Robinhood Expands Global Crypto Footprint with U.S. Stock Tokens Across Europe
By MacKenzie Sigalos, CNBC
Published June 30, 2025 | Updated July 1, 2025
Robinhood is making a significant leap in the crypto space by expanding its international presence, offering tokenized U.S. stocks and ETFs to customers across 30 European Union (EU) and European Economic Area (EEA) countries. This push is the most ambitious to date for the fintech platform’s crypto division, further integrating traditional finance with blockchain technology.
At the center of this expansion is Johann Kerbrat, senior vice president and global head of Robinhood Crypto and blockchain initiatives. Kerbrat, whose journey from a modest upbringing near the French Riviera to leading global crypto innovation at Robinhood is a story of perseverance and vision, shared insights into the company’s latest advancements at the Ethereum Community Conference held in Cannes, France.
From Cramped Apartment to Global Crypto Innovation
Kerbrat’s story is as notable as the announcement itself. Fifteen years ago, he was living in a small apartment near Cannes, working night shifts in a fast-food restaurant while teaching himself to code. His early entrepreneurial spirit led him to build a no-code payments platform empowering small merchants to create e-commerce sites without needing developers, a precursor to modern tools like Shopify.
This experience revealed to him the fragility and inefficiencies in the global financial system, especially highlighted by the eurozone crisis and the struggles of merchants facing high fees and fraud. Encounters such as these, combined with the release of Bitcoin’s white paper, shaped his belief in blockchain as a transformative financial solution.
Today, from a Belle Époque mansion overlooking the coast, Kerbrat leads Robinhood’s crypto strategy during what the company describes as its largest international crypto expansion yet.
What Robinhood Is Launching
Robinhood’s expanded product suite includes:
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Tokenized U.S. Stocks and ETFs in Europe: Built initially on Arbitrum, a Layer 2 Ethereum scaling solution, these tokens grant European customers access to fractional shares of popular U.S. stocks and ETFs, featuring 24/5 trading access, dividend support, and zero commissions or spreads—a hallmark of Robinhood’s retail-friendly approach. These tokens are set to migrate eventually to Robinhood’s own custom Layer 2 blockchain, engineered for seamless asset tokenization, bridging between networks, and self-custody.
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Crypto Staking in the U.S.: U.S. customers will be able to stake Ethereum and Solana directly on Robinhood’s platform, earning rewards by supporting blockchain network operations.
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Perpetual Futures for Eligible European Traders: Crypto perpetual futures offering up to three times leverage will be available for qualifying users in the EU, facilitated through Bitstamp, one of Europe’s leading crypto exchanges.
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New Layer 2 Blockchain Development: Robinhood teased the launch of a proprietary Layer 2 blockchain tailored for real-world asset settlement and around-the-clock trading, a significant step toward making crypto infrastructure more accessible and seamless.
Additionally, Robinhood is rolling out advanced trading tools, including smart exchange routing, tax lot management, and enhanced charting capabilities—further blurring the line between crypto and traditional financial markets.
A Vision to Make Crypto Invisible
Kerbrat describes the company’s ambition as making cryptocurrency "disappear into the background," akin to how people use plumbing without thinking about how water gets to their taps. The objective is mass adoption through seamless, intuitive user experiences that don’t require users to understand the complex technology underneath.
"This is what mass adoption looks like—products people use without needing to know how they work," he said during the conference.
Regulatory Milestones and Market Response
The expansion is bolstered by Robinhood’s recent regulatory approvals across Europe, signaling increased institutional trust and compliance readiness in the region. The timing of the announcement alongside the Ethereum Community Conference’s first event in Cannes underscores Robinhood’s commitment to embedding itself deeply into the burgeoning European blockchain ecosystem.
Following the news, Robinhood’s stock reached a record high, gaining over 100% year-to-date, underscoring investor enthusiasm for the company’s international crypto strategy.
Looking Back, Moving Forward
For Kerbrat, returning to Cannes—the city of his youth—is a powerful symbol of his and Robinhood’s evolution. From envisioning fintech solutions in a tiny apartment to leading a global product launch from a luxury hotel, his journey reflects the wider transformation of finance itself.
"We chose Cannes because of licensing and because the conference was here," Kerbrat noted. "But I’m not going to pretend it doesn’t feel good. I never thought I’d be back here like this."
As Robinhood accelerates its efforts to blend traditional stock trading with blockchain innovation worldwide, the industry watches closely to see if this model will indeed pave the way for mainstream crypto adoption.
Related Coverage:
- Robinhood CEO Vlad Tenev on the future of retail investing and crypto regulation
- Ethereum Community Conference highlights blockchain’s next phase
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