Robinhood’s tokenised stocks spark calls for India to embrace 24/7 blockchain investing

The new service is part of Robinhood’s push to blend crypto and traditional finance.
| Photo Credit:
REUTERS

US-based fintech Robinhood is now letting investors in the European Union buy and sell tokenised US stocks and ETFs — like Apple, Microsoft, and Nvidia — round the clock, five days a week, with no commissions. Built on the Arbitrum blockchain, the new service is part of Robinhood’s push to blend crypto and traditional finance.

On Wednesday, Robinhood launched tokenised US stocks and ETFs in the European Union, giving eligible customers exposure to US equities through Robinhood Stock Tokens. These tokens offer zero commissions or added spreads from Robinhood, support dividend payouts, and enable trading 24 hours a day, five days a week.

With this rollout, Robinhood’s European app transitions from a crypto-only platform to a full-spectrum investment app powered by blockchain technology. European users will have access to over 200 tokenised US stocks and ETFs, with dividend payments delivered directly within the app, the company said in a release.

Inclusive investing

Sumit Gupta, co-founder at CoinDCX, highlighted that the rollout of tokenised US equities by Robinhood and Coinbase is a milestone in the convergence of traditional finance and blockchain.

“Tokenised equities will allow 24×7 trading of global stocks blended with crypto-powered tokens that alter the engagement and accessibility retail investors have to capital markets. This is a leap forward in not only providing democratised access to top-tier global equities like Tesla, Nvidia, and Apple, but also flexibility and cost-savings that are inherently part of the crypto trading construct,” he said.

This move presents a promising roadmap for India, Himanshu Maradiya, Founder & Chairman, CIFDAQ noted.

“With a vibrant retail investor base and tech-forward platform, the potential to adopt tokenisation, real-world asset access, and 24/7 trading is within reach. Achieving this vision will require thoughtful regulatory alignment. If Indian fintechs and policymakers move in sync, the country could pioneer its model of inclusive, around-the-clock investing that blends the strengths of TradFi and Web3,” he said.

Scaling up

Echoing similar optimism, Edul Patel, Co-founder and CEO of Mudrex, said thatIndian brokerages already have the talent and infrastructure to adopt similar innovations. As adoption grows, more players will move towards such offerings, helping expand the market.