Robinhood is expanding its presence in Europe with trials of tokenized stocks, even as its chief executive talks up the future of on-chain markets.
Reports say the trading platform has begun offering digital versions of US equities to European investors, while also looking into ways to bring private-company shares onto blockchains.
One such attempt, connected to OpenAI, was later dismissed by the company as “unauthorized.”
Europe Steps Ahead On Rules
Vlad Tenev, Robinhood’s CEO, argued that Europe is the natural first step for tokenized equity trading because regulators there are moving faster on frameworks.
He said this regulatory clarity creates an environment where testing new products is less difficult compared to other regions.
What Tokenized Equities And Tokenization Mean
Tokenized equities are digital tokens that stand for company shares, letting people buy, sell, or transfer ownership on a blockchain. Tokenization is the process of turning the rights to any asset into a digital token that can be traded on a blockchain.
Market Size And Long-Term Potential
Current figures put the tokenized-assets market at about $32 billion, according to rwa.xyz. By contrast, the public stock market was estimated at more than $115 trillion in 2023 by the World Economic Forum, and is now over $130 trillion.
Tokenization Compared To A Freight Train
Speaking at the Token2049 conference in Singapore, Tenev used a vivid metaphor to describe the trend. He called tokenization a “freight train,” stressing that the movement cannot be stopped.
He predicted that the traditional divide between stock markets and cryptocurrencies will blur as more assets are brought on-chain. In his view, everything from property to private shares could trade digitally round the clock.
Robinhood Moves First In Europe
Robinhood has already begun testing this model. Based on reports, the firm now offers tokenized versions of US stocks to investors in Europe, and has taken steps to create tokenized holdings of private companies, including attempts tied to OpenAI that OpenAI called “unauthorized.”
Robinhood CEO Vlad Tenev said at Token2049 in SG that tokenization will consume the entire financial system, putting all assets on-chain and merging traditional finance with crypto. He noted U.S. regulation lags Europe, but the trend is unstoppable. The tokenization market is…
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A New Gateway For Global Investors
Tenev drew a comparison between tokenized equities and stablecoins. He said tokenized stocks could play a similar role to stablecoins by giving people outside the US easier access to American equities.
Regulatory Roadblocks And A Speed Gap
Tenev argued that the US is lagging. He compared it to a country that lacks high-speed trains. “Medium-speed trains get you there well enough,” he said, implying that comfort with current systems breeds less urgency to innovate.
Robinhood’s plan carries ambition and scale, but experts caution that the road ahead is far from smooth. Regulatory hurdles, legal disputes, and concerns about custody and investor protections could decide how quickly that “freight train” moves.
Featured image from Tech Xplore, chart from TradingView