ARK Invest Europe Launches The ARK Space & Defence Innovation UCITS ETF

ARK Invest Europe Launches The ARK Space & Defence Innovation UCITS ETF (“ARKX”), The First Defence-Themed Article 8 SFDR Active ETF In Europe

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Cathie Wood, Founder, CIO, and CEO of ARK Invest

Key Takeaways:

• ARK Invest Europe has launched the ARK Space & Defence Innovation UCITS ETF, an actively managed strategy targeting companies advancing modern defence capabilities and space infrastructure.
• Rising defence spending, evolving hybrid threats and a rapidly scaling space economy are driving demand for space-enabled, software-driven capabilities.
• What makes this ETF different: one active, high-conviction mandate investing in the convergence of space and defence innovation, classified as an Article 8 fund.

ARK Invest Europe has announced the launch of the ARK Space & Defence Innovation UCITS ETF (‘ARKX)’. ARKX provides investors exposure to companies transforming modern defence and space through advances in artificial intelligence, robotics, and energy systems. It also enables European investors to gain direct access to a UCITS-compliant strategy representing ARK’s innovation-focussed approach to Space and Defence investment, a strategy the firm has been running since 2021.

Following the fund’s inception on 23rd October 2025 and its listing on Deutsche Bӧrse Xetra on 29th October 2025, ARKX will be listed on the London Stock Exchange as of tomorrow (4th November 2025), with Borsa Italiana as well as SIX Swiss Exchange due in the coming weeks. The ETF carries an OCF of 0.75% and is classified as an Article 8 fund under the Sustainable Finance Disclosure Regulation.

Bloomberg Tickers : ARK Space & Defence Innovation UCITS ETF

ISIN: IE000AON7ET1

Deutsche Borse Xetra (EUR) ARXX GY

London Stock Exchange (USD) ARKX LN

London Stock Exchange (GBP) ARCX LN

Borsa Italiana (EUR) ARKX IM

SIX Swiss Exchange (CHF) ARKX SE

The nature of Defence is changing. Artificial intelligence, robotics, and energy technologies are converging to reshape both space and security. The world’s most advanced militaries are shifting from industrial-era hardware to intelligent, software-defined systems that are smaller, cheaper, and far more adaptable. At the same time, the commercial Space economy is scaling rapidly, transforming from infrastructure to an enabling layer for data, logistics, and communications across every industry.

The ARK Space & Defence Innovation UCITS ETF seeks to capture this convergence of Space and Defence innovation. Actively managed and unconstrained by traditional aerospace and defence indices, the strategy focuses on companies pioneering dual-use technologies that serve both civilian and military markets. These include low-cost launch systems, small satellites, autonomous platforms, advanced materials, and AI-driven command and sensing networks.

Rather than allocating to incumbents, ARKX targets innovators driving this structural shift, companies redefining the economics, agility, and strategy of modern deterrence. As space becomes a critical extension of national and commercial infrastructure, and as autonomy reshapes both manufacturing and defence logistics, ARK’s active approach enables dynamic rotation toward the most compelling opportunities across these rapidly evolving domains.

In a market where the incumbent defence-focussed ETFs funds remain Article 6 and track third party indices, ARKX represents the first high-conviction, actively-managed UCITS ETF that is unconstrained by any index or benchmark and embeds strict ESG screening criteria across Product Involvement, Controversies, and Governance in an Article 8 format, meeting growing investor demand in Europe for innovation-focused exposure to space and defence.

ARKX integrates a rigorous sustainability framework that combines explicit SRI exclusions with in-depth ESG analysis, leveraging ARK’s proprietary six-metric scoring system employed across its actively managed innovation strategies in Europe. The fund applies a 0% tolerance for controversial weapons, excludes issuers tied to nuclear programmes of non-signatories to the Non-Proliferation Treaty, and excludes companies deriving more than 5% aggregate revenue from fossil fuels, tobacco, gambling, adult entertainment, and alcohol. Governance quality, controversies, and adherence to international norms such as the UN Global Compact and OECD Guidelines are incorporated directly into ARK’s bottom-up research process which includes dedicated pillars such as “People, Management and Culture”. Full criteria are published in the ARK UCITS Sustainability Policy on our website.

This launch builds on ARK Invest’s strong momentum in Europe, where the firm recently surpassed $1 billion in AUM and now offers four active ARK ETFs and six RIZE by ARK Invest self-indexed ETFs.

Cathie Wood, Founder, CEO & CIO of ARK Investment Management commented on the launch: “Defence is entering a new era. Artificial intelligence, robotics, and energy technologies are converging to transform both space and security. The world’s leading militaries are moving from industrial-era hardware to intelligent, software-defined systems that are smaller, cheaper, and far more adaptable. This convergence is rewriting the cost structure of defence and transforming deterrence itself. With the ARK Space & Defence Innovation UCITS ETF, we offer investors actively managed exposure to the technologies redefining security in the 21st century.”

Rahul Bhushan, Global Head of Investment Products, added: “The lines between space and defence are disappearing as AI, robotics, and energy technologies converge to create dual-use systems that serve both civilian and military needs. This fund focuses on those innovators, not the incumbents. Through active management, we invest in companies developing low-cost, scalable technologies such as small satellites, autonomous platforms, and next-generation energy systems that are redefining strategic advantage. It embodies our belief that innovation is the most effective defence in an era of rapid technological change.”

Stuart Forbes, Head of ARK Invest Europe and Global Head of Distribution, remarked: “This year, we have seen a number of requests from investors for us to introduce our Space and Defence strategy to Europe, which we have been running for several years now in the US. Having recently surpassed $1 billion in assets under management in Europe, we felt that the launch of the ARK Space & Defence Innovation UCITS ETF – which uniquely represents the technological convergences happening in Space and Defence – was a natural next step for us as we move into our next phase of product launches in Q4 and 2026 respectively. We have a number of highly innovative products in the pipeline!

Source: ETFWorld.co.uk