The Robinhood (NASDAQ: HOOD) stock jumped 10% to a record high on Monday after the investing platform unveiling tokenized shares of OpenAI and SpaceX for its European users.
Tokenized shares are digital representations of ownership in a company, recorded on a blockchain. This means investors can buy fractions of private companies that were previously out of reach for most people, shares that exist as secure, tradable tokens rather than traditional stock certificates.
This is a first, making private company equity available on blockchain, outside the usual circle of insiders and billionaires. Robinhood is throwing open the door to an exclusive club, but only for now in the EU.
The key to this move lies on Europe’s more relaxed rules. There are no accredited investor restrictions there, so pretty much anyone can trade these tokenized shares commission-free and almost around the clock.
Meanwhile, in the U.S., where Robinhood started, regulators still keep tokenized private equity tightly restricted. Ordinary investors can’t access these products yet, and despite Robinhood pushing for reform, it’s unclear when that will change.
Robinhood is banking on technology to shake up a market built on exclusion. But this move also exposes how deeply regulation still controls who gets in.
For now the market likes the idea, the share price says so, but the real test is whether tokenization tears down walls or just builds new ones in different places.
Robinhood’s stock has surged over 135% year-to-date and more than 300% in the past 12 months, reflecting investor optimism. As of June 30, 2025, the stock is trading at $92.82, with a market capitalidation exceeding $70 billion^.