Robinhood has joined the fastest-moving infrastructure race in crypto, launching its own blockchain on July 1, 2026 at the company's 'The World is Flat' keynote event in London. According to latest reports, Robinhood Chain is now part of a growing trend where major consumer companies are building their own blockchain rails instead of renting from public networks. The launch slots into a pattern that has become the defining infrastructure story of this cycle, with Coinbase building Base, Stripe incubating Tempo, and Circle building Arc, all within the span of just two years. As reported by crypto.news, this corporate chain land grab promises higher margins, greater product control, and built-in user distribution, making infrastructure ownership an increasingly attractive strategy for major financial platforms. The HOOD shares jumped 8% toward $108 on launch day, with the stock climbing more than 7% on the day of the keynote event, demonstrating immediate market confidence in the strategic pivot.
Robinhood Chain is an Ethereum layer 2 built on Arbitrum technology, running 100-millisecond block times, live on public mainnet after a testnet that opened in February 2026. According to the latest reports, the chain is described as AI-native and purpose-built for real-world assets, and unlike the walled gardens skeptics expected, it is permissionless: anyone can deploy contracts, and users can interact through self-custody wallets without touching Robinhood's brokerage at all. The anchor tenant is Robinhood's own tokenized equity business, with Stock Tokens live through Robinhood Wallet in more than 120 countries, and the tokenized United States stocks and ETFs that previously lived on Arbitrum migrating to the new network. Around the anchor, Robinhood assembled a comprehensive launch ecosystem including Uniswap deploying a dedicated automated market maker as the primary public liquidity venue, Pleiades running a separate platform for proprietary trading, and infrastructure support from Alchemy, BitGo, Chainlink, and 0x. The chain also features Robinhood Earn giving United States users an estimated 7% yield lending the USDG stablecoin through Morpho, perpetual futures through integration with Lighter with an $11 million token rewards program, and Agentic Accounts letting eligible users wire AI models directly into Robinhood's trading infrastructure.
Robinhood's global expansion continues to support its growth story, with the company now serving more than 1 million funded customers in Europe while confirming plans to launch Robinhood Crypto in the UK as part of its regional expansion. According to Mizuho's latest research note, the firm argued that Robinhood could become the first true "hyperscaler" among online brokerage platforms, citing the company's base of more than 27 million funded accounts, easy-to-use trading platform, and popularity among younger investors. Outside Europe, Robinhood officially introduced its crypto platform in Canada with zero trading fees for the first 90 days and disclosed that it had secured a brokerage license in Singapore, giving it another foothold in the Asian market. The company also announced plans to launch crypto trading in the UK, with its Singapore unit having received a capital markets services license from the Monetary Authority of Singapore.
Alongside its international rollout, Robinhood has continued expanding its technology offerings with the introduction of Robinhood Chain, a blockchain network designed to support AI-assisted token swaps, liquidity discovery, and access to tokenized real-world assets. The blockchain launch followed the rollout of Robinhood's Agentic trading tools, which use artificial intelligence to help users analyze markets and manage investments. According to the company, those AI-native features have gained traction among traders since their introduction. With the mainnet launch, Robinhood's tokenized stock products are now fully live across more than 120 countries through Robinhood Wallet, with the company launching new generation Stock Tokens that eligible users can hold and trade, with assets trading around the clock and may be used across decentralized applications, including lending markets and as collateral. The company has also continued expanding its AI capabilities with Agentic Accounts that let eligible users wire AI models directly into Robinhood's trading infrastructure.
According to StockAnalysis.com, the mainnet launch now shifts attention to adoption, with builder activity and Stock Token volumes over the coming weeks showing whether the chain can hold Wall Street's interest. The rally contrasts with earlier caution, as in February analysts warned that weak crypto activity could pressure the Robinhood stock price this year. Wall Street analysts have become increasingly constructive on Robinhood's outlook, with Cantor Fitzgerald recently raising its price target from $110 to $130 while maintaining a Buy rating, arguing that upcoming product launches, prediction markets, a stronger pipeline of public listings and regulatory developments are not fully reflected in the company's valuation. Goldman Sachs also lifted its target to $108 from $105, while Truist Securities reaffirmed its Buy rating and maintained a $100 price target after reviewing recent trading data. Even with analysts maintaining bullish targets, short-term trading could still be affected by broader market volatility, though brokerage firms continue to argue that Robinhood's international expansion, growing crypto business, and investment in AI technology provide a favorable foundation for further growth in the months ahead.
