Coinbase Ecosystem Strengthens as ARK Invest’s $20M Crypto Infrastructure Bet Signals Institutional Confidence
On December 17, 2025, Cathie Wood's ARK Invest executed a bold $20.3 million cryptocurrency infrastructure investment during a market downturn, purchasing $11.3 million in Bitmine Immersion Technologies shares alongside $9 million in Bullish shares. This strategic move represents ARK's largest single-day crypto sector investment to date and demonstrates unwavering institutional confidence in digital asset infrastructure companies, including those within the Coinbase ecosystem. The timing during market weakness suggests ARK views current valuations as attractive entry points for long-term crypto infrastructure exposure. This development reinforces the growing institutional narrative that cryptocurrency adoption will continue expanding regardless of short-term price volatility, with companies like Coinbase positioned as critical infrastructure providers. The investment particularly highlights confidence in mining infrastructure (Bitmine) and trading platforms (Bullish), both sectors where Coinbase maintains significant competitive positioning and partnership opportunities. As traditional finance increasingly embraces digital assets, such substantial investments validate the fundamental business models of leading crypto exchanges and service providers. This move may signal upcoming institutional reallocation toward crypto infrastructure stocks, potentially benefiting publicly traded companies like Coinbase through increased investor attention and valuation reassessment during the market's recovery phase.
ARK Invest Amplifies Crypto Bet with $11.3 Million Bitmine Purchase Amid Market Slump
Cathie Wood's ARK Invest made a decisive move in the cryptocurrency sector, acquiring 360,232 shares of Bitmine Immersion Technologies for $11.3 million on December 17, 2025. The transaction marks ARK's largest single-day investment, reinforcing its bullish stance on crypto infrastructure despite recent market turbulence.
The fund simultaneously purchased $9 million worth of Bullish shares, extending a pattern of strategic accumulation in crypto-related equities. These buys contrast with ARK's divestment of $10.9 million in Roku and $10.7 million in DraftKings shares, signaling a deliberate portfolio reallocation toward digital asset exposure.
Crypto stocks traded at notable discounts during the purchases. Bitmine shares fell 6.59% to $29.32, representing a 24% five-day decline, while Coinbase dropped 3.33% to $244.19. ARK seized the opportunity to add $5.9 million in Coinbase shares, demonstrating conviction in the sector's long-term prospects during a period of market weakness.
Coinbase Secures $2.45B Stake in India's CoinDCX to Bolster Asian Expansion
Coinbase has cleared a critical regulatory hurdle, obtaining approval from India's Competition Commission for a $2.45 billion minority investment in CoinDCX. The deal reinforces Coinbase's strategic foothold in Asia's rapidly growing crypto sector, building on its initial 2020 investment in the Mumbai-based exchange.
CoinDCX dominates India's digital asset landscape with 20.4 million users and $1.2 billion in assets under management. The partnership enables Coinbase to tap into India's burgeoning retail crypto market while circumventing previous regulatory challenges that forced its temporary retreat from the country.
The approval signals growing institutional confidence in India's crypto ecosystem despite tax hurdles and banking restrictions. Coinbase plans to integrate rupee deposit functionality by 2026, potentially unlocking access to one of the world's largest unbanked populations.
JPMorgan Tokenized Dollars Transform Wall Street Payments
JPMorgan's JPM Coin (JPMD) is pioneering the integration of traditional bank deposits with public blockchains, offering institutional clients a safer, interest-bearing alternative to stablecoins. Launched on Coinbase's Base blockchain, JPMD represents digital claims on existing bank deposits, bridging the gap between conventional finance and crypto.
The move addresses growing demand for on-chain cash solutions, linking JPMorgan's $10 trillion-per-day payments network to a fast, inexpensive public blockchain. Since 2019, the bank has provided blockchain deposit accounts for institutional clients through its private ethereum network, now rebranded as Kinexys.
Tokenized deposits allow banks to maintain control over issuance while improving payment efficiency and risk management. Public blockchains enable financial institutions to innovate payment solutions, meeting client demand while exploring decentralized finance adoption.
Doma Protocol Launches Names Marketplace on Base to Tokenize 40M+ Domains
Doma Protocol has unveiled its Names Marketplace on Coinbase's Base app, marking a significant leap in DomainFi by tokenizing DNS domains. The integration allows users to discover, trade, and manage premium domains directly within Base using USDC or ETH, bridging traditional internet infrastructure with Web3 functionality.
The platform modernizes the $360B domain industry by enabling instant liquidity, fractional ownership, and cross-chain interoperability while maintaining full DNS compliance. Base serves as Doma's first major consumer distribution channel, bringing over 40 million ICANN-accredited domains onchain.
