ARK Invest and Securitize tokenize $1.3B ARK Venture Fund on Ethereum
ARK Invest and Securitize are putting the $1.3B ARK Venture Fund (ARKVX) on Ethereum as a tokenized share, for eligible US buyers paying in USDC.
Why it matters
The tokenization gives accredited US buyers a USDC-based route into a private-markets fund whose top holdings, SpaceX, OpenAI, Anthropic and Kalshi, are otherwise difficult to access. The tokens change custody and settlement plumbing, not the fund's economics: buybacks capped at 5% per quarter keep secondary liquidity thin. Securitize has run similar arrangements for other asset managers, and Ethereum is its base for the category, which Bitcoin Insider and Bitcoin Insider's reporting note as the reason the chain was chosen.
Where the sources disagree
Portfolio company count and mix of names
OpenAI, Anthropic, Stripe and Databricks named as holdings
Bitcoin.com News, Bitcoin Insider, NewsBTC
SpaceX 7.54%, Kalshi 5.81%, OpenAI 5.26%, Anthropic 3.86% as of Aug. 31
Unchained
The set gives different portraits of the holdings: Bitcoin.com News, Bitcoin Insider and NewsBTC list OpenAI, Anthropic, Stripe and Databricks, while Unchained's holdings-file figures name SpaceX as the largest position and include Kalshi, and none of the Stripe or Databricks mentions appear in the Unchained data.
Key facts
ARK Invest and Securitize announced on Sept. 24 that eligible investors can hold tokenized interests in the ARK Venture Fund on Ethereum.
Reported by Bitcoin.com News
About 62% of the ARKVX portfolio is in private companies, according to Securitize's page.
62 %Reported by Unchained
As of Aug. 31, 2026, SpaceX was 7.54% of the fund, Kalshi 5.81%, OpenAI 5.26% and Anthropic 3.86%, per ARK's holdings file.
7.54 %Disputed figureReported by Unchained
Eligible US investors buy with USDC after a $500 minimum, pay a 2% deposit fee priced at end-of-day NAV, and face annual expenses of 3.49% or 2.90% after fee waivers.
500 USDReported by Unchained
Securitize Markets buys the ARKVX shares behind the tokens and holds them with custodian BNY Mellon.
Reported by Unchained
ARKVX shares are unlisted, the fund repurchases up to 5% of outstanding shares each quarter at NAV, and Sept. 30, 2026 is the next repurchase request deadline.
5 %Reported by CryptoSlate
What happened
ARK Invest and Securitize announced on Sept. 24 that eligible investors can hold tokenized interests in the ARK Venture Fund, or ARKVX, on Ethereum. ARKVX is a registered closed-end interval fund launched in September 2022 with $1.3 billion in net assets as of June 30, roughly 62% of it in private companies, and a NAV that rose from about $20 at launch to about $60.50 on Sept. 23, according to Bitcoin.com News, which also names OpenAI, Anthropic, Stripe and Databricks among the holdings. What is being tokenized is the investors' interest in the fund, not the portfolio companies themselves, a distinction NewsBTC and Bitcoin.com News both draw; NewsBTC says the move tokenizes ownership and administration of the existing fund rather than creating a new crypto fund, and Bitcoin.com News says investors get a blockchain-based representation of interests in the fund that owns the stakes. Securitize issues the tokens, buys the ARKVX shares behind them and holds them with custodian BNY Mellon, per Unchained. Unchained reports eligible US investors need a verified Securitize account and a pre-approved wallet, pay in USDC, face a $500 first minimum and a 2% deposit fee priced at end-of-day NAV, and that annual expenses run 3.49% or 2.90% after waivers. Holdings in the ARK file put SpaceX at 7.54% and Kalshi at 5.81% as of Aug. 31, ahead of OpenAI at 5.26% and Anthropic at 3.86%, per Unchained. Liquidity stays limited, which CryptoSlate reports: the shares are unlisted, the fund repurchases up to 5% of outstanding shares each quarter at NAV with Sept. 30, 2026 as the next request deadline, and no secondary venue is expected. Whether an investor who acquires tokens after Sept. 24 can join this month's repurchase is left open by the published calendar and launch terms, CryptoSlate says. Only Bitcoin.com News mentions Ethereum, $60.50 and Sept. 30; the others do not restate those figures.
How the story developed
- Official statement
ARK Invest and Securitize announce ARKVX tokenization on Ethereum
Eligible investors are given a USDC route to tokenized interests in the ARK Venture Fund, with Securitize issuing the tokens and BNY Mellon holding the shares behind them.
- First report
First report by Bitcoin.com News
Cathie Wood Takes Ark Invest’s $1.3B Venture Fund Onchain
- Update
Bitcoin Insider covers the Ethereum tokenization
Reports the fund is available in a blockchain-based format alongside its traditional structure and attributes the Ethereum choice to the network's dominance in tokenized assets.
- Independent corroboration
Independently corroborated by Unchained
Crypto Investors Can Now Buy Into Cathie Wood’s Fund Holding SpaceX, OpenAI and Kalshi
- Update
Unchained publishes fee, minimum and holdings detail
Documents the $500 first minimum, 2% deposit fee, 3.49% annual expenses and the Aug. 31 holdings breakdown; quotes Cathie Wood on the potential of tokenization to reshape access to private and public markets.
- Update
NewsBTC clarifies what is and is not tokenized
States the move tokenizes ownership and administration of the existing fund rather than creating a new crypto fund or turning the private companies into tradeable tokens.
- Update
CryptoSlate flags thin exit options
Reports the shares are unlisted with no secondary venue expected, and that ARK's 2026 calendar sets Sept. 30 as the next repurchase deadline with up to 5% of outstanding shares bought back at NAV.
How coverage built up
Independent sources over time, counted the way the consensus panel counts them: a republication of a wire story does not move the line.
- 24 Sept 2026, 21:35 UTC: Bitcoin.com News, official — 1 independent source, 1 reports
- 25 Sept 2026, 10:21 UTC: Bitcoin Insider — 2 independent sources, 2 reports
- 25 Sept 2026, 20:15 UTC: Unchained — 3 independent sources, 3 reports
- 25 Sept 2026, 20:30 UTC: NewsBTC — 4 independent sources, 4 reports
- 26 Sept 2026, 07:30 UTC: CryptoSlate — 5 independent sources, 5 reports
Affected entities
Also mentioned: BlackRock, NYSE
Original sources
| Publisher | Report | Role | Published |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bitcoin.com News Company, official | Cathie Wood Takes Ark Invest’s $1.3B Venture Fund Onchain | Original | |
| Unchained Crypto media | Crypto Investors Can Now Buy Into Cathie Wood’s Fund Holding SpaceX, OpenAI and Kalshi | Independent | |
| CryptoSlate Crypto media | ARK partners with Securitize to put a venture fund on Ethereum, but leaves exit doors locked | Independent | |
| NewsBTC Crypto media | ARK Brings $1.3B Venture Fund Onchain Through Securitize | Independent | |
| Bitcoin Insider Aggregator | Securitize Puts ARK Invest’s $1.3B Venture Fund on Ethereum Blockchain | Syndicated |
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