UAE Invests $300 Million in Solmate to Develop Solana Validator Network Across the Middle East

The transformation of

into Solmate represents an important milestone for institutional interest in (SOL). The company has raised $300 million in private capital to launch a digital asset treasury and crypto infrastructure business. The investment round was headed by Pulsar Group from the UAE, with participation from Cathie Wood’s Invest, RockawayX, and the Solana Foundation. This positions Solmate as a prominent force in the trend of businesses acquiring Solana for their treasuries. Solmate’s strategy involves both holding and staking tokens and developing validator infrastructure in Abu Dhabi, with the goal of providing regional investors with staking returns by leveraging robust bare metal servers. This initiative is in line with the UAE’s broader ambitions to be a leader in blockchain, taking advantage of progressive regulations and digital innovation policies.

Solmate’s executive team features Marco Santori, the former Chief Legal Officer at Kraken known for his pioneering work in digital asset treasury management. He highlighted the company’s commitment to creating “genuine crypto infrastructure” in the UAE, moving beyond simple token holding. The board also includes economist Arthur Laffer, Viktor Fischer (CEO of RockawayX), and two members from the Solana Foundation, combining financial and blockchain sector expertise. Santori’s leadership signals Solmate’s intent to distinguish itself from others by focusing on active participation in the network and generating returns.

This project is part of a larger wave of institutional investments in Solana treasuries. Institutional SOL holdings now top $4 billion, with 16 organizations collectively owning 15.83 million tokens—roughly 2.75% of the current supply.

holds the largest share with 6.8 million SOL, valued at $1.61 billion, while Galaxy Digital’s recent $1.55 billion SOL acquisition highlights Solana’s rising popularity. Solmate’s listings on both Nasdaq and a UAE exchange further reinforce trust in Solana’s scalability and readiness for institutional adoption, especially as the blockchain handles more transactions and generates greater revenue than rivals.

The UAE plays a crucial role in this expansion. By setting up Solana validator nodes in Abu Dhabi, Solmate intends to offer local investors unique access to staking incomes, a first in the Middle East. This infrastructure aligns with the UAE’s digital goals, such as the

Assets Regulatory Authority (VARA), which is designed to encourage blockchain progress. The participation of Pulsar Group, a blockchain consulting firm based in the UAE, showcases the region’s increasing impact on the global crypto landscape.

Analysts project that Solana could surpass

and in the next few years, thanks to its rapid transaction speeds, low operating costs, and active developer base. Unlike Bitcoin, which is mainly considered a store of value, Solana’s built-in yield opportunities make it especially appealing for institutional investors. Solmate’s approach of combining token acquisition with infrastructure development puts it in a strong position to benefit from this trend, while adopting long-term strategies to navigate market fluctuations.