KEY FACTS: ARK Invest, led by Cathie Wood, has partnered with Canada-based SOL Strategies to serve as the exclusive Solana staking provider for its Digital Assets Revolutions Fund. This collaboration integrates SOL Strategies’ institutional-grade staking infrastructure and BitGo’s custody solutions to enhance the fund’s yield-generating capabilities within a diversified cryptocurrency portfolio. The move shows growing institutional interest in Solana, with 403 million SOL tokens ($73.5 billion) currently staked.
Source: SOL Strategies/ X
ARK Invest Partners with SOL Strategies to Boost Solana Staking
ARK Invest, the prominent investment management firm led by renowned investor Cathie Wood, has announced a strategic partnership with Canada-based SOL Strategies. The collaboration designates SOL Strategies as the exclusive Solana staking provider for ARK’s Digital Assets Revolutions Fund, marking a pivotal step in integrating enterprise-grade blockchain infrastructure into traditional investment portfolios. This development, announced on July 28, 2025, highlights the increasing appetite among institutional investors for yield-generating crypto exposure, as well as the maturing infrastructure supporting decentralized finance (DeFi).
The partnership will see ARK Invest transition its Solana validator operations to SOL Strategies’ institutional-grade staking infrastructure. The Digital Assets Revolutions Fund, established in 2020, is designed to generate returns over a full market cycle of four to five years by investing in a diversified portfolio of 10 to 12 cryptocurrencies. ARK, leveraging SOL Strategies’ robust staking capabilities, aims to enhance the fund’s ability to earn staking rewards while maintaining compliance and operational reliability for its investors.
The collaboration also involves BitGo, a leading institutional custody platform that partnered with SOL Strategies in April 2025. BitGo’s integration ensures seamless validator services, providing secure custody solutions for ARK’s digital asset investment strategies. This trifecta of ARK Invest, SOL Strategies, and BitGo underscores the increasing sophistication of institutional crypto infrastructure, enabling traditional investors to access the Solana ecosystem with confidence.
Staking, the process of locking up cryptocurrencies to help secure a blockchain network and earn rewards, has become a cornerstone of proof-of-stake (PoS) networks like Solana. According to Solana Compass, approximately 403 million SOL tokens, valued at $73.5 billion, are currently staked, reflecting the scale and significance of staking within the Solana ecosystem. This partnership reflects a broader trend among institutional investors, who are increasingly seeking to combine the potential price appreciation of cryptocurrencies with the passive income generated through staking.
The involvement of established players like ARK Invest signals a maturing market, where asset managers, hedge funds, and family offices are actively seeking regulated, secure, and efficient ways to gain exposure to digital assets. This trend is further evidenced by other firms, such as DeFi Development Corp. and Upexi, pivoting to Solana treasuries as the asset gains traction among traditional investors.
The partnership is in line with the evolving U.S. regulatory landscape, which is becoming more defined, enabling institutional players to explore products like exchange-traded funds (ETFs), structured notes, and public equities tied to Solana and other blockchain technologies. ARK Invest’s decision to partner with SOL Strategies is seen as a validation of the latter’s market position and staking capabilities, potentially attracting more institutional business to the Canadian firm.
ARK Invest, under Cathie Wood’s leadership, has been a trailblazer in the cryptocurrency investment space. The firm is well-known for its focus on disruptive innovation, with significant investments in blockchain technology, artificial intelligence, and other cutting-edge sectors. ARK’s Digital Assets Revolutions Fund is just one part of its broader crypto strategy, which includes investments in Bitcoin ETFs, Ethereum staking, and crypto-related public equities.
Earlier in 2025, ARK Invest made headlines by restructuring its ETFs to pivot toward Ethereum treasury company Bitmine Technologies, selling off shares in Coinbase and Roblox to acquire a 1.5% stake in Bitmine across its portfolios. The firm also holds a significant position in Circle, the issuer of the USDC stablecoin, though it recently sold $146 million worth of Circle shares amid a 250% surge in the stock’s value since its public debut.
ARK’s engagement with Solana is not new. In April 2025, the firm became the first U.S.-listed asset manager to gain exposure to Solana through Canada’s 3iQ Solana Staking ETF (SOLQ), with its ARK Next Generation Internet ETF (ARKW) and ARK Fintech Innovation ETF (ARKF) each purchasing 237,500 shares of SOLQ. This move followed the approval of spot Solana ETFs with staking in Canada, a significant step toward mainstream crypto adoption.
Cathie Wood has also been vocal about Solana’s potential, praising its speed and cost-effectiveness compared to Ethereum in a 2023 interview. “Solana is even faster and cost-effective than Ether,” she noted, highlighting its role as a major infrastructure player in the blockchain ecosystem. Her bullish outlook on Solana is further evidenced by ARK’s ongoing research into a Solana price target, which Wood has indicated will be shared once finalized.
Solana has emerged as a leading blockchain for decentralized applications, known for its high transaction throughput and low costs. With a total value locked (TVL) of over $7 billion, it ranks as the second-largest blockchain behind Ethereum’s $45 billion. Despite past network outages, Solana continues to attract significant developer interest and institutional adoption, making it a focal point for investors seeking exposure to DeFi and Web3 technologies.
The approval of spot Solana ETFs with staking in Canada, including those from 3iQ, Purpose, Evolve, and CI Financial, has further solidified Solana’s position in the institutional investment landscape. These ETFs, which began trading on the Toronto Stock Exchange on April 16, 2025, allow investors to earn staking rewards while holding SOL tokens in a regulated framework, addressing a long-standing demand for yield-generating crypto products.
The partnership between ARK Invest and SOL Strategies reinforces the growing trend of convergence of traditional finance and decentralized technologies.
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