Robinhood Unveils Major Crypto Expansion with US Staking

US neobroker Robinhood has announced a significant expansion of its crypto offerings, including the launch of US stock and ETF tokens in the European Union, crypto perpetual futures for EU customers, and crypto staking for eligible US customers. These developments were unveiled at an event in Cannes, France.

Robinhood's expansion into over 30 EU and EEA countries will now include "Robinhood Stock Tokens," providing eligible customers exposure to over 200 US equities and ETFs with zero commissions or added spreads from Robinhood. These tokenized stocks will initially be issued on Arbitrum, with plans to transition to Robinhood's own Layer 2 blockchain, currently under development, which will be optimized for tokenized real-world assets and designed for 24/7 trading. Robinhood is also introducing crypto perpetual futures in the EU, offering eligible customers access to derivatives with continuous exposure and up to 3x leverage, with a full rollout expected by the end of the summer. Orders for perpetuals will be routed through Bitstamp's exchange.

In the US, Robinhood is launching crypto staking for eligible customers, starting with Ethereum and Solana, allowing users to participate in blockchain ecosystems and earn rewards. This staking feature is already available to all Robinhood customers in the EU and EEA. Vlad Tenev, Chairman and CEO of Robinhood, stated, "Our latest offerings lay the groundwork for crypto to become the backbone of the global financial system." Johann Kerbrat, GM and SVP of Robinhood Crypto, added, "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." The company also announced additional platform enhancements, including a limited-time 1% deposit boost for crypto transfers, crypto credit card rewards linked to automatic crypto purchases, an AI-powered investing assistant called Cortex for Crypto, Smart Exchange Routing, and advanced charts.