Demand for U.S. stocks is surging globally, pushing investors to look beyond domestic markets, Johann Kerbrat, senior vice president and general manager in charge of cryptocurrencies at Robinhood, said during a fireside chat at Consensus 2026 in Miami.
“We are seeing strong demand for US stocks from foreign investors, particularly linked to AI-related companies,” Kerbrat said, adding that access remains limited in many regions compared to the United States.
Kerbrat said investors should move from country-specific strategies to a global allocation now that they have 24/7 international trading platforms at their disposal. “It’s time for many investors to really think not only about how to invest in a specific country, but also how to have a global portfolio,” he said.
The Kraken executive pointed to tokenization and round-the-clock trading as key enablers. “We think it will be 24/7. We think it will be instant settlement,” he said, describing features that could differentiate tokenized assets from traditional brokerage products.
The discussion, moderated by Crypto in America host Eleanor Terrett, also addressed regulatory limitations in the United States. Kerbrat said that “regulation in the United States has been unfriendly in the past,” although he noted that engagement with policymakers has improved recently.
Robinhood has launched tokenized equity products in Europe using a derivative model that tracks underlying assets, with plans to expand access to additional asset classes, including private equity. Kerbrat said the goal is broader participation in markets that have historically been limited to accredited investors.
“I think it’s really important to give them the option to be able to invest in it before it goes public,” he said, referring to private companies.
Kerbrat said adoption will depend on offering new functionality rather than replicating existing brokerage services, and cited lending, collateralization and continuous trading as areas of development.
Kraken, which trails platforms like OKX, Bybit, and Coinbase (COIN) in spot trading volumes, but remains a major player in the crypto derivatives market. is a US-based crypto exchange where users can buy, sell, and trade digital assets like bitcoin and ether using fiat or crypto. It has expanded into services such as derivatives, betting and custody, positioning itself as a more full-service trading platform beyond a basic retail application.
