crypto.news 2025-06-30 17:17:07

Robinhood reveals layer 2 blockchain amid major crypto expansion

Robinhood Markets, the popular brokerage platform bidding for traction in the cryptocurrency space, has announced the development of a layer-2 blockchain and unveiled a suite of products and services as it expands its crypto offering. The announcement by Robinhood on June 30, 2025 came on the day the Arbitrum ( ARB ) token soared amid speculation of a partnership with the startup. Indeed, Robinhood revealed in its news release that it was building a layer 2 blockchain on Arbitrum. The new L2 blockchain will power the tokenization of real-world assets, according to the announcement at the ‘Robinhood Presents: To Catch a Token’ in Cannes, France. An L2 is only one of the many services and solutions Robinhood disclosed were now available as it looks to flip its trading app into a digital assets hub. “Our latest offerings lay the groundwork for crypto to become the backbone of the global financial system,” said Robinhood chairman and chief executive officer Vlad Tenev. You might also like: Robinhood stock price soars to new peak: Time to buy or sell? Tokenized U.S. stocks launch Apart from the Arbitrum-powered blockchain , Robinhood Markets has also launched U.S. stock and exchange-traded fund tokens in the European Union. The company, whose plans for tokenized U.S. stocks emerged in early May, says it targets more than 400 million people in 30 EU and European Economic Area countries, with tokenized stocks expanding the company’s European app from a crypto-only offering to an all-in-one app. “Crypto was built by engineers for engineers, and has not been accessible to most people,” said Johann Kerbrat, general manager and senior vice president of Robinhood Crypto. “We’re onboarding the world to crypto by making it as easy to use as possible—with the goal of bringing powerful tools into one intuitive platform.” Access to the over 200 tokenized U.S. stocks and ETFs will initially be via Arbitrum before ETF tokens move to Robinhood’s L2. EU customers will also have access to crypto perpetual futures with up to 3x leverage, which Robinhood plans to roll out to eligible customers this summer. Another service the platform is rolling out is crypto staking in the U.S., starting with Ethereum ( ETH ) and Solana ( SOL ). The past year has seen Robinhood up its efforts to become a leading platform for crypto, with its acquisition of Bitstamp a major move. In May 2025, Robinhood announced it was acquiring WonderFi , a Canadian crypto firm in an all-cash deal. You might also like: Kraken lists tokenized U.S. stocks with 24/5 trading via xStocks