Robinhood Chain Launches Testnet on Arbitrum, Commits $1M to Jumpstart Developer Ecosystem

Robinhood Chain testnet is now live on the Arbitrum platform, along with a developer faucet for builders who want to start building today. The testnet is part of a phased roadmap that builds on Robinhood’s recent launch of Stock Tokens on Arbitrum One, and reflects an ongoing exploration of onchain infrastructure.

Visit the official Robinhood Chain page to explore the testnet and faucet!

Why Arbitrum?

Robinhood Chain is being developed on the Arbitrum platform. The approach allows for an independent chain that stays anchored to Ethereum while prioritizing scalability, reliability, and user experience.

Key goals include:

1. Leverage Ethereum security without launching a new layer 1. Building as a layer 2 on Arbitrum allows the chain to inherit Ethereum’s security and decentralization, while focusing engineering effort on product experience and performance.
2. Maintain interoperability with the Ethereum ecosystem. Robinhood Chain aims to avoid fragmented liquidity or competing standards. Staying Ethereum-compatible helps ensure broader access, integration, and developer familiarity.
3. Start on shared infrastructure, then transition to dedicated rails. By launching products like Stock Tokens on Arbitrum One first, the Robinhood Chain team can validate demand and performance before migrating to a purpose-built environment.

What the Arbitrum platform enables

By building on the Arbitrum platform, Robinhood Chain can remain EVM-compatible while gaining more customization and control.

• Tailored configuration: The chain can be configured to meet Robinhood’s operational needs, including support for custom gas tokens, throughput optimization, and governance flexibility.
• Performance for a consumer-grade experience: Using the Arbitrum Platform, the chain can be tuned for fast confirmations and low transaction costs, enabling seamless, app-like UX without reinventing core infrastructure.
• Crypto in the background: Robinhood shares Arbitrum’s vision that users shouldn’t need to understand the underlying blockchain. Crypto stays in the background while the user experience remains familiar.

Try the testnet

The testnet is a safe, isolated environment for developers and curious users to test functionality and workflows. All testnet assets are for simulation only and do not represent real-world value.

1. Connect your wallet: On the faucet page, use the “Connect” button to connect a wallet or manually enter an address.
2. Request testnet tokens: Use the faucet to request testnet ETH (used for transaction fees) and test versions of Stock Tokens, including Tesla, Amazon, Palantir, Netflix, and AMD, with more to come. 
3. Deploy smart contracts: Build and test Solidity contracts directly on the testnet.
4. View blockchain activity: Use the block explorer to view transactions, balances, and contracts, and troubleshoot as needed.
5. Bridge supported assets: Use the Arbitrum Bridge to move test assets into the Robinhood Chain testnet environment and simulate more complex flows.

For network details, supported assets, and step-by-step guides, visit Robinhood Chain documentation.

Join Arbitrum Open House

Robinhood is committing $1 million USD sponsorship to the 2026 Arbitrum Open House program to support developer activity on the Robinhood Chain testnet and future mainnet. 

Robinhood will take part in four global online Buildathons across New York City, Dubai, London, and Singapore, as well as two in-person Founder Houses in New York City and London.

Get involved by signing up for the 2026 Open House program.

What’s next

This is the first phase of a phased rollout, focused on testing, feedback, and iterative development.

Roadmap:

• Phase 1 – Testnet: Developer onboarding, infrastructure testing, and refining the user experience for tokenized assets.
• Phase 2 – Mainnet: A production-ready version of Robinhood Chain, with broader access and the gradual migration of supported services and assets.

Why it matters

Over time, independent infrastructure could help reduce friction found in traditional markets such as delayed settlement, limited trading windows, or siloed systems. The goal isn’t just to enable crypto trading, but to help markets behave more like modern software: continuous, programmable, and easier to integrate.

Robinhood Chain, built on the Arbitrum platform, is one step toward exploring that vision—while staying grounded in user trust, security, and regulatory clarity.

Ready to build? Get test tokens from Robinhood Faucet, and learn more at Robinhood Documentation.