Robinhood Opens Public Testnet for Ethereum Layer-2 Chain Ahead of 2026 Mainnet
Robinhood opened its proprietary Ethereum Layer-2 network to public testnet users on February 11, enabling developers to deploy smart contracts and trade with reduced gas fees. The initiative precedes a planned mainnet rollout in late 2026 and targets significantly higher throughput than Ethereum mainnet.
1. Public Testnet Launch
On February 11, Robinhood made its Ethereum Layer-2 chain available in public testnet, granting access to developers and early adopters for trial. Participants can spin up nodes, deploy contracts and submit transactions to assess network stability.
2. Technical Architecture
The Layer-2 employs optimistic rollups to batch transactions off-chain and post proofs on Ethereum mainnet, driving down gas costs and boosting throughput. Initial benchmarks indicate sub-1 second finality for testnet blocks.
3. User and Developer Benefits
Developers can integrate decentralized applications and liquidity pools with reduced fees, while traders may experience faster settlement times. The testnet also provides fee-estimation tools and API access for wallet partners.
4. Mainnet Roadmap
Feedback from the public testnet will inform optimizations ahead of a full mainnet launch targeted for Q4 2026, with phased rollouts of permissionless validators and cross-chain bridges.