ARK Invest Makes Contrarian Moves in Crypto Market: Buys $26 Million Coinbase, Sells $12 Million Bitcoin ETF
New York – Amid the volatile crypto market following former President Donald Trump’s trade tariff announcement, ARK Invest has made contradictory investment moves, increasing its purchases of Coinbase stock while selling a portion of its Bitcoin ETF (ARKB) holdings.
According to the latest trading data, ARK spent $26.6 million on Coinbase (COIN) shares in two major trading sessions in early April — specifically $13.3 million on April 4 and $13.2 million on April 7. Coinbase is currently one of the most prominent listed blockchain technology assets, often considered the “representative” of the cryptocurrency industry on the stock market.
ARK also sold $12 million worth of ARK 21Shares Bitcoin ETF (ARKB) shares from the ARK Next Generation Internet ETF (ARKW) on April 7 — one of the largest single-day sales of ARKB since early 2024. ARK has previously trimmed its ARKB position several times, totaling about $20.1 million.
Remaining Committed to Digital Assets
Despite the sales, ARK continues to maintain a strong position in digital assets. As of April 8, the ARKW fund still held $142 million worth of ARKB shares, or 11% of the fund’s total weight, according to data from the ARK Invest website.
The move comes as Bitcoin prices fell 11% to around $74,700 following Trump’s announcement of new tariffs. The sharp decline has been followed by a wave of sell-offs and outflows from Bitcoin ETF products globally:
- $207 million in outflows over the past week
- $109 million on April 7 alone
- $273 million in negative outflows over the last three trading sessions
However, ARK remains one of the few Bitcoin spot ETF issuers with positive net inflows year-to-date. As of April 4, ARK recorded $146 million in inflows into ARKB in 2025. Other institutions such as BlackRock (iShares) and ProShares also showed positive performance with inflows of $3.2 billion and $398 million, respectively.
Aggressive Portfolio Management Strategy
ARK’s current investment moves mirror the aggressive portfolio management strategy it demonstrated in early March, when it purchased 38,865 shares of Coinbase worth $8 million, while simultaneously selling $8.2 million of ARKB shares.
This approach aligns with ARK’s risk management principles, which limit asset concentration to no more than 10% of the portfolio, ensuring diversification — especially important in a highly volatile market like crypto.