Mizuho's talk with Cathie Wood yields takes on bitcoin, payments sector

Mizuho has published takeaways from a "Payments 2030" speaker series visit with 2020 star stock picker Cathie Wood, of ARK Investment Management - who shared strong views about the future of payments and innovations changing the landscape and selecting future winners. (Among her other funds, Wood oversees the Ark Fintech Innovation ETF (ARKF)). Bitcoin ([[BTC-USD]]) had already made the grade as one of Ark's five big ideas for the year. Now she's pointing to analysis saying that if institutional investors allocate between 2.5% and 6.5% of portfolios to cryptocurrency, it would potentially add $200,000-$500,000 to the currency's price. But straight-up investment return isn't the only reason to own bitcoin, she says. The currency also offers purchasing power to companies if cash deteriorates; it makes doing business easier in markets where transacting could be difficult (say, due to corrupt governments or weak ecosystems); and it's an insurance policy against confiscation of