Injective launches onchain pre-IPO perpetuals for companies like OpenAI, offering leveraged exposure and a decentralized alternative to Robinhood’s tokens. Injective Protocol, a layer-1 blockchain focused on decentralized finance, is launching onchain pre-IPO perpetual markets, giving global investors access to trade synthetic versions of major private companies such as OpenAI. The new offering allows users to take up to five times leveraged positions on private company valuations directly through Injective, a move the protocol says distinguishes it from centralized pre-IPO products offered by platforms like Robinhood. According to Injective’s announcement on Wednesday, the Pre-IPO perpetuals are powered by onchain data sourced from Seda Protocol, which provides decentralized oracle infrastructure to bring price data onto blockchains, and Caplight, which aggregates private market pricing data for venture-backed companies. Read more
The brokerage is seeking SEC approval for Robinhood Ventures Fund I, which would trade on the NYSE and expose retail investors to private companies. Brokerage firm Robinhood is planning a closed-end fund that would give retail investors access to its venture capital portfolio — a space traditionally reserved for institutions and high-net-worth individuals. The brokerage disclosed Monday that it has filed a Form N-2 with the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to register shares of the Robinhood Ventures Fund I (RVI), which will be managed by its new subsidiary, Robinhood Ventures DE. If approved, shares of RVI will be listed on the New York Stock Exchange, where they can be bought and sold through participating brokerage platforms. Read more
ARK Invest snapped up $21 million worth of Bullish and $16 million of Robinhood shares, extending its buying streak despite a sector-wide sell-off. Cathie Wood’s ARK Invest doubled down on crypto-linked equities, scooping up shares of Bullish and Robinhood amid a broad sector sell-off. According to Tuesday’s trade notifications, ARK Invest’s flagship ARK Innovation ETF (ARKK) purchased 356,346 shares of Bullish, valued at about $21.2 million, and 150,908 shares of Robinhood Markets, worth $16.2 million. Last week, ARK Invest went big on Bullish, acquiring 2.53 million shares, worth $172 million, across three ETFs after the crypto exchange’s debut on the New York Stock Exchange. Read more
Robinhood saw its crypto revenue almost double to $160 million as CEO Vladimir Tenev confirmed plans to keep pushing its tokenization strategy in the US and abroad. Trading platform Robinhood’s crypto revenue increased 98% year-on-year to $160 million in the second quarter as CEO Vlad Tenev doubled down on plans to lead the real-world asset tokenization market in the US and abroad. Total net revenue climbed 45% year-on-year to $989 million, while net income increased by 105% to $386 million, Robinhood said in its earnings statement on Wednesday. Despite beating Wall Street expectations, company shares slightly retraced in after-hours trading. Read more
The controversy over Robinhood’s OpenAI private stock tokens is only the beginning of a wider legal battle over tokenized equities. Robinhoods tokenized stock offerings in Europe have ignited debate over the legality of tokenizing equity, especially that of private companies like OpenAI. OpenAI said Robinhoods unapproved OpenAI tokens offer no equity ownership rights, causing regulators in Lithuania to open a formal inquiry. But thats just the start. With concerns over how different jurisdictions approach tokenized shares, the boundary between innovation and illegality, and whether there are sufficient legal protections for stock token holders. To unpack the legal complexities behind tokenized stocks, Magazine spoke with Yuriy Brisov of Digital & Analogue Partners, Joshua Chu of the Hong Kong Web3 Association and Yulia Murat, head of regulatory affairs at Global Ledger. The conversation has been edited for clarity and length. Read more
Ego Death Capital raises $100 million for Bitcoin startups, while Robinhood face scrutiny over its equity token offerings. Crypto and blockchain venture capital came roaring back in the second quarter, with startups raising a combined $10 billion during the period. For venture capital firm Ego Death Capital, however, it’s Bitcoin (BTC) — not broader crypto — that will drive the future of secure decentralized finance. Earlier this week, the firm announced a new $100 million fund dedicated to investing in early-stage Bitcoin companies. Meanwhile, Robinhood is doubling down on its tokenization push, even as European regulators scrutinize its so-called “private equity” offerings. While Robinhood has long been active in digital assets, its deeper commitment to the space has helped propel its stock to all-time highs. Read more
Robinhood is trading near all-time highs as its expanded push into crypto and blockchain continues to pay off. Robinhood’s strategic embrace of blockchain technology and tokenization has fueled a nearly 30% rally in its stock over the past month, highlighting the brokerage’s new growth drivers despite regulatory scrutiny of some of its products. Robinhood stock, trading under the ticker HOOD, surged on Wednesday to $94.65 in New York trading, putting it within 4% of its all-time closing high set on July 2. The stock has climbed more than 27% over the past month and is up 137% year-to-date, lifting its market capitalization to over $82 billion. Read more
Robinhood’s EU tokenized equity launch draws a wave of private company interest and regulatory scrutiny. Robinhood is seeing a surge of interest from private companies eager to tokenize their shares after the firm launched its stock token platform in the European Union last week. In a Tuesday interview with Bloomberg News, CEO Vlad Tenev said the company has received a wave of requests from private firms looking to make their equity accessible to retail investors through blockchain-based tokens on their platform. “Since our announcement, I’ve had a deluge of inquiries, private companies that actually want to access retail to have their shares tokenized and be a part of this revolution,” he said. Read more
Robinhood’s OpenAI and SpaceX tokens are controversial, but the fine print indicates that they offer indirect exposure to these companies through derivatives. Robinhood’s stock token offerings are under regulatory scrutiny in the European Union after OpenAI warned investors that the digital brokerage’s so-called OpenAI tokens do not represent any equity stake in the company. OpenAI’s warning prompted an inquiry by Lithuania’s central bank, which serves as Robinhood’s primary regulator in the region. The Bank of Lithuania is “awaiting clarifications” regarding Robinhood’s stock token offerings linked to OpenAI and SpaceX, CNBC reported on Monday, citing Giedrius Šniukas, a spokesperson for the Bank of Lithuania. Read more
Galaxy Digital warns Robinhood’s plan to tokenize stocks on its new chain could divert liquidity from NYSE and other major exchanges. Robinhood’s plan to tokenize stocks on its new Ethereum-compatible blockchain could shift trading volume away from traditional exchanges like the NYSE, undermining their core revenues from trading fees and market data, according to Galaxy Digital. At the EthCC conference this week, Robinhood CEO Vlad Tenev detailed plans for “Robinhood Chain,” an Ethereum-compatible layer-2 on Arbitrum Orbit. The blockchain will let users trade tokenized derivatives of stocks directly onchain, moving asset trading outside traditional exchange hours. Tenev explained that a new token engine operating on the Robinhood Chain will provide users with tokenized derivatives of their assets, enabling them to self-custody these tokens or interact with a decentralized application. Read more
The platform's OpenAI private equity tokens were disavowed by the company, prompting OpenAI co-founder, Elon Musk, to call the AI firm "fake." OpenAI issued a statement on Wednesday clarifying that OpenAI tokens distributed to European Union users by the trading platform Robinhood do not represent equity in the company. "We are not involved in this and do not endorse it,” representatives of the company wrote on social media. “Any transfer of OpenAI equity requires our approval — we did not approve any transfer. Please be careful." Robinhood distributed $5 worth of OpenAI and SpaceX tokens to clients in the EU region on Monday as part of the company's push into tokenized stock trading, which included launching a layer-2 blockchain network to settle tokenized equity trades. Read more