Key Highlights
- The dYdX development team behind Arcus has unveiled pTokens on Robinhood Chain, transforming perpetual futures contracts into tradable ERC-20 tokens
- Initial offerings include pBTC3x and pHOOD3x, delivering triple-leveraged exposure to Bitcoin and Robinhood stock respectively
- Users can now deploy tokenized stocks as collateral for leveraged positions while maintaining their holdings
- The platform has processed more than $2 billion in cumulative trades, maintaining daily volumes exceeding $100 million
- Since its July 1 debut, Robinhood Chain has accumulated over $600 million in total value locked
The team responsible for dYdX has unveiled a groundbreaking protocol on Robinhood Chain through their Arcus decentralized exchange. This innovative system transforms perpetual futures contracts into transferable ERC-20 tokens known as pTokens.
These pTokens function as proportional ownership shares in an Arcus perpetuals account, locked at specific markets and leverage ratios. Users can trade these instruments like standard spot tokens, eliminating the need for direct margin or collateral management.
The initial product lineup features pBTC and pBTC3x, providing 1x and 3x leveraged long and short positions on Bitcoin. Additionally, pHOOD3x delivers 3x leveraged long exposure to Robinhood’s stock price.
Investors can now utilize tokenized equities as collateral for leveraged positions. This innovation enables traders to maintain their portfolio holdings while accessing additional leverage.
Eddie Zhang, CEO of Arcus, explained that the initiative aims to replicate leveraged ETF strategies within blockchain ecosystems. He characterized pTokens as a mechanism for converting managed perpetual positions into movable digital assets.
The Mechanics Behind pTokens
These ERC-20-compliant tokens integrate seamlessly with lending protocols and various on-chain applications. They simplify leveraged perpetual positions into easily transportable digital assets.
The pToken framework enables traders to gain leveraged exposure to assets such as Bitcoin, Solana, and HYPE. These instruments mirror the functionality of traditional leveraged exchange-traded funds.
Developed through a collaboration with Robinhood Crypto, Arcus has facilitated over $2 billion in aggregate trading activity on Robinhood Chain. The platform consistently maintains average daily volumes above $100 million.
The Arcus perpetuals waitlist has attracted more than 85,000 registered users. This substantial interest signals increasing demand for blockchain-based leveraged trading instruments.
Robinhood Chain’s Rapid Expansion
Robinhood Chain operates as an Ethereum Layer 2 solution powered by Arbitrum’s underlying technology. The network launched its public mainnet on July 1, offering tokenized securities, decentralized lending services, and perpetual futures trading.
Total value locked on the chain has surged past $600 million. The network has also facilitated over $26 billion in aggregate decentralized exchange trading volume since its inception.
According to DeFiLlama metrics, Robinhood Chain has secured a position among the top 15 blockchains by DeFi total value locked. This achievement is remarkable given the chain’s recent launch just weeks ago.
The introduction of Arcus pTokens expands the financial product ecosystem on the chain. Market participants can now obtain leveraged exposure to both equities and cryptocurrencies through unified, transferable token instruments.
The network’s momentum continues as additional protocols establish their presence on the platform.


