Robinhood has activated a public testnet for Robinhood Chain, a new Ethereum layer 2 network designed to support on-chain financial infrastructure connecting traditional markets, cryptocurrencies, and real-world assets (RWA).
The chain, powered by Arbitrum’s technology, was first unveiled last June as the company stepped up its digital asset expansion amid a friendlier regulatory environment in the United States.
Johann Kerbrat, who leads Robinhood’s global cryptocurrency strategy, said in a statement that the testnet is intended to lay the foundation for an ecosystem focused on tokenized RWA while supporting builders seeking deeper integration with DeFi within Ethereum.
This means that Robinhood Chain is optimized for tokenized stocks, ETFs, and private assets, allowing them to be represented, traded, and self-managed on-chain. The network is positioned as an open, developer-friendly blockchain where anyone can deploy smart contracts and build applications.
Robinhood says this supports its goal of providing 24/7 access to financial assets without intermediaries or platform lock-in.
The testnet provides developers with access to network endpoints, documentation, and compatibility with standard Ethereum tools. Infrastructure providers Alchemy, Allium, Chainlink, LayerZero and TRM have already begun chain integration ahead of the mainnet launch scheduled for later this year.
“We look forward to building with our infrastructure partners as we work to bring financial services on-chain,” Kerbrat said.
Offchain Labs co-founder and CEO Steven Goldfeder said the chain was built to deliver “the next chapter in tokenized and permissionless financial services.”
Robinhood is introducing more than 200 tokenized U.S. stocks for its European customers in late 2025, and the new blockchain will eventually host these products. The company plans to enable 24/7 trading and self-storage features once the mainnet is live.