Robinhood’s (HOOD) tokenized equity platform hasn’t been live in Europe for more than a week, but private companies are already lining up at the gate. According to CEO Vlad Tenev, the firm is seeing a flood of inbound interest from startups and growth-stage firms looking to put their shares on-chain and into the hands of everyday investors.
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In a Tuesday interview with Bloomberg, Tenev described the wave of inbound requests as a “deluge,” a sign that tokenized equity is no longer just a Web3 talking point — it’s quickly becoming a battleground for financial access and private market disruption.
Private Companies Want In and Robinhood Wants to Open the Door
The platform, currently only live in the EU, already lists over 200 tokenized U.S. stocks and includes non-tradable promotional tokens for mainstream names like OpenAI and SpaceX. Tenev’s vision goes far beyond hype. He wants to onboard thousands of private companies and remove the structural barriers that have kept retail investors locked out of private equity for decades.
“Massive companies are staying private longer,” he said, “and we believe tokenization is a way to solve one of the biggest inequities in capital markets.”
Robinhood’s pitch is simple. Put private shares on-chain, back them with real assets, and open them up to a broader investor base. In theory, it creates a new kind of liquidity, outside the IPO window, and brings fresh capital to companies that would otherwise remain confined to venture firms and secondary desks.
Regulators Step In
The rollout has already triggered regulatory review in Lithuania, where Robinhood’s EU operations are headquartered. The Bank of Lithuania has requested details on how the tokenized assets are structured. Tenev welcomed the inquiry, saying Robinhood is confident its framework will hold up under scrutiny.
Under EU law, the tokens fall under the MiCA and MiFID umbrellas. They’re structured as derivatives backed by real equities held by U.S. brokers, with tokens minted or burned as users trade. That design, while efficient, walks a fine line in regulatory terms — one that will likely be tested as adoption grows.
Tenev also confirmed that Robinhood is actively talking to regulators in the U.S. and U.K., though the platform hasn’t launched in either market. He believes U.S. regulators already have the tools to allow tokenization without rewriting legislation and hinted that Robinhood is participating in SEC tokenization roundtables.
The Broader Tokenization Push Is Taking Off
Robinhood isn’t alone in chasing the on-chain asset market. Just this week, BioSig Technologies (BSGM) announced a $1.1 billion capital deal to tokenize the commodities market. Meanwhile, QCDT, a money market fund in Dubai, secured approval from the DFSA to tokenize fund shares — a regional first.
Tokenization is becoming a multi-trillion-dollar narrative, with regulators trying to keep pace and platforms like Robinhood trying to build the rails before the institutions catch up.
Is HOOD a Good Stock to Buy?
According to TipRanks, Robinhood Markets (HOOD) currently holds a “Moderate Buy” rating based on 20 analyst reviews in the past three months. The split shows 14 Buys, five Holds, and just one Sell rating. The average 12-month HOOD price target sits at $77.47, which represents a 17.2% downside from the current trading price of $93.60.
