📅 July 17, 2025 | New York, USA
The US crypto market adds a historic piece to its portfolio: Canary Capital, one of the most aggressive digital asset managers today, has just filed with the SEC to create the first Injective (INJ)-based ETF with built-in staking. The news, confirmed today by The Block, marks a milestone: it would be the first US exchange-traded fund to combine exposure to a Layer 1 token with passive income derived from on-chain staking, a model that until recently seemed impossible to approve under strict US regulations.
Why is this so important?
Injective is one of the blockchains most focused on DeFi and permissionless trading. With its fast architecture, minimal fees, and ability to execute decentralized derivatives, it has become a favorite of traders and DeFi innovators looking to escape the limitations of Ethereum. But until now, US institutional investors could only access INJ by purchasing it directly or through opaque OTC derivatives.
What Canary Capital is proposing is a game-changer: its new ETF, tentatively called the Canary Staked Injective Trust, would not only purchase and hold INJ tokens, but would also actively participate in network staking, generating on-chain rewards that would be proportionally redistributed to the fund's shareholders.
In other words, for the first time, a retail investor could purchase an ETF on Nasdaq or NYSE that gives them exposure to a Proof of Stake asset and receive the benefits of staking without lifting a finger, without worrying about nodes, slashing, or private keys.
What hurdles remain?
Although the idea sounds innovative, there is still no guarantee that the SEC will approve this product. According to The Block, the Commission still has reservations about ETFs involving staking, due to the risk of considering that the activity could generate "active" income subject to different tax and compliance rules than traditional passive funds.
Canary's lawyers argue that INJ staking resembles the models of borrowed gold ETFs or dividend-investing funds, and therefore should fit into existing regulatory frameworks. They also assure that they will work with institutional custodians and audited validators to ensure the security and transparency of rewards.
Meanwhile, on crypto forums such as X and Telegram, the community is celebrating the news as proof that the US is beginning to open the door to DeFi structures within the regulated financial system, something that Europe and Asia have already been experimenting with staked asset ETFs for months.
Topic opinion:
The future of crypto ETFs lies in this direction. Staking is the backbone of Proof of Stake assets and represents one of their greatest advantages: generating passive income by contributing to network security. The fact that this is now being packaged into a traditional ETF is the definitive sign that Wall Street doesn't want to lose a single dollar from this new economy.
If the SEC gives the green light, this ETF could pave the way for similar products on Solana, Cosmos, Polkadot, and any blockchain with a PoS model. It would be a massive bridge for pension funds, private banks, and retailers to gain exposure to staking without complicating their lives.
But beware: more regulated products mean more oversight, auditing, and supervision. What for many is a blessing, for crypto purists is a betrayal of the idea of total sovereignty. The question is: do we want more adoption, even if it comes with a leash?
💬Would you buy an ETF that stakes for you, or would you prefer to delegate your tokens and retain control?
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