At a glance
ARKF charges 0.75% a year, above the 0.72% average of the 6 funds most like it (the 4th cheapest of 7). It has $700.8M in assets, the 4th largest of that group; it paid 0.09% of its price in distributions over the past 12 months, annual. Over the past year it returned −23.9% with distributions reinvested (S&P 500: +11.5%), 5th of those 7 funds; over three years it returned +36.8% a year. At its worst it fell 35.2% in the 2020 crash (S&P 500: 33.7%) and 63.7% in the 2022 bear market (S&P 500: 24.5%), and was back at its earlier high 2 months and 30 months after the lows. Its ten largest positions make up 54.7% of the fund, out of 40 in all.
The short version
ARK Fintech Innovation ETF (ARKF) is an actively managed stock fund from ARK Invest. As of July 31, 2026, it held about 40 fintech and blockchain companies, such as Shopify, Block, Robinhood and Coinbase, plus indirect bitcoin exposure. It is concentrated and very volatile: it lost 65% in 2022, then gained 93% in 2023. Its 0.75% expense ratio is slightly above the 0.72% average of similar funds.
Price history
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ARKF -23.9% over the year to Oct 27, 2026, total return with distributions reinvested.
How it has behaved
| YTD | 1 yr | 3 yr | 5 yr | 10 yr | Since start | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ARKF official prospectus, to Dec 31, 2024 | — | +34.45% | — | +9.21% | — | +11.31% |
| ARKF price data to Oct 27, 2026 | -6.6% | -23.9% | +36.8% | -3.2% | — | +10.9% |
- Over the year to Oct 27, 2026, ARKF returned -23.9%, 5th of 7 among similar funds.
- Its 5-year annualized return was -3.2%.
- In the 2020 COVID crash it fell 35.2% and regained its old high 2.1 months after the low.
- Its worst full calendar year was 2022 (-65.1%); its best was 2020 (+108.0%).
- The deepest fall in its price history was 78.6% (Feb 16, 2021 to Dec 28, 2022), not yet recovered.
Show as a table
| Year | Price data | Prospectus (official) |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 (to date) | -6.6% | — |
| 2025 | +28.7% | — |
| 2024 | +34.3% | +34.45% |
| 2023 | +93.3% | +92.86% |
| 2022 | -65.1% | -64.99% |
| 2021 | -17.8% | -17.70% |
| 2020 | +108.0% | +107.92% |
| 2008 financial crisis stocks fell Oct 9, 2007 – Mar 9, 2009 | Before this security existed |
|---|---|
| 2020 COVID crash stocks fell Feb 19, 2020 – Mar 23, 2020 | Lost 34% over that stretch · deepest drop along the way 35.2%, back to its old high 2.1 months after the low |
| 2022 bear market stocks fell Jan 3, 2022 – Oct 12, 2022 | Lost 62.7% over that stretch · deepest drop along the way 63.7%, back to its old high 29.7 months after the low |
Dividends and income
Show as a table
| Year | Per share | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $0.0400 | -77.8% |
| 2020 | $0.1800 |
What's inside
As of Jul 31, 2026, the fund held 40 securities; the ten largest made up 54.71% of assets.
| Holding | Weight | |
|---|---|---|
| SHOPIFY INC | 9.24% | |
| BLOCK INC | 6.64% | |
| ARK 21SHARES BITCOIN ETF SHS BEN INT | 6.24% | |
| ROBINHOOD MARKETS INC | 5.36% | |
| COINBASE GLOBAL INC | 5.25% | |
| TOAST INC | 5.13% | |
| CIRCLE INTERNET GROUP INC | 4.78% | |
| AMAZON.COM INC | 4.35% | |
| PALANTIR TECHNOLOGIES INC | 4.23% | |
| ADVANCED MICRO DEVICES INC | 3.51% | |
| META PLATFORMS INC | 3.50% | |
| MERCADOLIBRE INC | 3.48% | |
| OPENAI GROUP PBC SERIES C Preferred stock | 3.10% | |
| SOFI TECHNOLOGIES INC | 2.65% | |
| NVIDIA CORP | 2.55% |
By country
United States 73.77%Canada 10.06%Cayman Islands 8.27%Netherlands 2.06%United Kingdom 1.85%By asset type
Stocks 97.03%Preferred stock 3.1%By sector
Sectors of the companies held, for the 48.3% of the fund in companies that have a stock page here; other holdings and cash aren't classified. Source: N-PORT holdings report as of Jul 31, 2026. Cash, money-market funds and derivatives are shown separately from the securities list.What changed recently
- Over the three months to Jul 31, 2026, investors withdrew a net $97.7M (creations minus redemptions, per the N-PORT report).
- Monthly total returns reported for that quarter: +4.54%, -8.55%, +0.63%.
How it works
ARKF does not track an index. ARK Invest, the adviser, picks the stocks, choosing what it calls its "highest-conviction" ideas. In its prospectus the fund is named the ARK Blockchain & Fintech Innovation ETF. Under normal conditions, at least 80% of assets go into US and foreign stocks of companies tied to "Blockchain & Fintech innovation." ARK defines that as new technology-based products or services that could change how the financial sector works. A company qualifies if a significant share of its revenue or market value comes from the theme, or if that is its stated main business. Examples include mobile payments, point-of-sale systems, e-commerce, peer-to-peer lending, exchanges and insurance. Some holdings may have no revenue at all.
ARK pairs "top down" research, which estimates how big a market could become, with "bottom up" study of each company's valuation and fundamentals. It weighs ESG (environmental, social and governance) factors but does not use them to exclude companies. The fund can own companies of any size, in developed and emerging markets. With no index to follow, holdings and position sizes are up to the manager. Portfolio turnover was 32%.
The fund gets crypto exposure through a wholly owned subsidiary in the Cayman Islands, which can hold crypto funds. This setup helps it meet the tax rules for regulated investment companies. The subsidiary can make up to 25% of total assets. As of July 31, 2026, the ARK 21Shares Bitcoin ETF was 6.2% of the fund. A private OpenAI preferred stake was 3.1%.
What it really costs
- ARKF charges 0.75% a year, versus an average of 0.72% for the similar funds below (4th of 7, cheapest first).
- Using the prospectus's standard example, $10,000 invested would cost about $77 in the first year and $930 over 10 years (assuming a 5% annual return).
| Cost of $10,000 (SEC example) | 1 yr | 3 yrs | 5 yrs | 10 yrs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ARKF | $77 | $240 | $417 | $930 |
In a retirement portfolio
ARKF is a concentrated, actively managed bet on fintech and crypto-linked stocks, and it has swung about twice as much as the broad market, so it fits only as a small add-on to a broader core.
ARKF could add growth potential tied to digital payments, online trading and crypto, but its swings have been extreme. It launched in February 2019, so it has no 2008 record. In the 2020 COVID crash it fell 35% and recovered in about two months. In 2022 it dropped 64% between January and June and did not regain that level until December 2024. Its deepest fall was 78.6%, from February 2021 to December 2022, and it had not recovered that loss as of October 27, 2026. Anyone who had to sell shares in a year like 2022, when the fund lost 65%, would have locked in heavy losses.
It is not an income fund. The yield was 0.09% as of October 27, 2026, paid once a year. In the SEC's standard example, costs on $10,000 are $77 in the first year. Past results don't predict the future, and a plan should look at the whole portfolio, not one fund.
Who it may suit — and who should look elsewhere
May suit
- Investors wanting a small, manager-picked stake in fintech names like Shopify, Block, Robinhood and Coinbase rather than an index-based approach.
- Those who want some bitcoin exposure inside a stock fund, through a 6.2% position in ARK 21Shares Bitcoin ETF as of July 31, 2026.
- Long-horizon investors who could sit through drops like the 78.6% fall from February 2021 to December 2022 without needing to sell.
Look elsewhere if
- People who need income: the yield was 0.09% as of October 27, 2026, and the fund pays only once a year.
- Cost-focused investors: the 0.75% expense ratio is above the 0.72% peer average and well above Invesco NASDAQ Internet ETF's (PNQI) 0.60%.
- Investors who already own ARKW or ARKK: holdings overlap 54% and 37%, so adding ARKF may add little diversification.
Close alternatives
Matched by holdings overlap from the latest N-PORT reports.
| Fund | Overlap | Cost | Net assets | 1 yr | 3 yr |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ARKF this fund | — | 0.75% | $700.8M | -23.9% | +36.8% |
| ARKW ARK Next Generation Internet ETF | 54% | 0.82% | $1.61B | -11.7% | +47.2% |
| ARKK ARK Innovation ETF | 37% | 0.75% | $5.56B | -6.1% | +35.5% |
| FINX Global X FinTech ETF | 31% | 0.68% | $174.8M | -30.8% | +10.5% |
| PNQI Invesco NASDAQ Internet ETF | 23% | 0.6% | $512.2M | -10.9% | +20.2% |
| BLOK Amplify Transformational Data Sharing ETF | 21% | 0.73% | $1.16B | -24.6% | +42.9% |
| BUZZ VanEck Social Sentiment ETF | 21% | 0.76% | $104.5M | -8.3% | +36.3% |
Questions investors ask
What does ARKF invest in?
ARKF owns fintech and blockchain-related companies picked by ARK Invest. As of July 31, 2026, it held about 40 positions, and the top ten made up 54.7% of the fund. The largest were Shopify (9.2%), Block (6.6%), the ARK 21Shares Bitcoin ETF (6.2%), Robinhood (5.4%), Coinbase (5.2%), Toast (5.1%) and Circle (4.8%). It also held Amazon, Palantir, AMD and a private OpenAI stake. About 73.8% of assets were in US companies and 10.1% in Canadian ones.
Does ARKF own bitcoin?
Not directly, but it has indirect bitcoin exposure. The prospectus lets the fund hold crypto through funds and trusts, using a wholly owned Cayman Islands subsidiary that can make up to 25% of total assets. As of July 31, 2026, the ARK 21Shares Bitcoin ETF was 6.2% of the fund. It also owned crypto-linked stocks such as Coinbase, Circle and Robinhood. The prospectus warns that the tax treatment of crypto investments is uncertain in important ways.
ARKF vs ARKW: what's the difference?
Both are actively managed ARK funds, and they overlap heavily: 54% of holdings matched in the latest N-PORT reports. ARKF focuses on fintech and blockchain. ARKW is ARK's Next Generation Internet ETF. ARKF costs 0.75% a year, compared with 0.82% for ARKW. As of July 31, 2026, ARKF had about $700.8 million in assets and ARKW about $1.6 billion. As of October 27, 2026, ARKF's one-year return was -23.9%, compared with -11.7% for ARKW. Its three-year figure was 36.8%, compared with 47.2%.
Does ARKF pay a dividend?
Barely. The yield was 0.09% as of October 27, 2026, or about $0.04 per share over the prior year. Payments come once a year. The fund's stated objective is long-term growth of capital, not income, and many of its holdings are growth companies that pay little or nothing. Anyone relying on a portfolio for regular cash would need to get it from other holdings or by selling shares.
Has ARKF recovered from its 2021 high?
No, not as of October 27, 2026. ARKF fell 78.6% from its February 16, 2021 peak to its low on December 28, 2022, and it was still below that peak. It rebounded strongly, gaining 93% in 2023, 34% in 2024 and 29% in 2025. But it was down 6.6% for 2026 through October 27 and down 23.9% over one year. Over five years, it lost 15% in total.