Grayscale Investments announced Monday that it has become the first issuer in the United States to offer staking on spot crypto exchange-traded products, enabling investors to earn staking rewards through its Ethereum and Solana vehicles. The firm said its Grayscale Ethereum Trust ETF (ticker: ETHE) and Grayscale Ethereum Mini Trust ETF (ticker: ETH) have begun enabling staking, marking an industry first for U.S.-listed spot crypto ETPs.
Grayscale also confirmed that its Grayscale Solana Trust (OTCQX: GSOL) has activated staking, providing one of the few ways retail and institutional investors can access SOL staking inside a traditional brokerage account. The company noted that, pending regulatory approval to uplist GSOL as an exchange-traded product, the Solana trust could become one of the first spot Solana ETPs to offer staking.
Crypto ETP Staking for Mainstream Investors
The move is being pitched as a way to marry the passive, brokerage-friendly exposure of ETPs with the long-term value accrual that staking can provide to proof-of-stake networks. Grayscale said the core objectives of its funds remain unchanged: ETHE and ETH continue to offer spot Ethereum exposure, while GSOL delivers spot Solana exposure, with staking layered on top to potentially capture network rewards.
Regulatory nuance and risk disclosures accompany the launch. Grayscale emphasized that ETHE and ETH are exchange traded products not registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940 and therefore are not subject to the same rules that govern 40 Act-registered ETFs and mutual funds. The firm warned that investments in those products carry significant risks, including the possible loss of principal, and that holding shares in the trusts is not the same as owning the underlying digital assets directly. GSOL, which currently trades on OTC Markets, was also flagged as speculative with attendant investor risks.
Operationally, Grayscale said it will stake assets through institutional custodians and a diversified network of validator providers, taking a passive approach intended to help secure the underlying protocols while supporting long-term network resilience. The firm said it is prioritizing investor education alongside the product changes, pointing to a newly published report titled “Staking 101: Secure the Blockchain, Earn Rewards” that explains how staking works and the potential benefits for participants.
Peter Mintzberg, Grayscale’s chief executive, described the rollout as the kind of “first mover innovation” the company was built to deliver and framed the initiative as a way to translate new opportunities in crypto into “tangible value potential for investors.” The announcement also reiterated Grayscale’s stated intention to expand staking to additional products over time, while maintaining what it called transparent reporting and investor-first practices.
Founded in 2013, Grayscale said it manages roughly $35 billion in assets and positions itself as a long-established gateway for investors seeking single-asset, diversified, or thematic exposure to the digital economy. As staking and other protocol-level yield mechanisms grow in prominence, the firm’s move signals a broader wave of product innovation aimed at bringing native crypto mechanics into familiar, regulated wrappers for mainstream investors.
