Robinhood CEO Vlad Tenev believes the United States should allow trading of tokenized stocks domestically. He stated that such a model could make settlements faster, enable 24/7 trading, and give investors more control over their assets.
The Robinhood CEO believes that moving stocks onto a blockchain could change not only how they are stored but the very infrastructure of the stock market. In particular, he highlighted three benefits:
- Faster settlements. Tokenized stocks can be transferred and settled for trades almost in real-time. This, according to Tenev, reduces risks between trade execution and final settlement and lessens brokers' need to hold large cash reserves;
- 24/7 trading. Unlike the traditional stock market, tokenized stocks could trade 24 hours a day, seven days a week. This allows for reacting to events that occur on weekends or after exchange hours;
- More free movement of assets. Tokens can be transferred between different platforms and stored in one's own crypto wallet. Tenev believes this will increase competition among financial services, as it will be easier for users to move their assets.
"Tokenization is the best path to modernize the American financial system and expand the dream of property ownership for everyone, including Americans. Tokenization is not about simply moving stocks onto a blockchain for the sake of blockchain. Instead, we are rebuilding the infrastructure underlying asset ownership so they can move as freely as information on the internet," Tenev emphasized.
Robinhood wants to combine tokenized stocks and DeFi
Separately, Tenev highlighted the possibility of self-custody for tokenized stocks. He stated that users will be able to hold such assets in their own wallets, and developers could create new financial services based on them.
Among possible scenarios, he mentioned lending and using tokenized stocks as collateral in decentralized finance (DeFi) protocols.
At the same time, Tenev acknowledged that the current Robinhood stock tokens do not represent direct ownership of the underlying securities. They are backed by corresponding stocks and provide access to their economic value, including dividends.
He said the structure of such tokens could change in the future, particularly after the formation of an appropriate regulatory framework.
Tenev urged American regulators to change the rules
In the view of the Robinhood head, the main obstacle to launching tokenized stocks in the US is not technology, but current legislation and the stock market infrastructure. He noted that American securities rules have been formed over more than a century and largely reflect the technologies and market structure of the past.
Tenev called on regulators to preserve investor protection mechanisms, but also adapt the rules to blockchain technology.
"It would be strange if the rest of the world could build the future of ownership around American assets, while Americans themselves are left on the sidelines," he stated.
According to Tenev, public stocks could be just the first step in a broader tokenization of financial assets. In the future, this infrastructure could be used for assets with limited access and low liquidity, such as shares of private companies.
Recall that at the beginning of 2026, the Robinhood CEO called the inaccessibility of staking for some Americans a dead end in US crypto policy.
