Cathie Wood's ARK partners with SOL Strategies for staking services

Cathie Wood’s ARK Invest has teamed up with Canada-based SOL Strategies as its exclusive staking partner for the ARK Digital Assets Revolutions Fund. This partnership will see ARK Invest shifting its validator operations to SOL Strategies' staking infrastructure. Launched in 2020, the Fund is known for investing in 10 to 12 cryptocurrencies with the aim of generating returns over a market cycle of four to five years.

SOL Strategies CEO Leah Wald highlighted the collaboration's significance, noting the involvement of BitGo, an institutional custody platform that partnered with SOL Strategies earlier in April. Staking, a process where cryptocurrencies are locked up to secure a blockchain network and earn rewards, is central to this partnership. Solana's epochs, lasting about two to three days, reward stakers with the native SOL coin.

SOL Strategies currently operates five validators with over 3.59 million SOL (approximately $647.2 million) in assets under delegation and more than 5,700 unique wallets staked. Despite a $3.5 million loss in Q2 2025, the company reported significant growth in staking and validating revenue. The staking landscape is not without risks, as validator misbehavior can lead to slashing of staked tokens, posing potential losses for investors.

ARK Invest's move underscores a growing interest among institutional investors in yield-generating crypto assets. This trend is not limited to Solana, as asset managers are also exploring Ether staking opportunities, with several Ether ETF issuers seeking SEC approval for income-generating features.

ARK Invest, a notable name in the crypto investment space, has been actively diversifying its portfolio, including investments in Circle’s IPO and participation in Bitcoin ETFs. The partnership with SOL Strategies marks another strategic move to capitalize on the burgeoning interest in crypto staking among institutional investors.