Ark Invest Backs $300 Million Solana Treasury Launch

• Ark Invest joined a $300 million funding round that will rebrand Brera Holdings to Solmate and create a major Solana treasury. 

• Former Kraken executive Marco Santori will lead the company and build crypto infrastructure in Abu Dhabi. 

• Solana price rose to $246.93 after the announcement, and corporate treasuries now hold $4 billion worth of SOL tokens.

Cathie Wood’s Ark Invest has participated in a $300 million private placement to transform NASDAQ-listed Brera Holdings into Solmate, a Solana-focused digital asset treasury company. The oversubscribed funding round will establish one of the largest institutional Solana treasuries while expanding cryptocurrency infrastructure across the United Arab Emirates.

UAE-based Pulsar Group led the investment alongside RockawayX and the Solana Foundation. Solmate plans to accumulate and stake SOL tokens while developing yield-generating infrastructure for institutional investors.

Leadership Changes Drive Strategic Expansion

Marco Santori, former Chief Legal Officer at Kraken, will assume the CEO position at Solmate. Santori previously helped launch one of the first alternative cryptocurrency treasuries on NASDAQ, bringing extensive regulatory expertise to the role.

The company has assembled a notable board of directors. Economist Dr. Arthur Laffer, creator of the influential Laffer Curve economic theory, will be a director. Viktor Fischer, CEO of RockawayX and an early Solana supporter, also joins the board. The Solana Foundation will appoint two additional board members.

Santori emphasized that Solmate represents more than a traditional treasury operation. The company will focus on building tangible infrastructure in the UAE market rather than holding digital assets.

Middle East Infrastructure Development Takes Center Stage

Solmate will deploy raised capital to establish bare metal server infrastructure in Abu Dhabi. These validators are designed to deliver superior performance compared to conventional staking strategies while providing Middle Eastern investors access to native Solana yields.

Pulsar Group CEO Alyazi Al Khattal stated that Solmate will position Solana as central to the UAE’s digital transformation initiatives. The infrastructure development aligns with the region’s broader push toward blockchain adoption and cryptocurrency integration.

The company may follow the path established by SOL Strategies, another Solana treasury firm recently securing NASDAQ listing approval. This precedent suggests growing institutional acceptance of cryptocurrency treasury models.

Solana’s price climbed to $246.93 following the announcement, according to TradingView data. The positive market reaction reflects increasing institutional confidence in SOL as a treasury asset.

According to Strategic Solana Reserve data, corporate treasuries currently hold 15.83 million SOL tokens valued at approximately $4 billion, representing 3% of total circulation. This institutional accumulation indicates growing corporate adoption of Solana treasury strategies.

DeFi Development Corp. has simultaneously expanded its Treasury Accelerator program, committing $5 million to $75 million per vehicle for global digital asset treasuries. The company will fund these investments using cash or SOL tokens, with gains reinvested to compound treasury holdings.