ARKW Becomes First ETF to Trade Bitcoin

September 16, 2024 by
ARKW Becomes First ETF to Trade Bitcoin

ARK Investment Management LLC, a New York-based issuer of several notable ETFs, announced it is adding bitcoin to one of its portfolios.

This is the first time an ETF has been given access to a cryptocurrency, beating the Winklevoss Bitcoin Trust ETF in the process. The brothers are still working on getting approval with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

“We believe the bitcoin platform could be as big as the Internet platform, which, in its early days, also faced tests associated with illicit activities,” said Catherine Wood, CEO and founder of Ark Invest. “We would prefer to invest after, rather than before, such tests. We have been impressed that the bitcoin price has stabilized in the $200-300 range. It could have imploded but has survived.”

Wood is also the Chief Investment Officer of the group. According to issuer data, the ETF holds an average of 50 companies that are considered disruptive, such as Facebook, Amazon, Netflix and Apple.

For now, the Bitcoin Investment Trust is the ETF’s smallest holding. The group will likely gauge the performance of their entry before engaging in riskier commitments.

“We’re excited to receive an investment into the Bitcoin Investment Trust from an innovative firm like ARK,” said Grayscale Founder Barry Silbert. “ARK, a pioneer in the investment community, is in good company. Recent news has highlighted Goldman Sachs, UBS and Citi for their initiatives in the digital currency space.”

Most bitcoin advocates praise the digital currency for its record-keeping technology. While very few consider it as a worthwhile investment due to its volatile nature.

In the past 12 months, the value of bitcoin dropped significantly. But based on data from Coinbase, transactions in the virtual currency have roughly doubled since the fluctuation. This has contributed to bitcoin’s overall stability, as it regains a foothold in the financial community.

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