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Changelog.
Robinhood Chain is an Ethereum layer-2 (L2) blockchain built by Robinhood Markets using Arbitrum technology [2][3]. It is offered through Robinhood Digital Assets, LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Robinhood Markets [2]. The chain's Terms of Service say "RHDA, LLC" provides the services they cover, including the sequencer, public RPC, node snapshots and testnet, and operates the sequencer node that "receives, records, and reports transactions" [21]. They also say Robinhood Chain itself, including its protocol smart contracts and bridging contracts, "is not part of the Services" [21]. Robinhood describes it as a permissionless L2 "built for financial services and tokenized real-world assets" [3]. Its developer docs call it "an Arbitrum Layer-2 Chain built on Ethereum" [5]. It posts its data to Ethereum as blobs and uses ETH as its gas token [5].
The public mainnet launched on July 1, 2026 [3]. Robinhood's quarterly report for the period ended June 30, 2026, filed with the SEC, confirms: "In July 2026, we launched the Robinhood Chain" [18]. The same filing says developers can deploy contracts, and users can access and transfer on the chain, "without our approval," in supported jurisdictions [18].
Robinhood calls its Stock Tokens the chain's "flagship real-world asset" [13]. These are tokenized debt securities issued by Robinhood Assets (Jersey) Limited [13]. They give economic exposure to U.S. shares and ETFs but no legal or beneficial rights in those shares [13]. They are not available in the U.S. or to U.S. persons, and other jurisdictions restrict them too [3][13].
The model, in Arbitrum's words, is "launch-and-migrate" [16]. Robinhood first issued tokenized stocks for European customers on Arbitrum One, a shared Arbitrum chain [16][17]. It then launched a dedicated chain for a new generation of Stock Tokens, a separate product from a separate issuer [3]. The first-generation Classic Stock Tokens remain available in the Robinhood Europe app [3][17].
Robinhood Chain runs Arbitrum Nitro software and upgrades its ArbOS version from time to time [12]. Each upgrade activates on-chain at a scheduled time [12]. As of Oct. 6, 2026, the full-node docs say the chain runs ArbOS 61 [15]. Its core contracts, including the Rollup and Sequencer Inbox, live on Ethereum, as do its cross-chain messaging contracts, including the Bridge and Outbox, and the docs publish their addresses [11].
The chain is EVM-compatible, so Solidity and Vyper contracts deploy without modification [9]. A few behaviors differ from Ethereum [9]. For example, the maximum contract size is 96 KB, compared with 24 KB on Ethereum [9]. Mainnet uses chain ID 4663 and testnet uses 46630 [5].
A sequencer receives transactions, orders them, executes them, and returns a "soft confirmation" in under a second [7]. It then batches transactions and posts them to Ethereum's Inbox, which usually takes minutes [7]. From that point the order is fixed unless Ethereum itself reorganizes [7]. Full finality comes once the Ethereum block holding the batch is finalized, about 13 minutes after posting [7].
Ordering is first-come, first-served by arrival time at the sequencer [9]. There are no priority-fee auctions, so paying more does not move a transaction ahead [9]. The sequencer also screens transactions for compliance [9]. Any transaction tied to a sanctioned address is left out [9].
Robinhood's materials list 100 ms block times [4]. Arbitrum says the chain reaches 100 ms latency through configurable block times and "preconfirmations," and uses a "Dynamic Pricing" model to keep transaction costs predictable [16].
There is no separate gas token [8]. Fees are paid in ETH, the same as on Ethereum [8]. Every fee has two parts: an L2 execution fee, and an L1 data fee for posting the transaction's data to Ethereum [8]. The L1 part rises and falls with congestion on Ethereum [8]. The Robinhood docs we reviewed describe no chain-specific token [5][8].
Disputes over the chain's state are settled with BoLD ("Bounded Liquidity Delay"), Arbitrum's fraud-proof protocol [6]. Validators watch the state assertions posted to Ethereum and can challenge invalid ones [6]. The validator set is permissioned [6][15]. As of Oct. 6, 2026, it has two validators, run by Offchain Labs and Alchemy [6]. To run one, an operator must be on an allowlist and post a 1 WETH bond [15].
An eight-member Security Council governs upgrades to the protocol [6]. Robinhood holds two seats. BitGo, Chainlink Labs, Fireblocks Trust Company, Offchain Labs, Paxos and Talos hold one each [6]. Routine actions need six of eight signatures and then wait seven days in an on-chain timelock [6]. Emergency actions skip the timelock but need seven of eight signatures [6].
The canonical bridge is Arbitrum's native bridge [10]. Robinhood describes it as trustless, with security inherited from Ethereum [10]. Deposits from Ethereum usually arrive within about 10 minutes [10]. Withdrawals back to Ethereum wait out a 7-day challenge period, a requirement of Arbitrum's fraud-proof system, and then must be claimed on Ethereum [10]. Faster third-party routes are also listed: LayerZero, Chainlink CCIP, Relay, Across and LiFi/0x [10]. The docs call only the canonical bridge trustless; the partner routes are listed as messaging, intents-based or aggregator routes [10].
Each Stock Token is a standard ERC-20 token with 18 decimals, tied to one underlying stock or ETF [13]. Only Authorised Participants can buy Stock Tokens directly from the issuer, after business onboarding [13]. At issuance there was one, BBVI [13]. Market makers can place orders to mint and burn tokens only inside a window that runs from Monday 02:00 to Saturday 02:00 CET/CEST (Central European Time, or Central European Summer Time when in effect) [13]. End users can still trade tokens on-chain outside that window [13].
Dividends and stock splits are handled through an on-chain "multiplier" [13]. It changes how many shares one token stands for, while raw balances stay the same [13]. Because of that, a token tracks total return, meaning price changes plus reinvested dividends [14].
Chainlink publishes a price feed for every Stock Token [14]. The feeds update 24/5, following market hours [14]. While a corporate action is being processed, a token's oracle is paused [14]. The pause flag is advisory and is not enforced on-chain [14].
| Date | Milestone |
|---|---|
| June 30, 2025 | At its Cannes event, Robinhood launches stock tokens for EU customers, initially issued on Arbitrum [1]. This first-generation product, since renamed Classic Stock Tokens, goes live on Arbitrum One [3][17]. Robinhood also reveals a Robinhood L2 "based on Arbitrum," then "currently in development" [1]. |
| February 10, 2026 | Public testnet launches, with Alchemy, Allium, Chainlink, LayerZero and TRM integrating. Robinhood commits $1 million to the 2026 Arbitrum Open House developer program [2]. |
| July 1, 2026 | Public mainnet launches at Robinhood's London event [3]. New Stock Tokens become available in the Robinhood Wallet in more than 120 countries, though availability varies by jurisdiction [3]. |
| July 6, 2026 | The Arbitrum Foundation forum posts a factsheet on the mainnet and its licence terms [17]. |
| July 30, 2026 | Robinhood's 10-Q for the period ended June 30, 2026, adds Robinhood Chain risk factors [18]. |
| September 14–22, 2026 | Node software release Nitro v3.11.4, a switch to a compressed-only sequencer feed, and a new delayed backup feed [12]. |
From announcement to testnet. The 2025 announcement said the chain would be optimized for tokenized real-world assets and built for 24/7 trading, bridging and self-custody [1]. At testnet launch, Robinhood said it expected mainnet "later this year" [2]. It also said developers would get testnet-only Stock Tokens for integration testing [2].
Mainnet day one. Uniswap was named as deploying a dedicated AMM to serve as "a primary public liquidity protocol," and Pleiades a proprietary AMM for trading [3]. Alchemy, BitGo and Chainlink were named as integrators [3]. The first-generation Classic Stock Tokens stay in the Robinhood Europe app [3].
Licence terms. Under the Arbitrum Expansion Program licence, the chain pays 10% of its protocol net revenue [17]. Of that, 8% goes to the ArbitrumDAO treasury and 2% to the Arbitrum Developer Guild [17]. The factsheet says the chain falls inside the licence's scope because it settles to Ethereum [17].
Operational changes since launch. On September 17, 2026, the websocket feed moved to compressed-only transmission [12]. Custom scripts that read it directly have to be updated [12]. On September 22, 2026, Robinhood added a delayed backup feed that runs about 500 ms behind the primary feed [12]. It is the supported fallback because the public feed is best-effort with no uptime guarantee [12].
Validator decentralization. Fraud proofs only protect users if someone is watching and willing to challenge [6]. As of Oct. 6, 2026, that job falls to two permissioned validators [6]. Joining requires allowlisting [15]. The docs we reviewed give no timeline for opening validation to anyone.
Upgrade control. A Security Council can change the protocol: six of eight signatures with a seven-day delay, or seven of eight with no delay in an emergency [6]. Robinhood holds two seats, and the other six are institutions [6]. Two of them, BitGo and Chainlink, were named as mainnet integrators [3], and Offchain Labs runs one of the two validators [6]. Robinhood's 10-Q says the protocol "will need to be upgraded from time to time," and that upgrades carry execution risk [18].
Sequencer dependence and screening. Until a batch is posted to Ethereum, a transaction's order rests on the sequencer alone [7]. The sequencer leaves out transactions linked to sanctioned addresses [9]. Robinhood's docs point to Arbitrum's "compliance filtering" feature [9]. In that design, the chain owner chooses an outside compliance provider to keep the restricted-address list [19]. Arbitrum's docs say the feature is off by default and that the chain owner must configure and enable each component [19]. One optional component filters transactions sent through the Ethereum-side Delayed Inbox, the route rollups usually offer as a way around a censoring sequencer [19]. Robinhood's docs confirm sequencer-level screening but do not say whether Delayed Inbox filtering is enabled [9]. Arbitrum's docs warn that ETH deposited on Ethereum by a restricted address can end up locked in the bridge [19]. The Robinhood docs we reviewed do not name the provider, say how the list is governed, or say which filtering components are enabled.
Withdrawal delay. Leaving through the canonical bridge takes at least the 7-day challenge period [10]. Faster partner routes exist, but the docs call only the canonical bridge trustless [10].
Weekend pricing for 24/7 assets. Stock Tokens can trade on-chain at any hour [13], but their Chainlink feeds update 24/5 [14]. Feeds also pause around corporate actions, and the pause flag is not enforced on-chain [14]. The sources do not say how lending markets or other contracts should handle prices when the underlying market is closed, beyond advising staleness checks [14].
What a Stock Token holder owns. A holder has a debt claim on a Jersey issuer, not the underlying shares [13]. Primary issuance runs through a single Authorised Participant at launch [13]. The terms are in the issuer's Base Prospectus and Final Terms [13]. This dive does not summarize those documents, and readers should go to them directly.
Regulatory scope. Stock Tokens are not offered to U.S. persons and are restricted in Canada, the U.K., Switzerland and elsewhere [3][13]. Robinhood's 10-Q flags regulatory, litigation, operational and reputational risks tied to Robinhood Chain and Stock Tokens [18]. It also flags the risk of illicit activity on a permissionless network [18].
Ethereum dependence. The 10-Q notes that, as an L2, the chain's security depends partly on Ethereum, which Robinhood does not control [18].
Labels. Robinhood calls the chain "an Ethereum Layer 2 built on Arbitrum" [2], and its developer docs say it is "built on Arbitrum Dedicated Blockchains" [20]. Robinhood's mainnet release and Arbitrum's blog say it is built using or with the "Arbitrum Platform" [3][16]. Arbitrum's factsheet calls it a "dedicated Arbitrum chain" [17]. Third-party infrastructure providers describe the chain as "Arbitrum Orbit": Alchemy's mainnet post says "Built using Arbitrum Orbit technology" [22], and Chainlink's launch release says "built on Arbitrum's Orbit technology" [23]. This page uses the primary-source wording, chiefly Robinhood's "built on Arbitrum."
What this page leaves out. By Library policy, this dive carries no price, market value, trading or usage-volume figures. It also leaves out yield rates and token incentive programs mentioned in launch materials.
Not financial advice.