Robinhood Shares Soar as SEC OKs Blockchain Stock Trading
Ryan's approval of the Innovation Exemption by the SEC has triggered a significant surge in Robinhood shares, which rose by around 9.6% on September 18th, closing at $120 after opening at $113.
The exemption allows eligible platforms to trade tokenized versions of US stocks on blockchain venues without full traditional exchange registration, provided they meet certain conditions and adhere to specific rules.
Robinhood's own Ethereum Layer-2 network, Robinhood Chain, has already processed over $9.7B in decentralized exchange volume, while the company reported revenue of $1.31B and net income of $573M in Q2 2026, representing a 32% and 48% year-over-year growth respectively.
The exemption is effective immediately but is conditional and time-limited, with a five-year runway that analysts believe will benefit Robinhood's growth prospects.