Bitcoin News Today: ARK Invest's Crypto Bets Signal Mainstream Acceptance

ARK Invest, led by Cathie Wood, has further solidified its bullish stance on the cryptocurrency ecosystem by acquiring $30.9 million in Block Inc. shares and an additional $5 million in Bullish exchange shares this week, signaling renewed confidence in crypto-linked equities amid a broader resurgence in Bitcoin ETF inflows and regulatory progress, according to a Yahoo report. The purchases spanned multiple ARK ETFs, including ARKK, ARKW, and ARKF, and align with the firm's strategy of backing companies at the intersection of blockchain technology and financial innovation, as described in a TheCoinrise article.

The Block Inc. investment, one of the largest single-day trades for ARK, reflects the firm's focus on firms enabling Bitcoin adoption. Block's Square division recently launched tools allowing U.S. merchants to accept Bitcoin without fees and convert daily sales into BTC, a move that ARK analysts see as critical for expanding the cryptocurrency's real-world utility, the Yahoo report said. This comes as U.S. spot Bitcoin ETFs, including ARK's own ARKB, have seen over $76 million in net inflows, marking three consecutive days of gains.

Simultaneously, ARK added $5 million in Bullish exchange shares following the platform's U.S. launch, which secured New York's BitLicense and money transmission license to enable trading in 20 states, according to Coinotag. The investment builds on prior purchases, including an initial $172 million post-IPO and a $8.27 million acquisition in mid-October, underscoring ARK's belief in Bullish's potential to bridge traditional finance and crypto markets. Bullish, which processes over $1.5 trillion in global trading volume, has positioned itself as a top-10 exchange for Bitcoin and Ether, with its U.S. expansion expected to attract institutional capital.

ARK's recent trades also highlight a strategic pivot toward payment networks and retail trading platforms. The firm added $21.3 million in Robinhood shares and $16.5 million in DraftKings stock, both of which offer exposure to growing demand for crypto and prediction markets, the Yahoo report noted and further detailed in a Benzinga piece. Meanwhile, ARK trimmed holdings in Palantir and Shopify, selling $4.1 million and $10.9 million in those names, respectively; Benzinga also covered those moves.

The broader crypto market has seen increased institutional interest, with new ETFs for Solana, Hedera, and Litecoin launching this week, the Yahoo report added. ARK's accumulation of Block and Bullish shares coincides with BNB Chain overtaking TRON as the most active network for stablecoin transactions, driven by decentralized exchange volume and Binance-backed incentives, according to a Crypto.news report. Despite volatility, Bitcoin traded near $114,000, while Ether hovered around $4,060, reflecting sustained momentum in the sector.

Analysts at ARK and industry observers note that regulatory clarity is becoming a key driver of crypto adoption. Bullish's U.S. launch, led by former NYSE president Tom Farley, has positioned it as a compliant alternative to larger exchanges, with its global order book offering immediate liquidity to new clients, Coinotag reported. Similarly, Block's regulatory alignment with Square's Bitcoin tools has drawn institutional attention, with its stock up 37.43% over six months, as TheCoinrise noted.

As ARK continues to bet on crypto infrastructure, the firm's strategy underscores a broader shift in the market. With Bitcoin ETFs gaining traction and new altcoin products entering regulated channels, investors are increasingly viewing crypto as a mainstream asset class. ARK's latest trades, however, also highlight the sector's fragmentation, as liquidity spreads across multiple chains and platforms, a point emphasized by Crypto.news.