Crypto Prime Thomas Uhm on Liquid Staking, the VanEck JitoSOL ETF, and Solana
Sep 4, 2025
Thomas Uhm, Chief Commercial Officer at the Jito Foundation and a seasoned expert in both TradFi and DeFi, discusses groundbreaking topics within the crypto landscape. He delves into the transformative potential of liquid staking tokens for Solana, revealing their liquidity benefits and regulatory implications. Uhm also shares insights on the recently filed VanEck JitoSOL ETF, addressing the complexities of integrating these tokens into financial systems. Plus, he highlights Solana's investment potential and the importance of collaboration across blockchain networks.
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Jito's Three Strategic Verticals
- Jito has three core verticals: Solana infrastructure, restaking, and a liquid staking token (JitoSOL).
- These verticals together improve network performance, decentralization, and staking liquidity.
Use Cases For Liquid Staking Tokens
- Treat liquid staking tokens as deposit receipts that represent staked SOL plus rewards and enable on-chain liquidity.
- Use LSTs as collateral, for borrowing, or to increase asset velocity without unstaking.
LST Penetration On Solana Is Early
- Liquid staking market share on Solana remains small (~13–14% of stake), so growth potential is large.
- Solana presents a different LST use-case compared with Ethereum due to protocol differences.