Cathie Wood increases crypto stock holdings: ARK invests $21.8 million in COIN, Circle, and Bullish, signaling a clear crypto strategy for 2026

On January 26, Cathie Wood’s ARK Invest completed its first crypto-related stock allocation for 2026 amid a digital asset correction, investing approximately $21.8 million with the goal of locking in the top compliant US CEX (COIN), Circle Internet Group, and Bullish, signaling a continued optimism for the infrastructure and stablecoin sectors.

Specifically, ARK Innovation ETF and ARK Fintech Innovation ETF purchased a total of 38,854 shares of COIN, with an additional 3,325 shares bought by another fund, totaling about $9.4 million. During the same period, ARK increased its holdings of Circle stock by 129,446 shares, worth approximately $9.2 million; and bought 88,533 shares of Bullish, investing around $3.2 million. On that day, COIN closed at $216.95, down 2.77%; Circle dipped slightly by 0.03%; Bullish fell 2% to $35.75. ARK also reduced its Meta Platforms holdings by 12,400 shares, worth about $8.03 million, to free up funds.

In Q4 2025, ARK was weighed down by crypto-related stocks, with COIN declining more than Bitcoin and Ethereum, as centralized spot trading volume dropped 9% quarter-over-quarter, becoming a primary pressure on fund performance; additionally, Roblox faced pressure due to lowered profit guidance and Russian sanctions. Nevertheless, ARK’s long-term outlook on Bitcoin and crypto infrastructure remains unchanged. Cathie Wood had established exposure as early as 2015 through the Grayscale Bitcoin Investment Trust, emphasizing that the fixed supply of 21 million coins gives it “infrastructure-level” value. ARK projects the crypto market size could reach $28 trillion by 2030, with Bitcoin accounting for about 70%, and under the assumption of increased institutional participation, its price range could hit $950,000 to $1,000,000.

As of now, the crypto-related assets within ARK’s ETFs have exceeded $1.3 billion, including approximately $393 million in COIN, $205 million in Circle, and $125 million in Bullish; Bitmine Immersion Technologies and Robinhood are also significant holdings. As Bitcoin ETFs and corporate holdings continue to rise through 2025, this rebalancing by ARK is seen as a forward-looking move toward the crypto stocks and stablecoin ecosystem in 2026.