The Web3 creator economy just gained another major bridge to mainstream finance. Zora, the Base-powered tokenization platform developed within Coinbase’s ecosystem, has officially gone live on Robinhood, marking a pivotal moment in its evolution from a niche creator hub to a regulated trading asset.
Robinhood confirmed the listing on X, sparking a wave of enthusiasm across the crypto market. Within hours, ZORA’s token price surged by more than 35%, climbing to around $0.0768 according to CoinMarketCap. The move signals growing investor confidence in projects that merge creativity with blockchain utility.
Zora’s inclusion on Robinhood follows its earlier expansion through Coinbase’s Base Layer 2, effectively giving the platform exposure to both institutional and retail audiences. The dual integration allows millions of users on both platforms to interact with the same digital creator ecosystem – one designed to mint, trade, and monetize social tokens tied to individual creators, posts, or communities.
With over 1.5 million creator tokens issued and $420 million in total trading volume, Zora is rapidly establishing itself as a major Web3 infrastructure for digital content monetization. The project’s structure also gives creators a tangible stake in platform activity: 50% of all 1% trading fees are distributed back to creators, providing a recurring incentive for sustained participation.
Unlike Pump.fun, which focuses on the rapid creation of meme tokens for speculative trading, Zora emphasizes long-term creator value and utility-based token models. Its alignment with Coinbase gives it access to regulatory-grade infrastructure and institutional liquidity – advantages Pump.fun currently lacks.
The launch of Firelight earlier this year and Coinbase’s ongoing work to become a qualified digital asset custodian have reinforced Zora’s reputation as a compliant and scalable ecosystem. Additionally, the new Base App rebrand integrated Zora’s tokenization framework, which, according to Dune Analytics, has doubled daily token distributions, strengthening its position in the emerging “social DeFi” landscape.
Zora’s growth has also extended into Coinbase’s decentralized exchange (DEX), where Base-native tokens – many of which originate from Zora – now enjoy greater liquidity access. This interconnection creates a continuous feedback loop between creative output and financial opportunity.
Though Pump.fun still outpaces Zora in overall revenue, analysts argue that Zora’s institutional partnerships and compliance-ready architecture give it superior long-term potential. What began as an experimental Web3 platform has now evolved into a mainstream creator economy network, bridging the gap between artistic expression, community finance, and regulated digital trading.
