Robinhood is realizing the crypto vision

Robinhood’s adoption of Arbitrum’s Layer 2 technology marks a significant shift in how traditional finance (TradFi) engages with crypto. Rather than treating crypto as a speculative asset, Robinhood is embedding it as a foundational infrastructure layer which is especially important for its expansion into the EU. This approach abstracts away the technical complexity (e.g., key management, RPCs), offering users a seamless experience powered by blockchain in the background.

Key Ideas

Robinhood Uses Arbitrum to Deliver Seamless EU Trading: By leveraging Layer 2 scaling, Robinhood ensures EU customers get a fast, low-cost trading experience comparable to US standards—proving that crypto can rebuild core financial systems.
The Rise of “Just Fi” - Crypto as Invisible Infrastructure: This move blurs the line between DeFi and TradFi. Crypto becomes an invisible backend layer, democratizing access to financial services without requiring users to interact directly with blockchain mechanics.

Why It Matters?

Cross-border retail financial services that rely on proprietary settlement systems are at risk. In this cenario the best solution could be to adopt a “Crypto in the Background” strategy - integrate Layer 2 solutions like Arbitrum to cut costs, enable trustless settlement, and expand aggressively into new markets with minimal friction.