eToro’s entrance to the Nasdaq was met with enthusiasm on Wednesday, as shares surged nearly 30% by market close — and Ark Invest wasted no time getting in on the action.
Cathie Wood’s Ark Invest purchased 140,000 shares of the trading platform, investing $9.4 million through its Fintech Innovation ETF (ARKF). The stock, listed under the ticker ETOR, ended its first trading session at $67, well above the IPO price of $52, signaling strong investor appetite despite recent market turbulence.
eToro had initially postponed its public debut, originally planned for March, due to economic uncertainty tied to trade policy shifts under the Trump administration. Its eventual IPO reflects renewed confidence among crypto-adjacent companies looking to go public, joining names like Circle and Animoca Brands.
Ark is known for making bold bets on tech-driven companies during their early public days. The firm famously snapped up 750,000 shares of Coinbase when it went public in 2021. However, Ark keeps a strict rule in place: no single stock can dominate more than 10% of a fund’s portfolio, allowing for regular rebalancing as stock values shift.
As of the latest data, eToro ranks 33rd within Ark’s ARKW fund, making up 0.93% of the portfolio — far behind heavyweights like Shopify, Coinbase, and Robinhood, which hold top positions with valuations between $74 million and $100 million.
In a recent interview with Bankless, Tether CEO Paolo Ardoino shed light on the growing adoption of stablecoins like USDT, linking their rise to global economic instability and shifting generational dynamics.
In a statement that marks a major policy shift, U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent confirmed that blockchain technologies will play a central role in the future of American payments, with the U.S. dollar officially moving “onchain.”
JPMorgan and other major U.S. banks are under fire for a lawsuit aimed at dismantling the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s (CFPB) newly established “Open Banking Rule.”
The crypto market remains firmly in “Greed” territory, with CoinMarketCap’s Fear & Greed Index clocking in at 69/100 on July 19. Despite a modest 24-hour dip from 71, the index has now held above 60 for 11 consecutive days.