Key Highlights
- Cathie Wood’s ARK Invest has digitized its ARK Venture Fund (ARKVX) using Securitize’s platform on the Ethereum blockchain.
- The portfolio includes equity positions in OpenAI, Anthropic, Stripe, and Databricks, among other innovative firms.
- Token holders receive fund-level ownership, not direct equity in portfolio companies.
- A modified SEC order granted approval on September 21 for the tokenized share structure.
- ARK maintains investment management duties while Securitize oversees blockchain-based share distribution.
ARK Invest, led by Cathie Wood, has introduced a blockchain-based version of its ARK Venture Fund through a collaboration with Securitize on the Ethereum network.
Trading under the symbol ARKVX, this actively managed interval fund targets extended growth opportunities by investing in cutting-edge technology enterprises.
The portfolio presently features positions in OpenAI, Anthropic, Stripe, and Databricks. ARK has noted that these investments may evolve as portfolio managers rebalance allocations.
Qualified investors now have the opportunity to acquire tokenized positions in ARKVX via Securitize’s platform. These digital tokens represent ownership in the fund structure rather than direct equity in any individual portfolio holding.
Understanding the Tokenization Structure
This initiative does not involve tokenizing the portfolio companies themselves. Shares of OpenAI and Anthropic are not being independently digitized or placed on the blockchain.
Rather, the fund vehicle itself has been represented through digital tokens on Ethereum. Securitize handles the blockchain-based token creation and manages the investor interface for this process.
Industry sources suggest additional blockchain platforms may be incorporated following this Ethereum debut. However, no specific schedule has been announced for such expansion.
Securitize has clarified that ARKVX tokens do not trade on traditional securities exchanges. The firm anticipates limited secondary market activity for these digital shares in the near term.
Participation continues to be governed by investor qualification requirements and conventional regulatory frameworks. These limitations function identically to those applicable to the fund’s conventional, non-tokenized share structure.
Regulatory Approval Process
The Securities and Exchange Commission issued an amended authorization for the fund on September 21, enabling ARK to distribute a tokenized share category.
This category may be traded through alternative trading platforms or quoted via other sanctioned mechanisms. A distinct category under the same authorization could potentially appear on a national securities exchange later.
The SEC noted that no parties requested a hearing prior to the order becoming effective. Approval does not indicate that shares are currently trading on any alternative platform.
This authorization followed ARK’s earlier filing requesting modifications to relief initially granted in November 2025. During that initial phase, ARK had not yet identified a specific blockchain network or technology partner.
The current announcement provides those specifics, explicitly naming Ethereum and Securitize as collaborators. Investors purchasing fund tokens pay net asset value in addition to any relevant sales fees.
The ARK-Securitize Collaboration History
This collaboration stems from ARK’s $10 million strategic investment in Securitize completed in October 2025. That transaction centered on jointly developing compliant tokenized investment vehicles.
Securitize subsequently pursued public market access through a combination with a Cantor Fitzgerald-supported special purpose acquisition company. The arrangement includes a $225 million private financing component.
Securitize currently operates under the ticker symbol SECZ on the New York Stock Exchange. ARK Invest appears among its strategic investors.
ARK has simultaneously broadened its cryptocurrency-related investments through other channels. Last August, the company acquired approximately $37.4 million worth of Block equity and $3.36 million in Circle equity.
Those transactions represented standalone equity acquisitions through ARK’s exchange-traded fund vehicles. They operated independently from the ARKVX tokenization initiative.
The ARKVX debut arrives after the SEC’s wider September exemption permitting certain tokenized U.S. equities to trade under designated conditions for a five-year period. That independent order addresses individual corporate shares on approved platforms, separate from ARK’s fund-specific authorization.
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