Cathie Wood-led investment firm ARK Invest has announced a strategic partnership with Canadian company SOL Strategies to provide staking services, reflecting the growing interest from institutional investors in cryptocurrencies.
Partnership Between ARK Invest and SOL Strategies
ARK Invest will migrate its validator operations onto SOL Strategies' staking infrastructure as part of its Digital Assets Revolutions Fund. Founded in 2020, the fund aims to generate returns over a 4–5-year market cycle by investing in 10 to 12 cryptocurrencies. SOL Strategies CEO Leah Wald stated to Cointelegraph, "We serve corporate and institutional clients seeking regulated and reliable access to Solana through delegated staking and customized validator infrastructure."
What is Staking and Its Importance
Staking is the process of securing a blockchain network by locking cryptocurrencies for a specific period of time and earning rewards in return. On the Solana network, staking periods (epochs) last approximately two to three days, at the end of which stakers receive rewards in SOL.
Staking Risks and Current Market Situation
According to Wald, the staking operations the company manages include: 5 active validators, 3.59 million SOL (approximately $647.2 million) worth of assets are being staked, and more than 5,700 different wallets are actively staking. Notably, only 12% of staked assets come from the company treasury, while the rest are held by third parties. While staking offers the potential for high returns, it can be risky due to validator behavior, which may result in the slashing of staked tokens for violations of network rules.
The collaboration between ARK Invest and SOL Strategies highlights the growing interest of institutional investors in staking and cryptocurrency assets, as well as the importance of reliable access to these services.
