Latest news with #JohannKerbrat
Time of India
2 days ago
- Business
- Time of India
Wall Street wants to make private markets a little more public
There's a new darling on Wall Street : private markets . Because that's where the party is now. Companies are staying private for longer-the number of publicly traded companies has dropped by nearly half over the past three decades, with nearly 1,500 startups worldwide currently boasting a valuation of $1 billion or more-and, according to the global consultancy Bain & Company, private market assets have more than tripled since 2013. The firm expects them to grow twice as fast as public assets in the future, reaching $62 trillion globally by 2034. Explore courses from Top Institutes in Select a Course Category MCA Healthcare Product Management MBA CXO Data Science Artificial Intelligence Technology others Data Science Digital Marketing Finance Project Management healthcare Operations Management Others Leadership Management Public Policy Design Thinking Cybersecurity PGDM Degree Data Analytics Skills you'll gain: Programming Proficiency Data Handling & Analysis Cybersecurity Awareness & Skills Artificial Intelligence & Machine Learning Duration: 24 Months Vellore Institute of Technology VIT Master of Computer Applications Starts on Aug 14, 2024 Get Details by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Play War Thunder now for free War Thunder Play Now Undo Historically, private equity investments were accessible only to wealthy and experienced investors. But in recent years, interest has soared among the retail class. Fund managers, brokerage houses and savvy startups are racing to build new products that expand access to all, and the newly appointed chair of the Securities and Exchange Commission , Paul S. Atkins, has signalled he supports the goal. "This is just the beginning," said the senior vice president of Robinhood Crypto, Johann Kerbrat, who is leading Robinhood's efforts to make PE tradable on its platform. Live Events Washington appears to be on board. Investments in private companies have typically been reserved for " accredited investors "-people that earn more than $200,000 a year or have a net worth of at least $1 million. The requirement is meant to protect everyday investors from high-risk investments. "There's not a lot of clarity, you can't get your money out, and you might lose all your money," said Jonathan Foster, the CEO at Angeles Wealth Management. Atkins indicated in May he planned to expand private markets access for retail investors. " Financial innovation sometimes means getting out of the way of capital formation," he said. The White House is reportedly finalising an executive order allowing 401(k) retirement savings plans to invest in private equity, according to The Wall Street Journal. That would ease the legal concerns that have kept private equity out of the US defined contribution market, which has grown from $9.6 trillion in 2022 to $12.4 trillion in 2024. New firms specialise in a secondary market for private shares. Trading platforms such as Forge Global, Destiny, Augment, Hiive, and EquityZen act as middlemen between early employees of private companies looking to sell their shares and public investors hoping to put their money in the private entity. Forge, for example, currently offers investment opportunities in roughly 200 hotshot private companies such as SpaceX, OpenAI, Anthropic, Figma and Stripe-with nearly 2,000 companies on the firm's radar. While these platforms require investors to be accredited, they have made it easier to find private shares (sometimes without permission from the companies that issued them). In March, Forge lowered its minimum investment threshold to just $5,000. "We believe in broadening access to all investors," said the company's chief strategy officer, Howe Ng, adding that Forge's total trading volume for the first quarter of 2025 increased by 132% over the prior quarter, topping out at $692.4 million.
Yahoo
11-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Why is Robinhood creating its own crypto blockchain?
Robinhood is making a bold leap into the future of finance, launching tokenised US stocks across Europe, introducing crypto staking in the US, and building its own Layer 2 blockchain. In this episode of Yahoo Finance Future Focus, our host Brian McGleenon speaks with Robinhood crypto SVP and general manager Johann Kerbrat about how the company is fusing crypto innovation with traditional finance to build a faster, cheaper, and more accessible platform for the next generation of investors.
Yahoo
11-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Robinhood doubles down on crypto with its own blockchain, 24/7 trading and tokenised stocks
Financial services company Robinhood (HOOD) has rolled out an expansion of its crypto and investing services, offering European users access to tokenised US stocks and giving Americans the chance to earn rewards by staking cryptocurrencies like ethereum (ETH-USD) and solana (SOL-USD). Read more: Crypto live prices The move marks a pivotal moment for the fintech company as it looks to merge the fast-evolving world of blockchain with traditional finance. Speaking to Yahoo Finance Future Focus, Robinhood crypto senior vice president and general manager Johann Kerbrat explained how the platform is leveraging blockchain technology to overhaul outdated systems and offer investors something different. At the heart of Robinhood's European expansion is the launch of tokenised US stocks and ETFs, digital representations of real equities issued on the blockchain. These 'stock tokens' allow users across 31 European countries to trade more than 200 US stocks and ETFs, including heavyweights like Apple (AAPL), Microsoft (MSFT), and Tesla (TSLA), without paying any commission or spread fees. Robinhood applies a 0.10% foreign exchange fee. "Right now, what we're launching in Europe is that EU customer will have access to 200 plus US stocks and ETF tokens, and the stock token holder will also be able to receive dividends directly into their app," Kerbrat said. It means European users can gain exposure to the US market, something that can be expensive due to regulatory barriers and foreign exchange costs, while also receiving dividend payouts like traditional shareholders. Read more: Why UK can leapfrog EU and US on crypto, according to Coinbase exec While the tokenised shares are synthetic representations backed by financial instruments, the user experience is nearly indistinguishable from trading traditional stocks. "It's less about trading a crypto product. It's more about using the benefit of crypto to get the improvement through it," Kerbrat said. Tokenisation, converting real-world assets into digital tokens that live on a blockchain, has been hailed as one of crypto's most promising innovations. BlackRock (BLK) CEO Larry Fink recently called it the 'next generation for markets.' For Robinhood, tokenising stocks isn't just about tech hype, it's about efficiency gains. "We've been vocal about the fact that we believe the traditional finance system is a bit outdated, and doesn't match how people are using products now, nowadays," said Kerbrat. "We think the blockchain will actually improve efficiencies, reduce time to wait, reduce fees and cost for the customer." Read more: Why bitcoin and gold are rallying as bond yields hit 30-year highs The benefits? Lower fees, faster settlement times, and eventually, the potential for 24/7 trading. "You can imagine a world where people can self custody the asset, they can trade them on defi, 24/7," Kerbrat said. "So I think for us it's a it's a key moment in the financial system, and we'll be able to really build on top of that." To support this new tokenised financial world, Robinhood is building its own Layer 2 blockchain, powered by Ethereum and based on the Arbitrum stack. Layer 2 blockchains are built on top of existing blockchain networks like Ethereum to boost speed and scalability while lowering transaction costs. Robinhood's in-house chain will eventually become the infrastructure behind its tokenised stock platform, enabling features like 24/7 trading, seamless bridging of assets, and self-custody for users. "We're already excited to build our own Robinhood layer two blockchain. It's going to be built on top of Ethereum using the Arbitrum stack," said Kerbrat. "We want the blockchain to be optimised for tokenised real world assets, you know, to have built in support for 24/7 trading, bridging, self custody, all the things that really matter for customers." While European users get access to tokenised stocks and crypto perpetual futures, American users are now being offered something long-requested — crypto staking. Starting with ethereum and solana, US customers can now stake their assets directly in the Robinhood app. Staking allows users to contribute to the security of blockchain networks in return for earning rewards, sort of like earning interest for locking up your crypto. "So really, what it means for staking is you are contributing to the network, not just to trade the assets, but also to help secure the network, and all the assets that are staked are used to validate the transaction," said Kerbrat. "When the customer will be staking their assets, they will be able to see directly the reward estimated for the period of time. And on a regular basis, they will receive a new reward, and they can decide to invest with it, or just to stake them again." The move comes as discussions heat up around whether ethereum staking should be allowed in spot ETFs. While regulators debate, Robinhood is already rolling out staking in a user-friendly interface designed to demystify the process. Robinhood is also offering crypto perpetual futures to users in the EU, a first for the company. This new feature lets experienced traders make bigger bets on the price of cryptocurrencies by using leverage, meaning they can trade with more money than they actually have. These trades are handled through the Bitstamp exchange, but Robinhood has designed a user-friendly interface to make things like leverage and risk easier to manage. Read more: 6 crypto developments in 2025 that will keep fuelling bitcoin's rally Kerbrat emphasised that despite the blockchain complexity behind the scenes, the interface remains clean and accessible for both tokenised stocks and traditionally traded equities. "When you're going to use the app, if you're a user from New York or a user from the EU, it will really look similar, except that on the EU app, it will tell you at the top that this is a token, and if you tap on it will give you all the explanation about the differences, but the actual trading experience will be really similar," Kerbrat said. Read more: Why pension funds are buying bitcoin What we know about Elon Musk's controversial blockchain vision for US How AI could change the internet擷取數據時發生錯誤 登入存取你的投資組合 擷取數據時發生錯誤 擷取數據時發生錯誤 擷取數據時發生錯誤 擷取數據時發生錯誤
Yahoo
02-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Robinhood Markets (HOOD) Soars 12.77% on Europe Token Launch
We recently published . Robinhood Markets, Inc. (NASDAQ:HOOD) is one of last week's top performers. Robinhood Markets surged by 12.77 percent on Monday to finish at $93.63 apiece as investors cheered the launch of tokens that will allow its European customers to invest in the US stock market. In a statement, Robinhood Markets, Inc. (NASDAQ:HOOD) said that its Robinhood Stock Tokens are now available to customers within the European Union, giving exposure to more than 200 US stocks and ETF tokens. The tokens feature zero commissions, dividend support, and 24/5 access. Stock token holders will also receive dividend payments directly in their app. 'Crypto was built by engineers for engineers, and has not been accessible to most people,' said Johann Kerbrat, General Manager and SVP for Robinhood Crypto. 'We're onboarding the world to crypto by making it as easy to use as possible—with the goal of bringing powerful tools into one intuitive platform.' According to Robinhood Markets, Inc. (NASDAQ:HOOD), stock tokens will initially be issued on Arbitrum. In the future, tokenized stocks will be facilitated by the company's own Robinhood Layer 2 blockchain, based on Arbitrum. A successful business person confidently managing their finances on a mobile device. Currently in development, the Robinhood blockchain will be optimized for tokenized real-world assets and built to support 24/7 trading, seamless bridging, and self-custody. While we acknowledge the potential of HOOD as an investment, our conviction lies in the belief that some AI stocks hold greater promise for delivering higher returns and have limited downside risk. If you are looking for an extremely cheap AI stock that is also a major beneficiary of Trump tariffs and onshoring, see our free report on the best short-term AI stock. READ NEXT: 20 Best AI Stocks To Buy Now and 30 Best Stocks to Buy Now According to Billionaires. Disclosure: None. This article is originally published at Insider Monkey.
CNBC
01-07-2025
- Business
- CNBC
Circle stock climbs after stablecoin issuer applies for a national bank charter: CNBC Crypto World
On today's episode of CNBC Crypto World, bitcoin falls to the $105,000 level to kick off the month of July. Plus, Robinhood CEO Vlad Tenev and Robinhood Crypto GM Johann Kerbrat discuss the retail trading platform's new crypto offerings. And, Dante Disparte, Circle's chief strategy officer, explains how the stablecoin issuer is moving forward on its mission to bring the tokens into the TradFi world.
