ARKF vs FINX

ARKFDARK Blockchain & Fintech Innovation ETF

FINXCGlobal X FinTech ETF

In short

ARKF ARK's bet that finance gets rebuilt on rails of code: an actively managed, global basket of blockchain and fintech names picked by analysts rather than an index rulebook, running since 2019.

FINX A 2016-vintage fintech fund that still does it the original way: an index-tracked, global basket of roughly 70 companies digitizing payments, lending, insurance and investing. Wider than a US card-network play, and rules-based rather than a stock picker's list.

Stated mandate

ARKF The fund seeks long-term capital growth through active investment, primarily in domestic and foreign equity securities connected to blockchain and financial-technology innovation.

FINX The fund seeks exposure to companies at the forefront of financial-technology innovation, including businesses transforming insurance, investing, fundraising, and third-party lending through mobile and digital solutions.

Why people hold it

• ARKF Genuinely active. ARK's team picks domestic and foreign blockchain and fintech names, so the portfolio answers to a research view, not an index rulebook.ark-funds.com
• Getting in and out is rarely the friction point. For a niche theme fund, it changes hands steadily and trades among the smoother names in its group.
• Live since 2019, so it has already run through a full boom and bust in speculative growth rather than being a fresh launch with no track record.
• One mandate covers both sides of the trade: payments and financial technology plus the blockchain infrastructure underneath, in a single wrapper.ark-funds.com

• FINX Global by mandate, not US-only. The fund's stated remit covers financial-technology innovators worldwide, so the basket reaches beyond the familiar American processors.globalxetfs.com
• Broad read on fintech: insurance, investing, fundraising and third-party lending going digital, spread over roughly 70 holdings instead of a handful of mega-cap payment names.
• Rules over hunches. It tracks the Indxx Global FinTech Thematic Index, so what's inside follows published index rules rather than a manager's discretion.
• Trading since 2016, back when fintech ETFs were a novelty. That's a long operating history for a theme fund, with the same index approach throughout.

Worth knowing

• ARKF The 0.75% annual fee sits at the top of its fintech peer set, above the cohort median and above cheaper builds like FDFF (0.50%) and BPAY (0.66%).
• High-conviction and concentrated by design, which means bigger swings than a broad tech basket when the theme moves either way.
• Built for capital growth, not cash flow: distributions arrive at most once or twice a year.

• FINX The 0.68% expense ratio lands exactly at the median for fintech ETFs. FDFF charges 0.50% for its own version of the theme, so cheaper shelf space exists.
• One theme, about 70 stocks, in a growth-heavy corner of the market. Concentration like that tends to move harder in both directions than a broad equity fund.
• Moderately traded rather than one of the busiest tickers in its category, which can show up as wider bid-ask spreads, especially on large orders.

Full ARKF profile⁠

Full FINX profile⁠