Robinhood Unveils 24/7 Stock Trading: How the Game-Changer Could Impact Your Portfolio

Commission-free broker Robinhood Markets (NASDAQ: HOOD) is accelerating its pivot into digital assets with a product suite that blends traditional equities and blockchain technology. On 30 June 2025 the company unveiled “stock tokens” for more than 200 U.S. shares and ETFs, giving customers in the European Economic Area 24-hour, five-day-a-week exposure to names such as Apple, Tesla and Nvidia. Each token represents one underlying share; holders receive the same dividends and voting rights as conventional owners, according to the firm’s EU blog post. To power the new instruments Robinhood introduced RHC Chain, a layer-2 blockchain based on Arbitrum technology. Management says the network will settle trades in seconds and cut on-chain fees, positioning Robinhood to add staking, perpetual futures and other DeFi-style features later this year. “Our goal is to make every asset class as easy to trade as a stock,” Chief Crypto Officer Johann Kerbrat said during a livestreamed launch event. The move comes as European retail investors clamor for round-the-clock access to U.S. markets, a convenience currently offered mainly by crypto exchanges. By tokenizing equities, Robinhood sidesteps time-zone barriers while keeping assets fully backed; a licensed custodian in the United States will warehouse the underlying shares for each token issued. Regulatory considerations remain front-of-mind. Robinhood is rolling out the service only in jurisdictions where local rules treat asset-backed tokens as transferable securities. In the U.S., the broker continues to limit after-hours equity trading to 8 p.m. ET but signaled it is “actively engaging” with the SEC and FINRA about extending token support stateside. Investors welcomed the announcement: HOOD shares rose more than 6 % in early New York trading to $28.14, their highest level since February. Analysts at JMP Securities called the launch “a clever bridge between equities and crypto that could double Robinhood’s European user base within 18 months.” Reuters noted that the EU market already represents roughly 25 % of Robinhood’s crypto revenue, suggesting ample cross-sell potential. Competition is heating up. Kraken and Gemini plan similar tokenized-stock offerings, while incumbents like Interactive Brokers have expanded 24-hour trading windows. Robinhood’s first-mover advantage in combining equity tokens with a proprietary blockchain could, however, lock in loyalty among younger investors accustomed to Web3 wallets and on-chain rewards. Looking ahead, management hinted that fractional stock tokens, thematic token baskets and on-chain governance features are on the roadmap. If regulators cooperate, Robinhood’s hybrid model may blur the line between brokerage and crypto exchange—and set a new standard for global retail trading.