Robinhood CEO highlights blockchain’s role in extending trading hours

Robinhood CEO Vlad Tenev said the platform might need blockchain technology to operate 24/7. In an interview with Yahoo Finance, Tenev noted that 24/7 trading would be tough to operate on traditional infrastructure.

According to Tenev, the platform already operates 24/5 trading, which means users can use it 24 hours a day on weekdays. However, he noted that setting this up has been complicated, which is why most other stock trading platforms do not offer it yet. He added that it is unclear whether Robinhood market participants are prepared for a 24/7 market.

Tenev said:

“24/7 is going to be tough with traditional infrastructure. But if we think about tokenization, that is one of the advantages for both retail and institutional consumers if we move in that direction which is that blockchain runs 24/7.”

The CEO’s statement that Robinhood may adopt blockchain technology is not entirely surprising and aligns with previous moves by the company. During its last earnings call, the company disclosed that it is already using stablecoins for settlements on weekends when financial institutions are not open.

Robinhood is bullish on crypto and tokenization

Meanwhile, Tenev has been pushing crypto, blockchain technology, and tokenization as the next frontier for financial instruments. He recently told Bloomberg TV that Robinhood’s aim is to become the platform where users can invest in anything they want, and the way to do this is by tokenizing real-world assets.

He further said on X that Robinhood would accelerate crypto adoption by offering more assets, investing in the Robinhood wallet, integrating Bitstamp to access the institutional crypto market, and supporting tokenization.

Unsurprisingly, Robinhood has now positioned itself as one of the major compliant platforms for trading crypto by retail investors. It recently listed the Arbitrum token, ARB, increasing its growing list of digital assets to 23 cryptocurrencies.

The company also recently announced a Robinhood Trivia, in which it awarded $2 million in BTC to the winners over two days. On the first day of the competition, 615 people split $1 million BTC, while 754 people split the $1 million BTC on the second day. Tenev has complained about how one of the winners used AI chatbots to participate in the competition.

So far, its pro-crypto position has been beneficial to the company. Tenev was one of the select invitees to the White House Roundtable on Crypto. The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has already dropped the investigation into Robinhood Crypto without any enforcement action against the company. The company stock HOOD is also up 19% this year.

Stock exchanges plan to start 24-hour trading

Meanwhile, traditional stock exchanges are also gunning for 24/5 trading. Cboe Global Markets, which operates the Chicago Board Options Exchange (CBOE), and Intercontinental Exchange, which operates the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) have already announced their plans.

Nasdaq joined them some days ago, and its president, Tal Cohen, said that Nasdaq stock could have 24/5 trading by the second half of 2026 if regulators approve it and its infrastructure providers are ready.

Cohen added:

“While the promise of round-the-clock trading can make our markets more accessible, it also demands careful and deliberate planning. Liquidity, transparency, and integrity remain the lifeblood of vibrant markets.”

He further explained that the decision to offer 24/5 trading is premised on technological growth, the global demand for US equities, and increased retail participation.

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