Cathie Wood’s Ark Invest has once again doubled down on the fintech and crypto markets, purchasing roughly $21.3 million worth of Robinhood Markets (HOOD) shares this week, according to a Wednesday filing.
The move came through two of Ark’s exchange-traded funds (ETFs): the Ark Innovation ETF (ARKK), which bought 131,049 shares, and the ARK Next Generation Internet ETF, which added 36,440 shares. Together, Robinhood now represents close to 19% of both ETFs’ total holdings, underscoring Ark’s continued confidence in the trading platform’s long-term growth potential.
This latest investment is part of Ark’s broader push into crypto-related equities throughout 2025. The firm has been steadily increasing exposure to digital asset companies, including Robinhood, Coinbase, Bullish, and crypto treasury firm BitMine.
Meanwhile, Robinhood itself has been ramping up its crypto operations through a string of bold acquisitions and product rollouts. In May, the company bought Toronto-based WonderFi for about $180 million, marking its entry into the Canadian crypto market. A month later, it finalized a $200 million acquisition of Bitstamp, one of the world’s oldest crypto exchanges. Robinhood also revealed plans to launch its own Layer 2 blockchain built on Arbitrum—a move seen as a strategic step toward deeper integration with decentralized finance (DeFi).
In addition, Robinhood recently expanded its crypto offerings by adding BNB (Binance Coin) trading to its platform. Data shows that Robinhood Crypto processed $28.3 billion in trading volume during the second quarter of 2025, up 24% year-over-year—a sign of rising user engagement amid the broader crypto rebound.
Despite the buying spree, Robinhood’s stock dipped 3.5% on Wednesday, closing at $127.22. Market analysts suggest the decline reflects short-term volatility rather than any change in investor sentiment.
Ark Invest’s latest move reinforces Cathie Wood’s conviction that the intersection of fintech and blockchain remains a powerful growth frontier. For Robinhood, the continued backing from one of Wall Street’s most influential investors highlights growing confidence in its evolving crypto ambitions.
