Vlad Tenev, CEO and co-founder of Robinhood, has spent the year turning the  trading app into a serious player in the crypto industry. This feature is a part of CoinDesk's Most Influential 2025 list. Once known for commission-free stock trades, the company is now building its own blockchain, offering staking services, and expanding across Europe with tokenized stocks. The biggest move saw Robinhood complete its $200 million acquisition of Bitstamp, one of the longest-running crypto exchanges. The deal b ...

RT DeFi Dad ⟠ defidad.eth (@DeFi_Dad)🎙️ New @edge_pod is out!⛓️ This summer, @RobinhoodApp unveiled a plan to build their very own Ethereum L2, Robinhood Chain.👀 Tokenized stocks, pre-IPO trading, PMs, stablecoins, and more! We dig into their grand vision for 24/7 markets with GM of Crypto @JohannKerbrat. https://t.co/QSB2sHs8Gb ...

Core Insights - Robinhood is expanding its crypto features and services to become a global digital finance platform, including Ethereum and Solana staking in New York with nationwide access pending regulatory clearance [1] - The company has introduced new fee tiers for high-volume U.S. traders and enhancements to its crypto trading API, along with plans for cost basis tracking for tax reporting [1] Group 1: European Expansion - In Europe, Robinhood has launched perpetual futures contracts with up to 7x leverage on cryptocurrencies like XRP, Dogecoin, and SUI, building on its initial BTC and ETH offerings [2] - The company is also introducing tokenized stocks, allowing trading of over 1,000 U.S. equities 24/7, and money market funds managed by partners like J.P. Morgan [2] Group 2: Trading Features - Higher leverage allows traders to open positions with less cash upfront, with new trades starting at the lowest setting and customers manually selecting higher levels [3] - The app in Europe is currently mobile-only, but there are plans to develop a broader web-based platform [3] Group 3: On-Chain Developments - Robinhood is launching its own layer-2 scaling network named Robinhood Chain, aimed at creating an all-in-one investment app powered by crypto [5] - The company reported $232 billion in trading volume this year and $51 billion in customer assets held on the platform as of Q3 2025, indicating that crypto remains a key growth driver [5]

Core Insights - Robinhood Markets is being valued as a potential generational company, with a current market cap of $132 billion, indicating strong investor confidence in its future growth [1] - The company is positioned to benefit from a significant wealth transfer estimated at $84 trillion over the coming decades, appealing to a younger demographic that resonates with its brand [2] - Robinhood has successfully attracted over 26 million funded customers, with a median customer age of 35, and has seen its total platform assets grow to $304 billion, a 112% year-over-year increase [4] Innovation and Growth Potential - The company is innovating with new products and services, including the development of its own blockchain, which could enhance asset transfer speed and efficiency [6] - CEO Vlad Tenev anticipates that the tokenization of real-world assets will disrupt the financial system, allowing customers to invest in valuable private assets like SpaceX and OpenAI [7] - Robinhood is targeting a long-term addressable market exceeding $600 billion, which could justify its current valuation despite trailing 12-month revenues of $3.6 billion [8]

Core Viewpoint - Robinhood Markets has recently announced significant innovations that have led to increased bullish sentiment among Wall Street analysts, despite missing inclusion in the S&P 500 [1][2]. Group 1: Stock Performance and Analyst Upgrades - As of July 7, Robinhood's shares have increased by 312% over the past 52 weeks, driven by expanded product offerings and demand for crypto trading [2]. - The company received five price target upgrades in July, with one analyst increasing their target by 100% [3][2]. - The average price target among the five analysts' upgrades increased by 28%, indicating a strong positive impact from recent developments [9]. Group 2: Innovations and Market Expansion - The price target increases followed Robinhood's "To Catch a Token" event on June 30, where the company introduced tokenized U.S. stocks and ETFs for EU users [4][5]. - This innovation allows Robinhood to bypass regulatory requirements for EU users to buy U.S. stocks, significantly enhancing its international presence [5]. - The initial offering includes 200 well-known U.S. stocks and ETFs, with plans to expand to thousands by year-end [6]. Group 3: New Revenue Streams and Market Opportunities - The introduction of tokenized assets, including private stock tokens of companies like OpenAI and SpaceX, provides new revenue streams and attracts a broader customer base [6][7]. - Crypto trading is now available in 31 European countries, further broadening market opportunities for Robinhood [7]. Group 4: Market Outlook and Analyst Sentiment - The MarketBeat consensus price target for Robinhood is just under $73, suggesting a downside of over 22% from the stock's July 7 closing price, but the recent upgrades indicate potential upside [8]. - Citigroup notably raised its target from $50 to $100, reflecting heightened optimism among analysts [9]. Group 5: Risks and Strategic Considerations - While Robinhood's aggressive innovation strategy is commendable, there are concerns about potential execution risks and legal challenges related to its private stock tokens [10][11]. - The company must maintain its top-notch user experience to retain and grow its customer base amidst rapid changes [10].

Industry Innovation - The industry views the introduction of The Robinhood Chain as a significant win [1] - The Robinhood Chain is the first Ethereum Layer 2 optimized for real-world assets via Arbitrum [1] Company Strategy - Robinhood aims to enable seamless trading of real-world assets in seconds, eliminating reliance on brokers [1] - Robinhood is expanding its services from public to private to global asset trading [1]

Crypto Innovation - Robinhood is introducing the Robinhood Chain, an Ethereum Layer 2 solution optimized for real-world assets [1] - The Robinhood Chain is built via Arbitrum, aiming to facilitate seamless trading of real-world assets [1] - The goal is to enable users to trade assets in seconds without relying on a broker [1]

We're about to enter the era of L2 clusters doing the "Ethereum" vs Ethereum thing.The tokenized stocks will be on Robinhood Chain, not Arbitrum. Better to just not go down that path early.P.S. No way it's just called "Robinhood Chain," right? https://t.co/NqeOBh0hRN ...