Author: Jack Inabinet Source: Bankless Translation: Shan Ouba, Jinse Finance
At EthCC in Cannes, France, Robinhood stirred up significant waves, announcing a series of new crypto-related initiatives aimed at distinguishing the trading platform and accelerating the popularization of on-chain financial activities.
HOOD, Robinhood's parent company, saw its stock price surge up to 11%, reaching a new historical high of over $90. Meanwhile, the crypto industry showed clear excitement about Robinhood's announcement.
Here are the latest Robinhood updates you need to know and why they matter.
What Did Robinhood Announce?
Robinhood is officially diving into the blockchain deep end, launching what might be the most significant real-asset tokenization initiative to date.
Starting today, Robinhood European users can access US capital markets through tokenized US stocks, ETFs, and pre-IPO opportunities (including OpenAI and SpaceX).
These tokenized assets will initially be issued on Arbitrum L2, but like Coinbase, Robinhood also plans to launch its own dedicated Layer 2 network, which will become the primary platform for Robinhood stock tokens in the future.
Previously, Robinhood Europe only supported crypto assets, but with this update, it will transform into a "fully crypto-driven investment platform", allowing eligible EU users to trade over 200 US stocks and indices 24/5 with zero commission, no spreads, and dividend support.
Additionally, with Robinhood officially completing the acquisition of Bitstamp, eligible European investors will gradually gain access to 3x leverage perpetual contracts, with full rollout expected to be completed by late summer this year.
Although this update focuses on European users, US users also have several new features:
In May this year, the SEC's Corporate Finance Division approved crypto asset custody staking services, which Robinhood quickly leveraged. Now, customers in some US states can stake assets like ETH and SOL to earn rewards.
This fall, US Robinhood Gold credit card holders will be able to automatically convert cashback rewards into specified crypto assets.
During a limited-time promotion, all crypto assets transferred to Robinhood will receive a 1% deposit bonus, which can double to 2% if Robinhood's total crypto deposits reach $500 million.
Additionally, US users can now use Robinhood's **"tax lot" feature**, allowing users to sell crypto assets by selecting specific cost basis for tax optimization.
Why Is This Important?
Robinhood's series of releases marks a critical turning point, not just for the company itself, but for the entire crypto industry.
Traditionally, Coinbase was seen as the "representative of crypto-native innovation", but now Robinhood is also offering tokenized stocks and even planning its own L2, with the power balance subtly shifting.
While Coinbase is also seeking approval to offer tokenized stocks to US users, Robinhood itself is an SEC-regulated trading platform, giving it a clear compliance advantage and making it highly likely to be the first exchange to truly launch such products to the masses.
More importantly, Robinhood has already implemented tokenized stock functionality for European users, which could give it a liquidity advantage in the tokenization market, bringing better pricing and deeper order books, thus improving user experience.
While Robinhood is one of the most notable platforms, it's not the only participant advancing tokenized stocks. For instance, Kraken is preparing to offer tokenized stocks for non-US users, and Dinari just received the first US license to issue tokenized stocks.
Although multiple platforms issuing different tokenized stocks might lead to "fragmentation", the collective trend suggests that TradFi and DeFi fusion is becoming a reality. This marks a new stage for the crypto industry: transitioning from technological potential to practical utility.
To truly achieve blockchain mass adoption, "conquering on-chain real-world assets" is a necessary step. From this perspective, Robinhood's tokenization plan can be considered a foundational event. A consumer-facing, crypto-integrated stock platform with millions of users is precisely the key catalyst that could drive global crypto adoption rates.
While the "next-generation trading platform" battle is far from over, one thing is clear: Coinbase is no longer alone, with strong competitors surrounding it.
