- ARKW and ARKF now hold SOLQ, giving U.S. ETFs direct access to Solana staking.
- Solana ranks second in DeFi with $7B in TVL, trailing only Ethereum’s $ 45 B.
- SOLQ offers compliant Solana staking exposure to institutions through 3iQ’s ETF.
ARK Invest has added Solana exposure to its U.S.-listed ETFs, ARKW and ARKF, through the 3iQ Solana Staking ETF. This marks the first appearance of staked SOL in a U.S.-listed ETF, providing regulated access to Solana’s staking rewards.
ARK Funds Hold SOLQ for Direct Crypto Yield Exposure
ARKW and ARKF collectively hold 487,500 shares of the Canadian-listed SOLQ ETF, valued at over $5 million. The ETF occupies the 40th position in ARKW’s portfolio, accounting for 0.38% of its total holdings. In a post by SolanaFloor, the investment was confirmed effective April 21, 2025.
SOLQ provides regulated access to Solana staking yields without custody or private key management by institutions. ARK joins crypto-aligned equities like Coinbase and Block in expanding DeFi portfolio exposure. The ETF bridges traditional asset management with protocol incentives and staking yield mechanics.
The fund uses institutional-grade custody and native SOL delegation to earn rewards transparently and securely. Approved by the Ontario Securities Commission, SOLQ offers compliant staking to Canadian and U.S. investors. Its inclusion aligns with ARK’s strategy of capturing value across blockchain-native yield opportunities.
Solana Ranks Second in Global DeFi Market Share
Solana now holds 8.14% of all value locked (TVL), totaling over $7 billion in DeFi protocol deposits. Ethereum remains dominant with $45 billion, though its share has gradually declined since 2021. According to a report by DefiLlama, Solana, BSC, and Tron continue gaining notable momentum.
Solana benefits from low transaction costs, fast throughput, and growing NFT and dApp ecosystems. Chains like Base, Arbitrum, and Avalanche have also shown increased adoption and TVL expansion. Institutional investors are shifting attention toward high-performance, low-fee networks offering native yield opportunities.
Fragmentation of TVL reveals increased diversification across scalable blockchains beyond Ethereum’s ecosystem. Solana’s traction reflects broader interest in alternative platforms supporting DeFi scalability and capital efficiency. SOLQ simplifies this access with yield-bearing exposure managed under traditional ETF compliance structures.
Regulatory Approval Enables Institutional Access
Canadian regulation allowed 3iQ to structure SOLQ for direct staking and transparent institutional-grade yield generation. The fund holds native SOL, delegates it through validators, and distributes rewards to ETF shareholders. SOLQ creates a compliant bridge between digital assets and traditional capital markets for institutions.
ARK’s decision extends beyond exposure—it’s about integrating real blockchain incentives into ETF frameworks. The firm blends Solana’s staking yield with growth tech equities like Unity, Datadog, and Reddit. With Bitcoin and Ether ETFs now trading, Solana appears poised to enter U.S. spot markets next.
