Cathie Wood’s Ark Invest has made bold moves by buying more Robinhood shares and increasing its stake in its own Bitcoin ETF, signaling strong conviction in digital finance and growth stocks despite ongoing market turbulence.
Key Takeaways
- Ark Invest purchased 124,427 shares of Robinhood worth $15.4 million across ARKK and ARKW ETFs following a 9.1% stock drop.
- The firm also acquired 13,700 shares of its own Bitcoin ETF (ARKB) valued at about $417,000, even amid net fund outflows.
- Robinhood is now the 7th-largest holding in both the Ark Innovation ETF and the Ark Next Generation Internet ETF.
- The moves reflect Ark’s strategy of rebalancing and seizing market dips in high-conviction, crypto-linked investments.
What Happened?
Cathie Wood’s Ark Invest made a sizable bet on Robinhood and its Bitcoin ETF last week, stepping in to purchase shares following a steep decline in Robinhood’s stock price. Despite ongoing volatility in both the equity and cryptocurrency markets, Ark showed confidence in its long-term strategy and belief in the potential of digital asset platforms.
JUST IN: Ark Invest bought 124,427 Robinhood $HOOD shares worth $15.4M and added 13,700 shares of its Bitcoin ETF ARKB worth about $417K. pic.twitter.com/dxJlQa0DZI
— CryptoWhale (@CryptoWhale) December 12, 2025
Ark Invest Increases Robinhood Holdings
On Thursday, Ark Invest acquired 124,427 shares of Robinhood, totaling about $15.4 million in investment. The majority of these shares went to the flagship Ark Innovation ETF (ARKK), which bought 96,048 shares worth $11.9 million. The remaining 28,379 shares valued at $3.5 million were allocated to the Ark Next Generation Internet ETF (ARKW).
The purchase coincided with a 9.05% drop in Robinhood’s stock price, creating what Ark seemingly viewed as a favorable buying opportunity. As of December 12, Robinhood accounts for 4.4% of ARKK’s portfolio, valued at $351.6 million, and 4.7% of ARKW, worth about $106.9 million.
This latest purchase aligns with Ark’s long-standing strategy of rebalancing its ETFs to ensure no single stock exceeds 10% of any fund’s total value. This not only maintains portfolio diversification but also mitigates risks in volatile market conditions.
Crypto Expansion and European Growth Play
The investment comes on the heels of Robinhood’s recent expansion into crypto services in Europe, where it introduced new perpetual futures trading pairs for XRP, Solana, and Dogecoin. These offerings allow up to 7x leverage, targeting more advanced crypto traders and aiming to solidify Robinhood’s international crypto footprint.
Despite these efforts, Robinhood’s November performance update revealed slower trading activity, though it showed positive growth in deposits and margin balances. This contributed to the stock’s recent decline. However, Bank of America Securities analyst Craig Siegenthaler maintained a Buy rating, adjusting the price target from $166 to $154.
Ark Buys More of Its Own Bitcoin ETF
In a parallel move, Ark Invest also increased its position in its own Bitcoin ETF (ARKB). The firm acquired 13,700 shares, valued at approximately $417,000, spread across the Ark Next Generation Internet ETF and the Ark Fintech Innovation ETF.
This purchase came amid $16.4 million in net outflows from ARKB on December 11. Despite that, Ark’s move shows its continued confidence in Bitcoin, which was trading around $92,522 as of December 12, up 2.5% in the previous 24 hours.
Strategic Pattern of Rebalancing
This is not a one-off trade. Just over a week earlier, Ark also purchased $7.5 million in Coinbase shares for ARKK. These trades form part of a broader portfolio rebalancing approach, where Ark adjusts holdings to remain within set risk and concentration limits.
Within ARKW, Robinhood now ranks just behind Coinbase, highlighting its growing importance in Ark’s digital finance thesis. The consistent accumulation of crypto-adjacent assets like Coinbase, Robinhood, and ARKB reflects Ark’s long-term outlook on the digital finance ecosystem.
CoinLaw’s Takeaway
In my experience watching Ark Invest, this isn’t just buying the dip. It’s a textbook play from Cathie Wood’s high-conviction, high-risk strategy. She’s shown time and again that when the market panics, Ark looks for opportunity. I found it particularly interesting that they doubled down on both Robinhood and ARKB in one go, even as money was flowing out of Bitcoin ETFs. That shows serious belief in the digital asset future. Whether or not you agree with the risk, this kind of consistency is part of what makes Ark such a fascinating fund to follow.
