ARK Invest, the influential investment firm led by Cathie Wood, has selected Canadian blockchain infrastructure company SOL Strategies Inc. as its new Solana staking provider.
The appointment will see ARK’s Digital Asset Revolutions Fund transition its validator operations to SOL Strategies’ enterprise-grade infrastructure, marking another milestone in the institutionalization of staking services in the crypto space.
The partnership was officially announced in a press release issued by SOL Strategies, formerly known as Cypherpunk Holdings. The company specializes in infrastructure and investment services across the Solana blockchain ecosystem.
“Being selected as ARK’s Solana staking provider represents significant validation of our institutional infrastructure and market position,” said Leah Wald, CEO of SOL Strategies. “Cathie Wood and her team at ARK are widely respected for their crypto and tech investing. Their confidence in our validator capabilities reinforces our commitment to providing best-in-class staking solutions for institutional clients.”
Ark Invest taps BitGo and enterprise-grade staking rails
As part of the arrangement, SOL Strategies will operate ARK’s Solana validators using infrastructure integrated with BitGo, one of the world’s leading institutional digital asset custody providers. This setup enables ARK Invest to securely capture staking rewards while maintaining strict custody standards, critical for regulated investment vehicles like the ARK Digital Asset Revolutions Fund.
The selection of a third-party staking provider reflects a growing trend among asset managers who seek to participate in proof-of-stake rewards without managing the underlying validator technology themselves. Outsourcing to infrastructure specialists such as SOL Strategies reduces operational risks while preserving yield exposure for fund investors.
The partnership comes as ARK continues to expand its footprint in digital assets. Known for early bets on Tesla, Coinbase, and Bitcoin-related products, ARK has also been a vocal proponent of blockchain innovation and decentralization.
Building on ARK’s staking ambitions
ARK has already shown an appetite for crypto staking exposure through other vehicles. The firm backed 3iQ’s Solana and Ethereum Staking ETFs. That move signaled ARK’s willingness to incorporate yield-generating assets, as it has done with Bitcoin, directly into its fund architecture, and the latest decision to work with SOL Strategies reinforces this strategy.
As 3iQ confirmed, ARK Invest’s participation in its staking ETF product added institutional legitimacy to a structure that had largely been confined to crypto-native investors.
SOL Strategies’ alignment with ARK Invest also boosts its own institutional credibility.
The deal with ARK also shows that the staking-as-a-service model is nearing maturation as more hedge funds, ETFs, and other asset managers outsource validator operations to specialized firms.
ARK brings visibility, brand strength, and investment flows, while SOL Strategies provides the technical muscle required to run secure and efficient validator nodes. The integration with BitGo is particularly notable, as it resolves one of the longstanding operational frictions around crypto staking, secure custody.
Notably, this development also highlights the rising institutional interest in Solana, a blockchain long seen as Ethereum’s most performant rival due to its speed and low transaction costs.
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