2 network on Arbitrum as part of a broader push into blockchain infrastructure. The company says the move is intended to capture Ethereum’s security, decentralization and the liquidity of the EVM ecosystem while allowing Robinhood to focus on product features like tokenized stocks and staking. Today, that L2 is running on a private testnet and Robinhood has not announced how or when it will be made public.
Why Robinhood Chose Ethereum Layer-2
Robinhood weighed whether to build an independent layer-1 or an L2 and chose the latter to rely on Ethereum’s existing guarantees. As Johann Kerbrat, the firm’s crypto chief, put it: “The reason why we decided to do an L2 was we wanted to get the security from Ethereum, the decentralization from Ethereum, and also the liquidity that is part of the EVM [Ethereum Virtual Machine] space.” Anchoring to Ethereum lets Robinhood avoid redoing core decentralization and security work and concentrate on customer-facing features.
By building on Arbitrum, Robinhood aims to keep compatibility with EVM tooling and liquidity pools, which could simplify moving assets between rollups and mainnet. The company also emphasized focus: using Ethereum’s primitives so Robinhood can devote engineering effort to features such as tokenized stocks rather than low-level consensus infrastructure.
Current Status of Robinhood's Layer-2 Chain
The new chain is operating on a private testnet and Robinhood has stated it does not have news on a public launch yet. That private phase is intended to let the team develop and validate features before wider release, while preserving the option to align with Arbitrum One in the future. Kerbrat noted that the Arbitrum technology would allow assets and liquidity to move to the new chain without a complex migration if the chain goes live on Arbitrum One.
Expansion of Tokenized Stocks
Robinhood’s tokenized stocks are already available on Arbitrum One, and the offering has expanded rapidly in response to customer demand. The program grew from about 200 stock tokens at launch to more than 2,000 tokenized stocks as users requested broader access. This rapid scaling is part of Robinhood’s focus on bringing more assets on chain and aligns with its stated product priorities; for context on Robinhood’s trading strategy shifts, see advanced trading focus from the company.
Robinhood's Staking Products
Staking was a top customer request and Robinhood rolled the product out first in Europe before expanding in the U.S. after updated SEC guidance. According to the company, staking launched in the EU and saw strong adoption, and the firm later made staking available in the U.S. market with certain state exceptions. Robinhood has also been expanding other crypto-native offerings alongside staking; for example, it has added new spot listings and token support such as the recently noted LDO listing.
Future Vision for Tokenization
Robinhood describes tokenization as broader than public stocks, with plans to explore private equity, real estate and art as on-chain assets. The company expects new on-chain assets to enable lending programs and additional yield-generation mechanisms, and it foresees a layering of new protocols that harmonize fragmented infrastructure. For Robinhood, the strategic priority remains bringing more real-world assets onto blockchain rails while relying on Ethereum’s foundational properties.
Why this matters
If you run mining or crypto equipment in Russia, this announcement does not change core mining operations for proof-of-work chains, but it signals continued investment in EVM-compatible rollups. Robinhood’s choice to build on Arbitrum keeps tokenized assets and liquidity inside the EVM ecosystem, which matters if you operate services that interact with those assets or track on-chain activity.
For individual operators with up to 1,000 devices, the practical effects are limited today: Robinhood’s chain is on a private testnet and tokenized stocks already live on Arbitrum One. Still, developments in tokenization and staking can shift where liquidity concentrates and where new DeFi or lending activity appears, which may affect opportunities to provide related infrastructure services or integrate wallets and tooling.
What to do?
- Monitor official Robinhood announcements and the public testnet launch so you can assess any integration needs for EVM-compatible tooling.
- Keep your node and wallet software up to date and verify compatibility with EVM rollups if you interact with tokenized assets or provide node services.
- Before participating in staking or tokenized asset services, check availability, custody arrangements and applicable legal/regulatory constraints in your jurisdiction.
- Watch liquidity and listing changes on Arbitrum One; shifts in where assets trade can affect transaction patterns you monitor or services you offer.
- Follow Kerbrat’s public statements and industry coverage for specifics on timing and product rollout rather than assuming immediate changes to the mainnet ecosystem.
For further reading on related Robinhood product moves, see reporting on its token listings and trading strategy in the linked coverage above.
