Morgan Stanley resubmitted its application for a spot Solana (SOL) exchange-traded fund on May 20, 2026, amending the filing to include a provision for staking the underlying assets. The proposed ETF, which would trade under the ticker MSOL, marks a significant step by a major U.S. bank to offer a yield-bearing crypto product.
"The inclusion of staking in a major bank's ETF filing is a significant step, acknowledging that for many proof-of-stake assets, the yield is an integral part of the investment case," a market analyst commented. "It shows a maturing understanding of these assets."
The filing details the fund's intention to stake a portion of its SOL holdings through trusted third-party providers to earn rewards, which could supplement the returns from SOL's price appreciation. This move comes against a backdrop of surging activity on the Solana network. According to data from DefiLlama, Solana-based decentralized exchanges reached a record $20 billion in weekly trading volume in the past seven days. As of May 20, 2026, SOL was trading around $85, with a market capitalization of approximately $38 billion, per CoinGecko data.
Morgan Stanley's decision to integrate staking could set a new benchmark for crypto ETFs, potentially pressuring competitors and influencing future filings for other proof-of-stake assets. An approval by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission would not only open the door for significant capital inflows into the Solana ecosystem but also legitimize staking within a regulated investment vehicle, potentially paving the way for similar products for assets like Ethereum (ETH), which already has a futures ETF market. This also comes at a time when other major players are entering the crypto ETF space, with Truth Social recently withdrawing its own Bitcoin ETF filing amidst heating competition.
This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute investment advice.
