Robinhood reportedly considering Solana, Arbitrum for new blockchain securities platform in Europe

Robinhood is reportedly working on blockchain infrastructure that will enable European retail investors to trade US securities, Bloomberg News reported on May 7.

According to the report, the brokerage platform is exploring a partnership with a digital asset firm to support the initiative and is considering Arbitrum and Solana as potential blockchain layers.

People with direct knowledge of the project said that discussions remain ongoing and that no final decision has been made regarding the technology partner or launch timeline. 

A spokesperson for Robinhood declined to comment on the matter. Representatives from Offchain Labs, the developer of Arbitrum, and the Solana Foundation also did not respond to inquiries.

The plan would expand Robinhood’s European offerings beyond crypto trading, representing the full scope of its services in the European Union. 

In April, Robinhood obtained a brokerage license in Lithuania, authorizing it to offer stock trading and investment services across the bloc. 

The company also signed an agreement to acquire crypto exchange Bitstamp, a deal still pending finalization. The acquisition would give Robinhood access to Bitstamp’s MiFID-licensed multilateral trading facility, opening the door to crypto-linked derivatives in the region.

Blockchain infrastructure for securities trading

The infrastructure under development would tokenize US equities, allowing them to be represented on a public blockchain and traded by European users. 

While the approach is still in formation, such a system would offer the potential benefits of near-instant settlement, cost reductions, and transparency across a trade’s lifecycle.

Robinhood CEO Vlad Tenev has previously expressed support for tokenized securities. In February, Tenev stated in a letter to investors that he believes that tokenized private company stocks resonate best with US investors.

By building a blockchain-based framework for cross-border securities trading, Robinhood would be positioning itself to compete in a segment that merges traditional equities with digital asset infrastructure. 

The choice between Arbitrum and Solana would influence network characteristics such as throughput, fees, smart contract capabilities, and compatibility with the Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM).

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