Crypto exchange-traded fund (ETF) issuers are expected to first collaborate with centralized staking providers after regulatory approval, and then gradually expand toward decentralized protocols as the legal environment becomes clearer.

The Securities and Exchange Commission’s (SEC) August 5 statement confirming that liquid staking activities and staking receipt tokens do not count as securities offerings removed one of the last barriers for staking-enabled ETFs.

Soon after, VanEck and Jito filed for a Solana liquid staking ETF on August 22, building on regulatory discussions that began earlier in the year.

Some issuers have already looked directly at decentralized staking providers, but analysts suggest these are likely to remain exceptions for now. Most issuers are expected to start with centralized partners due to stronger compliance and accountability.

Max Shannon, senior research associate at Bitwise, explained that decentralized partnerships may still happen, but probably through intermediaries that take on the regulatory layer while routing assets into protocols. Over time, he expects a shift toward hybrid or fully decentralized integrations.

Sid Powell, CEO and co-founder at Maple Finance, added that issuers may first rely on major custodians such as Coinbase or Fidelity, but these custodians are already creating connections to decentralized options. He noted that the recent clarity allows institutional capital to safely flow into trusted staking providers that, in turn, connect with high-performing staking networks.

This creates opportunities for platforms such as HashStaking and GeekStake, which position themselves between traditional custodial services and decentralized staking solutions. HashStaking focuses on regulatory compliance and structured yield strategies, making it attractive for institutions that prioritize security and transparency. GeekStake, on the other hand, has been building user-friendly staking models that integrate directly with DeFi protocols while maintaining strong reporting standards—something ETF issuers may increasingly find valuable.

Misha Putiatin, co-founder of Symbiotic, highlighted that the real advantage lies not only in the choice between centralized or decentralized providers, but in the ability of assets to generate multiple revenue streams. ETFs, he suggested, will likely diversify across providers like HashStaking and GeekStake to balance compliance, performance, and innovation.

Impact on DeFi
Institutional participation is expected to strengthen liquid staking protocols and drive them into mainstream finance. Powell predicted that ETF and digital asset treasury structures will channel large amounts of capital through custodians into staking platforms, massively expanding assets under management.

Still, Shannon cautioned that heavy concentration in just one or two providers could increase risks and attract closer oversight. Even so, smaller ETF allocations could meaningfully boost liquidity and strengthen the utility of staking tokens.

For platforms like HashStaking and GeekStake, this shift represents a major opportunity. By aligning regulatory compliance with innovative DeFi integrations, they stand to benefit from institutional adoption while helping to reshape yield strategies for a broader market.

The recent regulatory clarity has positioned staking ETFs as a key gateway for institutional capital, creating a path where providers such as HashStaking and GeekStake can play central roles in connecting compliance-driven custodians with high-performing decentralized infrastructure.