Virtual asset ETFs with ‘staking’ attached are spreading… Launched in the US and EU one after another

Spot asset ETFs with Staking features are being launched successively in the United States and Europe. Investors can secure both price appreciation gains and Staking returns.

According to the financial industry on the 8th, the Solana-based ETF 'Rex-Osprey Solana Staking ETF (REX-Osprey Solana + Staking ETF, SSK)' was listed on the Chicago Options Exchange on the 2nd (local time). Approximately $12 million in funds flowed in on the first trading day. The trading volume was approximately $33 million (about 45.124 billion won).



Juan Leon, Chief Investment Strategist at Bitwise, said, "Based on the market capitalization of Solana (SOL) and Bitcoin (BTC), the trading volume was about 82% lower than expected," and "This low demand shows that institutional investors are still in the early stages of understanding SOL."

SSK is the first U.S. spot crypto asset ETF that includes Staking rewards. More than 80% of the fund's assets are invested in SOL spot tokens, with more than half Staked on the Solana blockchain to earn rewards. These earnings are paid to investors monthly in the form of dividends. Staking means depositing crypto assets to participate in blockchain network verification and receiving compensation for this action. It is possible on Proof-of-Stake (PoS) blockchains such as Solana and Ethereum.

There are expectations that Ethereum spot ETFs could also add Staking features. In February, Grayscale submitted a proposal to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to add an on-chain Staking structure to its Ethereum spot ETF. If this proposal is approved, investors will receive both Ethereum (ETH) price appreciation gains and Staking rewards through the ETF.

In the European market, altcoin-based Exchange Traded Products (ETPs) with Staking features are already actively traded. 21Shares operates Staking ETPs based on Avalanche (AVAX), Cardano (ADA), Stacks (STX), Sui (SUI), Solana (SOL), and Injective (INJ). These products are all 100% physically backed, and Staking rewards are reinvested in the ETP without separate dividends. They are listed on stock exchanges in major European countries such as Switzerland, Germany, France, Netherlands, and Sweden. 21Shares explained, "Investors can secure Staking returns under professional risk management without having to lock up their assets." Coinshares, Bitwise, and others are also operating Ethereum (ETH)-based ETPs that include Staking.

Nathan McCauley, co-founder and CEO of Anchorage Digital, said, "The introduction of Staking ETFs is a victory for consumers and an important turning point in lowering the entry barriers to the entire crypto asset ecosystem." Anchorage is the only federally chartered digital asset bank in the United States and is responsible for asset custody and Staking for the SSK product.

Reporter Do Ye-ri