Robinhood prioritizes infrastructure over native token for new chain

Robinhood Crypto Senior Vice President Johann Kerbrat has stated that the company’s focus on tokenization is “just the beginning,” emphasizing technical infrastructure over the issuance of a native network token.

Robinhood Chain is a permissionless, EVM-compatible layer-2 network built on Arbitrum’s technology stack that settles to Ethereum. Unlike many other networks, it operates without its own native token, instead charging gas fees in ether. A primary focus for the chain is the introduction of stock tokens, which provide 24/7 onchain exposure to equities such as Apple and Nvidia. These tokens offer economic exposure but do not grant legal claims to the actual shares. While available in over 120 countries, these assets are not accessible to persons in the United States.

Despite the focus on real-world assets, recent data indicates that memecoin activity has driven more than 99% of the chain’s trading volume. The total value locked (TVL) on Robinhood Chain has reached approximately $536 million, with a stablecoin market cap near $634 million.