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ARKF vs IPAY

ARK Blockchain & Fintech Innovation ETF

ARKFDCboe

Amplify Digital Payments ETF

IPAYCNYSE Arca

Overlap

Expense ratio

Same figure. Both funds show the same value, so neither comes out ahead.

ARKF0.75%IPAY0.75%

Avg volume · 30D

ARKF 2.0×the volume

ARKF125KIPAY62.6K

5Y return · a year

Same figure. Both funds show the same value, so neither comes out ahead.

ARKF−4.7%IPAY−4.7%

ARKF vs IPAY Performance

Nov 5, 2021 – Nov 6, 2026

−21.3%ARKF−21.4%IPAY

Nov 5, 2021 to Nov 6, 2026. ARKF −21.3%. IPAY −21.4%. Use the arrow keys to read each point.−60%−40%0%Nov 2021May 2024Nov 2026
Expense ratio
ARKF 0.75%
IPAY 0.75%
Fund size
ARKF $831M
IPAY $152M
1Y total return
ARKF −18.3%
IPAY −3.6%, better
Yield (12M)
ARKF 0.10%
IPAY 0.82%, better
Holdings
ARKF 39
IPAY 42
Avg volume (30D)
ARKF 125K sh, better
IPAY 62.6K sh
NAV per share
ARKF $41.90
IPAY $50.54
52W range

ETF.net Grade

ARKF: Cost 17, Risk 28, Mission 44, Tradability 89, Holdings 33, Durability 77. IPAY: Cost 17, Risk 47, Mission not scored, Tradability 71, Holdings 53, Durability 74.
Pillar letters and Scores for ARKF, IPAY, with each pillar’s weight
PillarARKFIPAY
Cost30% weightF17F17
Mission25% weightC44Not scored
Risk15% weightD28C47Higher
Tradability15% weightA89HigherA71
Holdings10% weightD33C53Higher
Durability5% weightA77HigherA74

Rank among Fintech & Payments funds

How we build Categories ›
Same Category. Both funds are graded against the same funds, so their Grades compare head to head.

Same Category. ARKF and IPAY are both graded against the same 7 Fintech & Payments funds, so their Grades compare head to head.

Fintech & Payments⁠

Category · 7 funds
See all 7 ›

IPAY ranks 3rd and ARKF 7th of 7 funds in the Fintech & Payments Category.

  1. Rank 1BFDFFFidelity Disruptive Finance ETFScore 60
  2. Rank 2CBPAYiShares FinTech Active ETFScore 51
  3. Rank 3CIPAYAmplify Digital Payments ETFScore 42
  4. Rank 4CFINXGlobal X FinTech ETFScore 41
  5. Rank 5CLATRCorgi Buy Now Pay Later ETFScore 40
  6. Rank 7DARKFARK Blockchain & Fintech Innovation ETFScore 39

Our read on each fund

ETF.net Research

ARKFDARK Blockchain & Fintech Innovation ETF

IPAYCAmplify Digital Payments 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.

IPAY The payments purist. IPAY tracks a global index of card networks, processors and wallet apps, roughly 40 names deep, while most fintech funds spread into lending, crypto and banking software.

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.

IPAY IPAY seeks returns that generally track the Nasdaq CTA Global Digital Payments Index before fees and expenses. It follows a passive/indexing approach rather than trying to outperform the index or moving temporarily defensive.

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
  • IPAY Narrow by design: it follows the Nasdaq CTA Global Digital Payments Index, so the money goes to the plumbing of card swipes and app taps rather than fintech broadly.
  • Global mandate, not a US-only basket. Payments is an inherently cross-border business and the index is built that way.
  • Launched in 2015, making it one of the longer-running thematic payments funds, with a rules-based index approach instead of a manager's stock picks.

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.
  • IPAY At 0.75% a year it sits at the top of the fintech shelf. FDFF charges 0.50% and BPAY 0.66%, though both cast a wider net than payments alone.
  • About 40 stocks in a single theme. When payment volumes or fintech sentiment turn, there is nothing else in the portfolio to cushion it.
  • Distributions come annually or semiannually, and it trades at moderate volume rather than penny-spread scale, so limit orders are the sane default.

Full ARKF profile⁠

Full IPAY profile⁠

ARKF vs IPAY Holdings

How we measure overlap

Each holding counts at its smaller weight in the two funds, summed over the full Holdings. Sector, country and asset class use the same rule on each fund’s split. Cash, FX and derivative lines stay out of the counts. Two bond funds get no overlap figure.

ARKF vs IPAY Cost

Same expense ratio

$14,482

On $10,000 over 30 years. 7% growth a year before fees, expense ratio only.

  • ARKF 0.75%

    $14,482

  • IPAY 0.75%

    $14,482

$10,000
30 years

Cost over time

  • ARKF 0.75%
  • IPAY 0.75%
One line per fund, from year 0 to year 30. Use the arrow keys to read each point.$0$5K$10K$15K051015202530ARKF $14,482IPAY $14,482

Year by year

YearARKFIPAY
10$1,336$1,336
20$5,078$5,078
30$14,482$14,482

Expense ratio

  • 0.75%ARKF
  • 0.75%IPAY
  • Middle half of Fintech & Payments funds
  • Median 0.55%

ARKF 6th cheapest of 7 funds

IPAY 6th cheapest of 7 funds

ARKF vs IPAY Dividends

Last 12 months to Nov 6, 2026
Yield (12M)
ARKF 0.10%
IPAY 0.82%, better
Payout (12M)
ARKF $0.04
IPAY $0.41
Last payment
ARKF $0.04
IPAY $0.41
Ex-dividend
ARKF Dec 26, 2025
IPAY Dec 30, 2025
Paid on
ARKF Dec 29, 2025
IPAY Dec 31, 2025
Frequency
ARKF Irregular
IPAY Annual

Distribution history

Per share, 2017 to 2026, same scale for both

ARKFIrregular · 3 paymentsAll ARKF payments⁠
One bar per payment. 3 payments from 2017 to 2026 YTD. Dec 27, 2019 $0.30; Dec 29, 2020 $0.18; Dec 26, 2025 $0.04. Use the arrow keys to read each point.$0$0.502017202020232026YTD
IPAYAnnual · 6 paymentsAll IPAY payments⁠
One bar per payment. 6 payments from 2017 to 2026 YTD. Dec 26, 2017 $0.0085; Dec 24, 2018 $0.23; Dec 27, 2023 $0.04; Mar 26, 2024 $0.01; Dec 30, 2024 $0.44; Dec 30, 2025 $0.41. Use the arrow keys to read each point.$0$0.502017202020232026YTD

ARKF vs IPAY Risk

Fall from peak · 5 years

  • ARKF
  • IPAY
Nov 5, 2021 to Nov 6, 2026. Worst fall: ARKF −74.7% · Dec 2022. Use the arrow keys to read each point.−80%−60%−40%−20%0%Nov 2021May 2024Nov 2026

Risk facts

VolatilityStd dev, 3 years
ARKF 38.1%IPAY 23.7%, better
Return per unit of riskSharpe ratio, 3 years
ARKF 0.81, betterIPAY 0.39
Worst fallMax drawdown, 5 years
ARKF −74.7%IPAY −46.3%, better
Market sensitivityBeta, 5 years
ARKF 2.04IPAY 1.28

ARKF and IPAY in the news

All news⁠

Popular comparisons

  • ARKFDvsFDFFB

    ARK Blockchain & Fintech Innovation ETF · Fidelity Disruptive Finance ETF

    Expense ratio
    0.75% · 0.50%
    Category
    Same Category. Both funds are graded against the same funds, so their Grades compare head to head.

  • IPAYCvsFDFFB

    Amplify Digital Payments ETF · Fidelity Disruptive Finance ETF

    Expense ratio
    0.75% · 0.50%
    Category
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  • ARKFDvsBPAYC

    ARK Blockchain & Fintech Innovation ETF · iShares FinTech Active ETF

    Expense ratio
    0.75% · 0.55%
    Category
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  • IPAYCvsBPAYC

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    Expense ratio
    0.75% · 0.55%
    Category
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  • ARKFDvsFINXC

    ARK Blockchain & Fintech Innovation ETF · Global X FinTech ETF

    Expense ratio
    0.75% · 0.68%
    Category
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  • IPAYCvsFINXC

    Amplify Digital Payments ETF · Global X FinTech ETF

    Expense ratio
    0.75% · 0.68%
    Category
    Same Category. Both funds are graded against the same funds, so their Grades compare head to head.