VanEck and Jito Launch First-Ever Solana Liquid Staking ETF - A Game Changer for Crypto Investors

Wall Street meets DeFi as traditional finance giants dive headfirst into Solana's liquid staking revolution.

The ETF Breakthrough

VanEck partners with Jito Labs to create the first regulated investment vehicle backed by Solana's liquid staking tokens—bypassing traditional crypto custody hurdles while capturing staking yields. This move legitimizes Solana's ecosystem at institutional level.

Liquid Staking Mechanics

The ETF leverages JitoSOL tokens instead of native SOL, allowing investors to benefit from staking rewards without locking assets or managing validator operations. It cuts through technical complexity while maintaining exposure to Solana's appreciation potential.

Market Implications

This product opens Solana exposure to retirement accounts and traditional investors who'd never touch a crypto exchange. Because nothing says 'mainstream adoption' like wrapping innovative tech in decades-old financial packaging—Wall Street's special talent for repackaging disruption into something they can charge management fees on.

Regulatory clarity

The filing builds on SEC staff guidancewhich clarified that liquid staking activities do not constitute securities transactions when properly structured. 

This guidance essentially removed thefor staking-enabled crypto ETFs.

Jito’s preparation included a March 2025 securities classification report explaining why JITOSOL operates as a decentralized infrastructure rather than a security. 

The company participated induring the summer of 2025, providing feedback on the SAFE use of liquid staking tokens in exchange-traded products.

Operational benefits

The announcement noted that the JitoSOL structure offers key advantages for institutional investors. Liquid staking tokens eliminate unbonding delays, allowing daily ETF creation and redemption while maintaining staking reward accrual. 

The approach provides regulatory clarity through standard ETF accounting methods, giving investors access to staked Solana yields without operational complications.

Staking yields can offset or exceed expense ratios on networks like Solana, potentially improving long-term returns. The structure supports network security by decentralizing stake across validators, meaning investors contribute to blockchain health.

Jito Foundation Chief Commercial Officer Thomas Uhm worked with ETF issuers, custodians, and exchanges to establish infrastructure enabling VanEck’s product launch. The effort received support from Multicoin Capital, the Solana Foundation, and VanEck.

Further, VanEck and Jito join Canary Capital and Marinade in the group of issuers partnering with liquid staking protocols. Canary amended its Solana ETF filing in May 2025 to name Marinade Select as its staking provider.

The S-1 filing initiates a review process before potential market listing, positioning Jito to advance institutional crypto adoption through regulated on-chain finance products.