Robinhood has launched the general public testnet for Robinhood Chain, an Ethereum Layer 2 community constructed on Arbitrum. The US-based buying and selling platform stated the testnet is designed to speed up the event of tokenized real-world and digital property.
This transfer would give builders early entry to the core infrastructure forward of a deliberate mainnet launch later this yr.
Arbitrum-Based mostly Layer 2 Testnet
With the general public testnet now reside, builders can start constructing and verifying functions on Robinhood Chain, utilizing an surroundings that’s appropriate with normal Ethereum growth instruments and leverages Arbitrum know-how. Robinhood said that a number of infrastructure suppliers, corresponding to Alchemy, Allium, Chainlink, LayerZero, and TRM, are already integrating with the community.
Extra companions are anticipated to be onboarded in the course of the early levels of the testnet. As a part of the launch, individuals can entry community entry factors to the testnet, developer documentation hosted on Robinhood’s web site, and early infrastructure assist from ecosystem companions.
The corporate said that the testnet section is meant to assist experimentation, determine potential points, enhance community stability, and lay the groundwork for builders forward of the upcoming mainnet.
Robinhood Chain is backed by the corporate’s current infrastructure and expertise. It was developed with a concentrate on reliability, safety, and compliance, the discharge stated. Constructed on Arbitrum, the community helps bridging and self-custody, together with the scalability and customizability wanted for financial-grade decentralized merchandise corresponding to tokenized asset platforms, lending platforms, and perpetual futures exchanges.
Going ahead, Robinhood stated builders constructing on the chain will achieve entry to testnet-only property, together with Inventory Tokens for integration testing, in addition to direct testing with Robinhood Pockets. The corporate added that the chain is designed to offer a well-recognized growth surroundings throughout the broader Ethereum and Arbitrum ecosystem.
Institutional Growth Meets Income Headwinds
The buying and selling platform has continued to deepen its publicity to cryptocurrencies since rolling out crypto buying and selling for customers. Final yr, Robinhood formally accomplished the $200 million acquisition of Bitstamp, which was touted as its formal entry into institutional crypto. Nonetheless, its income traits have weakened in the previous couple of months.
Within the fourth quarter of 2025, Robinhood generated $221 million from cryptocurrency transactions, down 38% from a yr earlier. The outcome contrasted with the earlier quarter, when crypto income jumped to $268 million, amidst broader market turmoil.
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