ARK Invest Adds Staked Solana Exposure to Innovation-Focused ETFs

By José Oramas April 22, 2025 In Ark, ETFs, Solana

Source:AdobeStock

ARK Invest added 500,000 shares of 3iQ’s Solana Staking ETF (SOLQ) to ARKW and ARKF, gaining exposure to both SOL price and staking rewards via a Canada-listed product.
The move bypassed US regulatory hurdles by leveraging Canadian approval, making ARK’s funds the first US-listed ETFs with direct staked Solana exposure.

ARK Invest has become the first US-listed fund manager to offer exposure to Solana staking… through Canadian regulators.

The Cathie Wood-led firm added 500,000 shares of Canada’s 3iQ Solana Staking ETF (SOLQ) across two of its ETFs, ARK Next Generation Internet (ARKW) and ARK Fintech Innovation (ARKF), in a US$5.2M (AU$8.1M) move revealed on Monday, according to a report from Citywire.

The allocation provides both funds with direct access to Solana’s spot price and staking rewards, thereby bypassing US regulatory gridlock by leveraging a product listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange.

Canada Moving Forward With Solana Staking

SOLQ launched last week alongside a small wave of Canadian Solana ETFs from Purpose Investments, Evolve ETFs, and CI Global. All were greenlit by the Ontario Securities Commission and are built to give investors a simple way to access Solana price action and staking rewards through a traditional market wrapper.

According to ARK, the move makes ARKW and ARKF “the first US-listed ETFs to gain exposure to Solana”, skirting US regulatory delays by going through a vehicle listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange. The funds already hold positions in Coinbase, Robinhood, and Block—and now, indirectly, in Solana’s staking economy.

The SEC has yet to approve any spot Solana ETFs, although futures-based funds did get the green light in March. Volatility Shares launched two derivatives-backed products, SOLZ and the leveraged SOLT, but neither provides direct exposure to staked SOL.

Solana is retaining its spot as the second-largest smart contract chain by total value locked, behind only Ethereum. According to DeFiLlama, Solana’s total value locked (TVL) stands at over US$7B (AU$10.8B).