Ark Invest bought Circle (CRCL) stock at $66.16, down 6.92%, as Cathie Wood added to positions across three ETFs despite ongoing pressure from a rival stablecoin launch and weak crypto sentiment.
Circle’s recent OCC approval to set up a national trust bank could reduce third-party fees and boost USDC’s credibility, but CRCL remains below key moving averages in a high-volatility environment.
Ark Invest added 220,012 Circle shares on Tuesday, July 15, valued at roughly $13.9 million. The buys were split across the Ark Innovation ETF (159,517 shares), Ark Next Generation Internet ETF (42,400 shares), and Ark Blockchain & Fintech Innovation ETF (18,095 shares).
Ark already held Circle positions in all three funds before these purchases. After the additions, the Ark Innovation ETF holds about $154 million worth of CRCL at a 2.6% portfolio weight. Ark Next Generation holds $54 million (3.3%), and Ark Blockchain & Fintech holds $28 million (3.2%).
That brings the combined total across the three ETFs to around $236 million.
Wood has not publicly explained the rationale behind the move. But Ark has a track record of buying growth companies during steep selloffs, treating short-term weakness as a buying opportunity rather than a warning sign.
CRCL has been sliding recently. Crypto sentiment has cooled broadly, and even stablecoins like Circle’s USDC — which are pegged to the dollar — haven’t been immune to that mood shift.
Earlier this month, Circle received approval from the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency to establish a national trust bank. That’s a meaningful development.
It means Circle could eventually manage its own U.S. government bond reserve — the assets backing USDC — without paying third-party custodians to do it. That would lower costs.
It also puts Circle under direct federal oversight, which could make USDC more credible to institutional partners and regulators who want clearer guardrails around stablecoin operations.
There’s a separate tailwind in the background too. Senator Tim Scott has pledged to push forward the CLARITY Act, which would create clearer federal rules around digital assets. Supporters say it could bring more institutional confidence to the stablecoin space. The bill hasn’t passed yet, but its progress is being watched closely by Circle investors.
On the competitive front, things are getting more crowded. A consortium that includes Visa and BlackRock — somewhat ironically, since BlackRock manages the Circle Reserve Fund — is building a rival stablecoin called Open USD. It’s expected to officially launch this fall.
That’s a real headwind for USDC’s market position.
From a technical standpoint, CRCL closed at $66.16 on July 22, down 6.92% on the day. Premarket the following morning showed the stock down another 1.45% to $65.24.
The stock is currently trading below all three daily exponential moving averages, signaling a bearish short-term structure. Its average true range sits at 5.37, pointing to elevated day-to-day volatility.
Key resistance levels to watch are $67.50, $70, and $71.08.
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