Robinhood has announced its intention to further expand its tokenized stock offerings, despite criticism from OpenAI and warnings from regulators.
This is reported by Finway
Controversies Surrounding the Launch of Tokenized Stocks
Robinhood’s CEO Vlad Tenev acknowledged that the launch of tokenized stocks for private companies, including OpenAI, sparked lively discussions in the financial sector. The company launched an airdrop of tokenized stocks on the Arbitrum blockchain in early July 2025. However, these tokens did not grant ownership rights or voting rights; they merely reflected the hypothetical market value of the firms on the secondary market.
“Being the first to actually tokenize large companies is a significant achievement. Of course, whenever you do something innovative, it generates some controversy,” Tenev stated in an interview with Decrypt.
OpenAI sharply criticized Robinhood’s initiative, emphasizing that the company had not granted permission for the distribution of such securities. The tokens were distributed only in European jurisdictions.
Tenev noted that the company is focused on creating a useful product for customers rather than on negative reactions or media hype.
Regulatory Response and Future Plans for the Company
Following the launch of the tokenized stocks, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) issued an official warning regarding potential legal consequences. SEC Commissioner Hester Peirce emphasized:
“No matter how powerful blockchain technology is, it does not have the magical ability to change the nature of the underlying asset. Tokenized securities remain securities.”
Peirce stressed that market participants must comply with existing legislation regardless of technological innovations.
Vlad Tenev responded that the SEC’s reaction pertained to general approaches to asset tokenization and was not specifically directed against Robinhood. According to him, the company is involved in developing appropriate regulatory frameworks.
Tenev also reported on further plans to scale the initiative and integrate tokenized stocks into decentralized finance (DeFi) platforms:
“Now it’s about scaling the initiative to more companies and determining the path to the next phases of DeFi,” Tenev said, hinting at the future integration of tokenized stocks into decentralized financial platforms.
Additionally, it was recently reported that the Florida state attorney’s office has charged Robinhood with misinformation in promoting its services.