Hex Trust, a digital assets financial service provider specializing in markets services, custody, and staking, this week announced its official partnership with Jito Foundation, a Solana-focused protocol building network infrastructure.
As part of the partnership, Hex Trust has integrated JitoSOL, a liquid staking token on the Solana blockchain, allowing users to earn staking rewards (plus extra MEV rewards) while keeping their SOL liquid for use in DeFi and trading. Investors can also now use their liquid-staked Solana positions as collateral for borrowing and lending via Hex Trust’s markets desk.
Jito Foundation is backed by investors including Andreessen Horowitz (a16z), Multicoin Capital, Framework Ventures and Solana Ventures.
JitoSOL targets inefficiencies and operational costs inherent in staking on the Solana network. Prior to liquid staking solutions like JitoSOL, users faced a binary choice: either stake their SOL to earn rewards and secure the network, or keep it liquid to participate in DeFi and trading. Now they can do both.
When someone stakes SOL with Jito, they receive JitoSOL. This token automatically appreciates in value as it accrues both staking rewards and profits from Maximum Extractable Value (MEV) opportunities captured by the network.
Hex Trust users can also use their JitoSOL as collateral for borrowing and lending without waiting for unbonding periods.
“At Hex Trust, our role is one of stewardship and innovation. We believe that institutional-grade security should not come at the cost of capital efficiency,” said Giorgia Pellizarri, CPO and head of custody at Hex Trust. “By integrating Jito, we are bringing the same transformative utility to the Solana ecosystem that our users have already embraced on Ethereum. We aren’t just adding a new token; we are architecting a future where the boundaries between staking and active deployment simply disappear.”
Client benefits:
Optimized capital efficiency: Clients generate native network rewards while maintaining full liquidity, as liquid staking tokens (LSTs) remain freely tradeable and bypass traditional unbonding periods. This eliminates the friction of multi-day lock-ups, allowing institutions to preserve the optionality to redeploy capital rapidly when market opportunities arise.
Dual-reward and collateral flexibility: Staked SOL can be utilized as collateral to unlock immediate liquidity through stablecoin loans or credit facilities. This “stake-and-borrow” strategy allows institutions to continue earning protocol-native rewards on their underlying position while simultaneously accessing operational capital.
“Institutions don’t want to choose between earning yield and having dry powder ready. The integration of JitoSOL into Hex Trust’s platform solves that. You’re staking, you’re earning rewards, and you could still lend out your capital to work for you. That’s the utility professional participants have been asking for, as it keeps liquidity flowing while helping to compound their returns,” said Brian Smith, president at the Jito Foundation.
