Asset manager VanEck has filed to launch a staked solana (SOL) exchange-traded fund (ETF), signaling continued interest in bringing blockchain-native yield-bearing assets to traditional investment rails.

The application, submitted Friday as an S-1 registration with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), is the first of two filings required to list the fund. If approved, the ETF would hold JitoSOL, a liquid staking token native to the Solana blockchain. JitoSOL reflects ownership of SOL tokens that have been staked and also accrues the staking rewards earned by those tokens.

Unlike traditional ETFs, this product would not just track the price of SOL but also the income generated by staking — effectively baking Solana’s yield into a publicly traded product.

The SEC has been in ongoing discussions with ETF providers, including VanEck, about whether staking components can be integrated into existing and proposed crypto investment funds.

Regulatory bottlenecks

Speaking at an industry panel in Jackson Hole earlier this week, SEC Chair Paul Atkins said the Commission is looking to clear regulatory bottlenecks that slow innovation.

“There’s a lot of spring cleaning that needs to be done at the SEC,” he said. “We cannot have things so abstruse that lawyers can’t give opinions to clients.”

Atkins said the agency’s future rules should be flexible and designed to evolve. He added that the SEC wants to continue its legacy of adapting to new technologies, hinting at a more open stance toward crypto asset products like liquid staking ETFs.

VanEck joins a number of asset managers looking to launch a staked solana fund, including Fidelity, Grayscale and Franklin Templeton.