The new network, called Robinhood Chain, is a dedicated Layer 2 blockchain built on Arbitrum's Nitro technology stack. It processes blocks every 100 milliseconds, with preconfirmations providing near-instant feedback to users. At mainnet launch, Robinhood also introduced Stock Tokens: tokenized versions of more than 200 US stocks and ETFs that trade around the clock without the settlement delays of traditional equity markets. The tokens are available through Robinhood Wallet to eligible users outside the US, Canada, the UK, Switzerland, the UAE, and other sanctioned jurisdictions.

Johann Kerbrat, GM and SVP of Robinhood Crypto, described the problem the company is trying to solve. "Decentralized finance unlocks possibilities beyond what traditional finance can offer, but historically, it has required technical expertise to navigate," he said.

The chain's design philosophy reflects that approach. As Robinhood's chain design documentation on the Arbitrum Testnet Blog states, blockchain mechanics are handled in the background, with the user interface staying deliberately familiar.

From Shared Infrastructure to a Dedicated Chain

Robinhood's path to its own network followed a two-stage approach that Arbitrum describes as a model for enterprise adoption. In 2025, Robinhood ran tokenized stocks on Arbitrum One, the main public Arbitrum network, serving European customers and observing real usage data. Once those patterns were confirmed, the company migrated to a dedicated Orbit chain where it controls block timing, gas pricing, throughput, and compliance configurations independently. Robinhood Chain now sits alongside more than 30 other dedicated chains built on the Arbitrum platform, including ApeChain and XAI, both of which focus on gaming.

The testnet, which launched on February 10, 2026, recorded 4 million transactions in its first week. That early activity helped validate infrastructure decisions before mainnet.

Robinhood also committed $1 million to the 2026 Arbitrum Open House developer program, which funds in-person buildathons in New York, Dubai, London, and Singapore. Dubai and Singapore serve as gateway cities for South Asian and African developer talent, giving those locations particular significance for the program's regional ambitions.

DeFi Layer Built In From Day One

Several decentralized finance protocols integrated with Robinhood Chain at launch. Uniswap provides automated spot trading for Stock Tokens. Morpho handles on-chain lending. 1inch and Rialto offer trade aggregation and routing. Lighter is the infrastructure vehicle for Robinhood's expansion of perpetual futures contracts (derivatives that let traders speculate on price without owning the underlying asset) in Europe. Pleiades, a proprietary automated market maker, is also live.

Chainlink was selected as the chain's oracle infrastructure, meaning it supplies the price feeds and cross-chain messaging that the network relies on for accurate data. Gaëtan Thabot of Robinhood Crypto noted the reasoning: "We chose Chainlink as the oracle provider for Robinhood Chain because its institutional-grade security and reliability are already trusted by the world's largest financial institutions to scale onchain ecosystems." Chainlink has secured more than $31 trillion in total transaction value and underpins more than 70% of DeFi infrastructure.

For US users, Robinhood also launched Robinhood Earn, which offers approximately 7% annual yield on USDG, a stablecoin (a crypto token designed to hold a stable value, typically pegged to the US dollar), through the Morpho protocol. Agentic Accounts, an AI-powered algorithmic trading feature, was announced for eligible US users as well.

Arbitrum's ARB token was trading at approximately $0.08 on launch day, with a market capitalisation near $493 million and total value locked on the Arbitrum network around $1.85 billion, down sharply from a peak of $17.14 billion in August 2025.

Regional Stakes: Access Without Full Inclusion

For investors in South Asia, Sub-Saharan Africa, and Southeast Asia, the arrival of tokenized US equities on a public, permissionless chain carries real significance, though access is uneven across those regions. Accessing US stocks has historically meant routing capital through a US brokerage, relying on costly local intermediaries, or navigating capital controls. Stock Tokens offer programmable ownership and instant settlement without that friction, but only for eligible users.

The market context makes the timing notable. Tokenized equities reached roughly $960 million in total value by Q1 2026, according to InvestAx's quarterly RWA report. Ondo Global Markets, currently the market leader in tokenized equities with more than 100 US stocks and ETFs on-chain, provides a frame of reference for Robinhood's entry into the space.

Regional demand signals are substantial, though the underlying datasets differ. Southeast Asia accounts for 81.9% of total RWA trade volume on Bitget, per Blockhead.co data from April 2026. Separate data measuring active traders across major platforms shows South Asia representing 20.5% of participants, with the Middle East and Africa together accounting for 18.4%.

There is a significant caveat for these regions. India, Pakistan, and other South Asian countries are currently excluded from Stock Token eligibility, as is the UAE, because of US securities compliance requirements and the absence of local regulatory clarity. Users in those markets cannot access Stock Tokens today.

Robinhood's broader strategy extends well beyond the chain itself. The company recently acquired WonderFi to expand into Canada, announced crypto trading for UK customers, and now claims a potential reach of 400 million users across 30 EU and EEA countries. The launch also comes roughly one month after Robinhood reduced its workforce by approximately 10%, cutting around 290 employees. CEO Vlad Tenev framed the launch in sweeping terms: "Our latest offerings lay the groundwork for crypto to become the backbone of the global financial system." Whether emerging market regulators move quickly enough to convert that potential into actual access will determine how much of that vision becomes real for the regions most likely to benefit from it.