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Marinade in the media
Catch up on our latest press coverage, read our official announcements, and download our media kit.
Recent media articles
Breaking barriers to institutional growth in DeFi
This webinar brings together leading voices in crypto to explore the future of institutional DeFi adoption. Panelists include Hadley Stern (COO, Marinade Finance), Thomas Chen (CEO, Function), Sidney Powell (CEO & Co-Founder, Maple Finance), and moderator Sacha Ghebali (CSO, The Tie). The discussion covers where institutional DeFi stands today, what’s holding it back, and the innovations making participation possible.
Marinade partners with Griffain to power intent-based staking on Solana
Marinade Finance has integrated with Griffain, Solana’s AI agent engine, to simplify the staking experience through natural language commands. This new collaboration allows users to stake SOL natively by simply writing text prompts to virtual AI validators, eliminating the need for complex wallet interfaces and validator selection. The move coincides with a 27% YTD increase in Marinade’s native stake, supported by the Stake Auction Marketplace (SAM) and a new referral program that rewards sustainable staking practices.
Blockworks Digital Asset Summit 2025: State of the Union: Solana Validator Ecosystem with Hadley Stern
This recording from Day One at DAS 2025 features Hadley Stern from Marinade Labs in a conversation with Blockworks’ Marc-Thomas Arjoon on the current state of Solana’s validator ecosystem. They cover the network’s growing validator set, how Marinade supports decentralization through its stake auction system, and why native staking is gaining traction with institutions. The conversation also touches on evolving validator economics, governance examples like SIMD-228, and the path toward a more robust, decentralized staking environment.
CoinDesk: Hadley Stern's op-ed: The U.S. deserves better crypto ETFs. Let's start with Solana
In this CoinDesk op-ed, Hadley Stern, Chief Commercial Officer at Marinade Labs, argues for the urgent approval of a U.S.-based Solana ETF. As Solana rises to the top in both network activity and market capitalization, Stern criticizes current SEC policy for excluding staking rewards from ETF frameworks, leaving U.S. investors at a disadvantage compared to European markets, where staking ETPs are already live. He makes the case for a Solana ETF that includes staking, calling it the natural next step for retail and institutional access to one of the most performant blockchains.
Crypto Times: Solana Incubator Cohort 2 selects six innovative teams
The Solana Incubator has announced its second cohort, selecting six pioneering teams poised to transform blockchain applications and bridge finance. These teams were chosen for their innovative approaches to leveraging Solana's high-performance blockchain to address real-world challenges and advance decentralized finance solutions. The incubator program aims to support these projects through mentorship, resources, and funding, fostering the development of impactful applications within the Solana ecosystem. This initiative underscores Solana's commitment to nurturing innovation and expanding its decentralized application offerings.
Solana Floor: Marinade Finance joins crypto council for Innovation’s Proof-of-Stake Alliance
Marinade Finance has joined the Crypto Council for Innovation’s Proof-of-Stake Alliance (PoSA), working alongside major industry names like a16z, Circle, and Coinbase to help shape institutional staking policy. As Solana’s oldest staking provider, Marinade brings critical onchain expertise to PoSA’s focus areas, including staking principles, legal frameworks for liquid staking, and fair taxation. The move builds on Marinade’s growing role in institutional staking, following its recent partnership with Bitwise to launch the $BSOL ETF in Europe, and positions it to support upcoming regulatory conversations around Solana ETFs and staking rewards in traditional finance.
Blockworks Lightspeed: Alpha Dispatch
The Alpha Dispatch highlights Marinade Finance's entry into Proof-of-Stake Alliance (PoSA) as a key step in advancing Solana’s voice in regulatory conversations around staking. Operating under the Crypto Council for Innovation, PoSA is one of the industry’s leading advocacy groups for blockchain policy, focusing on staking legislation, tax clarity, and decentralisation. While Solana Labs and others have long been involved, Marinade’s participation reinforces the case for permissionless staking and institutional adoption. As retail access to staking faces mounting regulatory pressure, the move gives Solana another critical seat at the table.
Web3 with Sam Kamani Podcast: Solana staking & institutional adoption with Hadley Stern
Hadley Stern, Chief Commercial Officer at Marinade Finance, joins Sam Kamani to talk about staking on Solana and how Marinade is helping institutions get involved. They cover Marinade’s stake auction model, the benefits of Marinade Native, and what’s coming next for Solana staking. The episode also touches on validator growth, upcoming upgrades like Firedancer, and why institutions are finally paying attention to DeFi. Listen to the full conversation.
Messari: Marinade Q4 2024 brief
Messari’s Q4 2024 brief highlights Marinade’s strong close to the year, with total value locked (TVL) growing 14% quarter-over-quarter. The report explores the protocol’s continued focus on decentralisation through features like Protected Staking Rewards (PSR) and the Stake Auction Marketplace (SAM), alongside increased adoption of Marinade Native. It also notes Marinade’s efforts to serve institutional clients through secure, non-custodial staking options on Solana.
The Crypto Recruiters podcast with Hadley Stern
In this episode of The Crypto Recruiters Podcast, Hadley Stern joins Lindesy and shares his journey from traditional finance to the crypto space, reflecting on his early work at Fidelity and how it led to his current role at Marinade. He discusses the evolving relationship between TradFi and DeFi, his passion for decentralisation, and how Marinade is building secure, institutional-grade staking infrastructure on Solana.
PR contact
For press inquiries, interview requests, or additional information, please reach out to:
Rachel Pipan
rachel@marinade.finance
Hugo Crispim
hugo@marinade.financeMedia kit
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