Robinhood CEO Urges US Tokenized Stocks Regulation as Volume Hits $9B

Robinhood’s chief executive is telling Washington it’s time to stop treating tokenized stocks like a side experiment and start building real rules for them. Vlad Tenev argues that Robinhood tokenized stocks already prove the technology works, and he wants U.S. regulators to catch up before American investors get left on the sidelines of a market that’s already moving fast overseas.

Key takeaways

• Robinhood CEO Vlad Tenev called on August 18 for U.S. regulators to build a legal framework for tokenized stocks, warning that America risks falling behind global markets.
• Robinhood already offers more than 2,000 stock tokens to eligible customers in the EU and EEA, backed 1:1 by real shares.
• Robinhood Chain, the company’s Ethereum Layer 2 network, had processed more than 100 million transactions as of April and has amassed roughly 500,000 holders of tokenized equities, according to Crypto Briefing.
• Onchain tokenized equity trading volume hit about $9 billion in 2026, up more than 800% year to date, while The Block reports tokenized stocks’ RWA market share tripled to 15% over the same period.
• The SEC is reportedly preparing an “innovation exemption” that could let approved platforms trade tokenized U.S. stocks 24/7, though no final framework has been announced, according to crypto.news.

Robinhood CEO Calls for U.S. Tokenized Stocks Framework

Tenev’s message is blunt: the U.S. needs legal clarity for tokenized stocks now, not years from now, or it risks watching other markets build the future of ownership around American companies while U.S. investors get none of the benefits. He made the case publicly on August 18, framing the moment as the start of a much bigger shift in how markets function.

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