Robinhood CEO Says Issuers Should Not Veto Stock Tokenization

Tokenized stocks represent conventional equity interests on blockchain-based infrastructure, potentially enabling round-the-clock trading and near-instant settlement. Robinhood CEO Vlad Tenev argues that those features could modernize securities markets and broaden investor access. The United States, however, still lacks a sufficiently clear regulatory route for offering and trading the products at scale, creating a risk that domestic platforms and investors will fall behind markets where tokenized assets are advancing more quickly.

Tenev recently called on US policymakers and regulators to expand access to tokenized stocks and remove legal barriers that have constrained their rollout. His appeal focuses on keeping the American market competitive as overseas jurisdictions move ahead with blockchain-based securities. Robinhood did not announce a launch date, investment amount or new US product alongside the remarks. The next milestone therefore rests with regulators, which must clarify rules covering issuance, trading, settlement and investor protection before broad domestic adoption can proceed.

Real-world asset (RWA) tokenization records rights to assets such as stocks and bonds on a blockchain, combining the value of traditional assets with the efficiency of on-chain trading. Robinhood CEO Vlad Tenev believes putting financial assets on-chain is more likely to drive crypto’s long-term growth than meme coins that lack practical utility.

On June 30, 2025, Robinhood announced more than 200 tokenized U.S. stocks and ETFs for European Union customers, available for trading 24 hours a day, five days a week, with a €1 minimum and no commission. Tenev recently reiterated that traditional finance would move “fully on-chain,” as crypto technology evolves from a speculative tool into market infrastructure.