ARK Invest Deepens Commitment to Bullish

In a strategic move, Cathie Wood's ARK Invest enhanced its stake in the Bullish crypto exchange on Monday, acquiring approximately 238,000 shares valued at around $12 million across its various flagship ETFs. According to ARK's daily trading disclosures, the ARK Innovation ETF (ARKK) absorbed 164,214 shares, the ARK Next Generation Internet ETF (ARKW) added 49,056 shares, and the ARK Fintech Innovation ETF (ARKF) secured 25,076 shares. This move builds on ARK's previous acquisitions last week. On Friday, the investment firm purchased over $5 million worth of Bullish shares through its diverse range of ETFs. ARK has steadily accumulated shares since Bullish's $1.1 billion debut on the New York Stock Exchange, initially purchasing around $172 million worth of shares across its funds.

Options Platform Fuels Trading Volume

The increased investment coincides with Bullish reporting impressive trading volumes exceeding $82 million within just five days of launching its new crypto options platform. The platform's design allows customers to utilize their entire portfolio as collateral across spot, futures, and options markets, creating enhanced capital efficiency. Prominent institutional partners, including FalconX Global, Wintermute, and BlockTech, actively participated in the platform's launch. Bullish stated on X, "We've built a product that aims to resolve the pain points that exist today in trading crypto options." Bullish shares closed at $50.26, reflecting a 0.71% decrease on the day, with after-hours trading indicating a slight dip to $50.02.

Bullish Expands US Presence

Last month, Bullish officially commenced operations in 20 US states after successfully obtaining its BitLicense and money transmission license from the New York State Department of Financial Services, a crucial regulatory achievement for any crypto-focused enterprise. Bullish initiated operations with two significant institutional clients, BitGo and Nonco. Established in 2021, Bullish has already facilitated over $1.5 trillion in global trading volume and is recognized as a top 10 exchange based on Bitcoin (BTC) and Ether (ETH) trading activity.