It wasn’t way back that Cathie Wooden was one among Wall Road’s most celebrated traders. Wooden is greatest identified for investing in disruptive, modern corporations with excessive development potential. From the beginning of 2020 to its peak in February 2021, Wooden’s ARK Innovation ETF (ARKK -5.92%) gained over 230%.

Since then, the fund has dropped 70% as inflationary pressures and rising rates of interest weigh on many development shares. Regardless of this, the fund continued to draw traders and introduced in $1.5 billion in investor funds within the first half of 2022. Included on this fund are three fintechs: Robinhood Markets (HOOD -8.95%), Coinbase International (COIN -11.27%), and Block. (SQ -6.72%). Let’s discover out a bit extra about these three fintechs that Cathie Wooden’s funding agency is betting on.

1. Robinhood Markets

Robinhood’s objective is to make investing accessible to everybody. The web buying and selling platform was one of many first to introduce commission-free inventory buying and selling, which many others within the business have since copied. Nonetheless, its income mannequin — known as cost for order stream (PFOF) — has come below scrutiny from regulators.

Robinhood inventory peaked shortly after going public final 12 months however since then has dropped over 80% as investor issues about its development come into the highlight. Robinhood’s whole income dropped over 43% by way of six months this 12 months, and it noticed its belongings below custody (AUC) drop by 31% within the second quarter, its lowest degree since 2020. Not solely that, however the New York State Division of Monetary Companies fined the corporate $30 million earlier this month after accusing Robinhood of violating anti-money-laundering guidelines.  

Wooden’s Ark Innovation ETF owns over 20 million shares of Robinhood, making it the 19th-largest funding representing 2.3% of the whole portfolio fund as of Aug. 18.  

2. Coinbase International

Coinbase International supplies clients with a cryptocurrency trade to purchase and promote crypto belongings and infrastructure for builders to construct decentralized purposes. The trade benefited large time in 2021 when cryptocurrency costs exploded, resulting in a buying and selling frenzy in issues like Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Dogecoin.

This 12 months has been a unique story for cryptocurrencies. Bitcoin has dropped over 50% for the reason that begin of the 12 months as threat belongings get punished amid excessive inflation and rising rates of interest. Regardless of 51% person development from the primary half of final 12 months, Coinbase has seen buying and selling quantity on its platform fall by 34%. Because of this, it swung from a $2.Four billion internet earnings by way of six months final 12 months to a $1.5 billion loss within the first half of this 12 months.  

Falling income is not the one concern. Coinbase has gotten caught up in regulatory crosshairs, with the Securities and Trade Fee (SEC) saying insider buying and selling fees in opposition to former Coinbase staff, saying that a number of the cryptocurrencies concerned ought to have truly been labeled as securities.

On the constructive aspect, the corporate not too long ago introduced a take care of BlackRock, the world’s largest asset supervisor, to supply institutional shoppers with entry to its platform.

Wooden reduce her stake in Coinbase on the finish of July by 1.Three million shares, however her Ark Innovation ETF nonetheless owns over 4.6 million shares of Coinbase, making it the Eighth-largest funding representing almost 4.3% of the whole portfolio fund as of Aug. 18.

3. Block

Block, previously Sq., initially offered sellers with methods to simply accept bank card funds. Since then, it expanded by way of its Money App product, which helps customers handle cash and purchase and promote Bitcoin, and has additionally added Afterpay, the purchase now pay later (BNPL) platform.

Like Coinbase, Block rode the wave of lively cryptocurrency markets and raked in $10 billion in Bitcoin income in 2021 — or 57% of its whole income for the 12 months. This 12 months, its Bitcoin income has dropped by 44% over six months in comparison with final 12 months’s interval.  

On a constructive observe, Block’s gross cost quantity grew 26% by way of the 12 months’s first half, serving to transaction-based income improve 24%. It additionally noticed subscription-based income rise 65%, because of its BNPL platform and subscriptions by way of its Money App. Block CFO Amrita Ahuja expects gross income by way of the Money App and Sq. sides of the enterprise to develop within the second half of this 12 months whereas scaling again on deliberate investments.

Block is Wooden’s largest fintech holding and the 4th-largest funding within the Ark Innovation ETF and represents about 4.7% of the whole portfolio as of Aug. 18.