Shares of Nvidia, Tesla, Apple, and other top Wall Street companies can now be traded directly from self-custodial crypto wallets. Starting July 21, 2026, Arcus - a decentralized exchange (DEX) built by the dYdX team and backed by Robinhood Crypto - officially launched tokenized stock and perpetual futures services on the Robinhood Chain network. Previously, this Ethereum layer-2 (L2) network had only supported spot markets since its debut on July 1.
The feature launch shifts the purpose of Robinhood Chain from a simple token exchange venue to a bridge toward traditional financial markets.
Full Control Without Centralized Exchanges
Arcus’s trading system operates on a fully self-custodial model. Users retain control over their asset keys without needing to transfer funds to a centralized exchange. Through these trading accounts, customers can access over 95 stock tokens encompassing major names like Microsoft, Meta, Google, and Amazon. In its operations, the DEX uses USDG, a stablecoin issued by Paxos, as primary collateral and the settlement medium for transactions.
Access to this infrastructure is designed to be as flexible as possible. Arcus has partnered with Privy for wallet onboarding, allowing new users to sign up using just an email address or social media account. For those familiar with Web3, the platform retains full support for leading self-custodial wallets like MetaMask, Ledger, WalletConnect, and all wallets compatible with the Ethereum ecosystem standard.
Beyond standard stock tokens, the exchange also operates perpetual markets. Its derivative instruments cover equities, ETFs, commodities, indices, and crypto assets. These new features have accelerated adoption, pushing total value locked (TVL) on Robinhood Chain past $430 million according to recent data.
Who Gets Left Out?
Despite strong ties to a US-based investment powerhouse, the service comes with an anomaly: its flagship product is off-limits to domestic users. Regulatory compliance has forced Arcus to geoblock stock token trading for wallets based in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, and several other restricted jurisdictions.
These regional restrictions have not slowed the broader trend. Expanding into traditional investment products is heating up competition among major crypto industry players. The Coinbase-backed Base network is also reportedly exploring ways to bring traditional financial services on-chain.
For retail traders in permitted jurisdictions, stock tokens on L2 infrastructure bypass traditional financial intermediaries. The battlefield among blockchain developers is shifting from routine token launches to a race to bring Wall Street exchange execution straight to users’ devices. Reported by Cointelegraph.
Also read: How to Read Candlestick Charts for Beginners
Disclaimer: This article is for informational and educational purposes only, not financial advice. Cryptocurrency assets are highly volatile and carry significant risk. Always do your own research (DYOR) and never invest more than you can afford to lose.
