Robinhood has moved its blockchain testing effort into the public spotlight, announcing that its Robinhood Chain layer 2 network has launched its public mainnet. The rollout follows an earlier testnet launch in February, meaning the company ran roughly four months of testing before going live.
In its announcement on Wednesday, Robinhood said the chain—built on Arbitrum—positions itself as “AI-native” and designed to support tokenized real-world assets. The move comes as the brokerage and crypto platform broadens its on-chain ambitions alongside new and existing offerings for crypto, tokenized stocks, and decentralized finance within its wallet ecosystem.
Key takeaways
- Robinhood Chain’s public mainnet launched after testnet activity began in February, following about four months of preparation.
- The layer 2 network is built on Arbitrum and is marketed as “AI-native” and intended for real-world asset tokenization.
- Robinhood says tokenized stock products are already live in its wallet app across more than 120 countries, and it plans to add crypto trading in the UK soon.
- New decentralized lending functionality, Robinhood Earn, lets users lend USDG stablecoins from a self-custody wallet at an estimated ~7% annual yield.
- Competition among Ethereum layer 2 networks remains intense, with major ecosystems such as Base drawing attention for recent reliability incidents.
From testnet to public mainnet for Robinhood Chain
Robinhood’s blockchain strategy is now taking a concrete form with the mainnet launch of Robinhood Chain. According to the company, the network went live on testnet in February and has now been promoted to a public mainnet stage.
The chain is an Arbitrum-based L2, an architectural choice that links Robinhood’s development to a well-established ecosystem for scaling and on-chain throughput. Robinhood’s messaging around the network centers on its intended use for tokenized real-world assets, a theme that continues to anchor much of the platform’s tokenization efforts.
Notably, the mainnet launch is happening as Robinhood pushes further into both tokenized securities and DeFi products—two areas that require careful execution because they touch user protections, custody models, and compliance requirements.
Tokenized stocks, wallet access, and a UK crypto push
Alongside the mainnet news, Robinhood reiterated that its tokenized stock products are already operational. The company said these products are available through its wallet app to users in more than 120 countries.
Robinhood also disclosed plans to launch crypto trading in the United Kingdom “soon.” While the announcement does not provide an additional timeline beyond that phrasing, it signals that Robinhood’s on-chain expansion is not only about infrastructure, but also about expanding the accessibility of crypto services geographically.
Earlier this year, Robinhood CEO Vlad Tenev argued that tokenized stocks are “inevitable,” and he tied the rationale to potential market-structure benefits—specifically, the idea that tokenization could help reduce the risk of trading freezes that can occur on traditional exchanges. That perspective sets a clear policy narrative for the company’s product direction, even as regulators and market operators continue to shape the rules around tokenized assets.
Robinhood Earn: lending USDG from self-custody
Robinhood also introduced a decentralized product called Robinhood Earn. The feature is designed to let users lend USDG, a dollar-backed stablecoin, via a self-custody wallet experience.
Robinhood’s announcement places an estimated annual percentage yield of around 7% on the lending activity. For users, the practical change is the shift from keeping assets entirely within custodial frameworks toward a model that emphasizes self-custody while still providing access to yield through on-chain lending mechanics.
For builders and traders watching Robinhood’s L2 ambitions, the key point is that the mainnet launch is paired with a DeFi component rather than being purely infrastructural. This could influence how quickly liquidity and user activity form around the chain, especially if tokenized stock rails and stablecoin lending become tightly integrated.
A crowded L2 landscape—and a reminder on reliability
Robinhood Chain is entering an increasingly competitive layer 2 market. One of the most prominent incumbents in the segment is Base, the Coinbase-backed blockchain, which has expanded rapidly in recent periods.
Reliability has become a major differentiator across L2 networks. In June, Cointelegraph reported that Base suffered two outages within hours of each other. The engineering team later said a sequencer bug caused the incidents. Cointelegraph also noted that Base is the second-largest layer 2 network by total value secured, at about $11 billion, underscoring how large networks can still face operational issues.
Against that backdrop, Robinhood’s decision to launch a public mainnet after a testnet period may be interpreted as an attempt to ensure readiness before broadening usage. Still, the real test for any L2 network is post-mainnet stability—especially if Robinhood’s tokenized stocks and DeFi products rely on uninterrupted chain performance.
Robinhood shares rose about 8% on Wednesday following the announcement. For crypto participants and investors, the next watch item is straightforward: whether Robinhood Chain can sustain stable operation under real user load, and how quickly usage grows as tokenized stock rails, USDG lending via Robinhood Earn, and broader regional availability (including the planned UK crypto trading) come online.
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