Few investors in modern finance are as polarizing, or as consistently bold as Cathie Wood.
The Ark Invest founder and CEO has built her name on high-conviction, high-volatility bets, often diving into innovation sectors long before Wall Street catches up.
From backing Tesla when it was dismissed as overvalued, to loading up on Coinbase through crypto winters, Wood’s trades have repeatedly shaped the market’s conversation about disruption.
Cathie Wood’s Ark Invest, a U.S.-based investment management firm, has once again increased its exposure to the digital asset ecosystem, snapping up $21.3 million worth of Robinhood Markets (HOOD) shares across two of its flagship exchange-traded funds (ETFs).
Robinhood Markets is a commission-free trading platform bridging traditional investing and the fast-growing world of digital assets.
According to Ark’s daily trade disclosure on Oct. 22, the firm snapped up $21.3 million worth of Robinhood Markets (HOOD) shares across two of its flagship exchange-traded funds. The Ark Innovation ETF (ARKK) purchased 131,049 shares, while the Ark Next Generation Internet ETF (ARKW) added 36,440 shares.
Combined, Robinhood now represents nearly 19% of both funds’ total holdings. The purchase comes amid a broader accumulation of crypto-adjacent stocks by Ark, including Coinbase (COIN), Bullish, and ETH-treasury firm BitMine.
Robinhood has transformed from a retail-trading app into one of the most ambitious fintechs in the crypto space. Over the past year, the company has quietly built out an ecosystem rivaling that of dedicated exchanges.
In May 2025, it acquired WonderFi for $180 million to expand its Canadian footprint. The following month, it closed a $200 million deal for Bitstamp, one of the world’s oldest crypto exchanges — granting Robinhood a global presence and access to institutional order books.
The company is also developing a Layer-2 blockchain built on Arbitrum, and recently added BNB trading to its platform. That combination — retail scale, global licensing, and on-chain infrastructure — has drawn fresh interest from institutional investors.
“It’s historically been rare to see a company that credibly bridges both sides of the aisle — crypto-native and traditional,” said Caitlin, an investment partner at Paradigm, after attending Robinhood’s July 2025 crypto showcase.
The purchase aligns with Wood’s thesis that blockchain-based finance is becoming an integral part of the next wave of market innovation.
Over the past year, Ark has steadily rotated into firms enabling or directly exposed to crypto adoption.
While Tesla and Palantir dominate Ark’s investment headlines, Wood’s funds have steadily rotated toward firms bridging traditional finance and blockchain.
“Blockchain and AI are converging faster than people think,” she told Forbes, adding that crypto adoption remains central to Ark’s long-term innovation thesis.
Despite a volatile crypto market, funds have continued to accumulate companies with strong user growth and compliance footprints in the digital asset space.
At press time on Oct. 23, 2025, the global crypto market capitalization sits around $3.76 trillion, up 0.4% over 24 hours.
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Bitcoin (BTC) is trading near $108,897, up 0.9% on the day.
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Ethereum (ETH) follows at $3,838, showing mild strength.
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BNB is holding above $1,090, while XRP trades at $2.39.
Meanwhile, Solana (SOL) is up 1.8%, changing hands around $188.9, as investors look ahead to Solana Breakpoint 2025 — the network’s annual developer conference set for Dec. 11–13 at the Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi. Core builders and venture partners are expected to unveil new products and expansion roadmaps for the Solana ecosystem.
Related: What is tokenization? Explained
This story was originally reported by TheStreet on Oct 23, 2025, where it first appeared in the Technology News section. Add TheStreet as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
