Robinhood is making a massive leap from a traditional brokerage to a blockchain powerhouse. Johann Kerbrat, Robinhood’s Head of Crypto, recently sat down with CoinDesk to discuss the firm's strategic pivot toward building its own Ethereum Layer-2 (L2) network on top of Arbitrum.
Here is everything you need to know about Robinhood's vision for a decentralized future. 🧵
🛡️ Why Layer-2? It’s All About Security
While many companies dream of launching their own independent Layer-1 blockchains, Robinhood chose a different path. According to Kerbrat, the decision was driven by focus:
> "We wanted to get the security from Ethereum, the decentralization from Ethereum, and also the liquidity that is part of the EVM space."
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By building an L2 on the Arbitrum stack, Robinhood doesn't have to "reinvent the wheel" regarding security. Instead, they can focus on what they do best: building user-facing features.
📈 Tokenized Stocks: The Future of RWA
The new L2 isn't just a technical experiment—it’s the engine for Robinhood’s Real-World Asset (RWA) ambitions.
* Massive Scale: Robinhood has already expanded its tokenized stock offerings in the EU from 200 to over 2,000 assets.
* 24/5 Trading: Users can trade digital versions of US stocks and ETFs around the clock, with dividends passed through to token holders.
* The Goal: Eventually, these assets will migrate from Arbitrum One to Robinhood’s dedicated L2, allowing for seamless self-custody and 24/7 global access.
⛓️ What’s Next for the "Robinhood Chain"?
Currently, the network is running on a private testnet. While a public launch date hasn't been set, the integration with Arbitrum means that when the "switch" is flipped, the migration for existing users will be virtually instant.
💡 Key Takeaways for the Binance Community:
* Ethereum Dominance: Even major TradFi players are choosing Ethereum’s ecosystem for its proven security and liquidity.
* L2 Wars: The competition among L2s (Base, Arbitrum, etc.) is heating up as they become the "backend" for global finance.
* RWA is King: Tokenizing traditional finance is no longer a "maybe"—it’s happening now.
What do you think? Will Robinhood’s L2 become the go-to platform for retail investors to hold tokenized stocks? Let’s discuss below! 👇
#Robinhood #Ethereum #Layer2 #Arbitrum #RWA #CryptoNews
