Ripple’s Institutional Power Play: ETH and Solana Staking Move Signals a New Crypto Custody Arms Race

If you blinked, you might have missed it. Ripple, long pigeonholed as the XRP payments company, just fired the starting gun on a new phase of the crypto custody arms race. The headline is deceptively bland, Ripple partners with Figment and Securosys to offer institutional ETH and Solana staking, but the implications are anything but. This is Ripple’s most aggressive move yet to break out of the XRP ghetto and muscle into the lucrative world of institutional digital asset custody. And if you’re still thinking of Ripple as the company that fights the SEC and shills remittances, you’re missing the real story.

Here’s what happened: On February 9, 2026, Ripple announced a pair of partnerships designed to turbocharge its custody business. The company will now offer institutional clients access to Ethereum and Solana staking through Ripple Custody, leveraging Figment’s staking infrastructure and Securosys’s security tech (Benzinga, Coinpedia, Pymnts, 2026-02-09). In plain English, Ripple is building a one-stop shop for banks, asset managers, and family offices that want to hold, stake, and earn yield on digital assets, without ever touching a hot wallet or worrying about a rogue intern running off with the keys.

This is not a small pivot. Ripple’s custody ambitions have been hiding in plain sight for months, but the move to support ETH and SOL staking is a shot across the bow of every legacy custodian and upstart crypto bank. The timing is exquisite. As institutional appetite for yield grows and the easy money in Bitcoin dries up, the real action is shifting to staking protocols and altcoin ecosystems. Ripple is betting that the next wave of institutional inflows will demand more than just cold storage, they’ll want secure, compliant, and scalable access to staking rewards. And they’re probably right.

The context is even more compelling. The institutional custody market is exploding, with everyone from Fidelity to Coinbase scrambling to lock down market share. But most incumbents are stuck in the Bitcoin and Ethereum rut, offering little beyond basic safekeeping. Ripple’s move to integrate Solana staking is a direct response to growing demand for higher yields and diversified exposure. Solana, despite its technical hiccups, remains the darling of institutional allocators looking for scalable DeFi and NFT rails. By offering both ETH and SOL staking, Ripple is positioning itself as the Switzerland of digital asset custody, neutral, secure, and open for business.

This matters because the custody arms race is about more than just who can keep your coins safe. It’s about who controls the pipes for the next generation of financial infrastructure. If Ripple can capture even a fraction of the institutional staking market, it will have a seat at the table when the big money finally arrives. The partnerships with Figment and Securosys are a signal that Ripple is willing to play ball with the best in the business, rather than trying to build everything in-house. That’s a savvy move in a market where speed and credibility matter more than brand loyalty.

The technical details are worth unpacking. Ripple Custody will integrate Figment’s staking APIs, allowing clients to delegate ETH and SOL directly from their custody accounts. Securosys will provide the hardware security modules and key management, ensuring that private keys never leave the vault. This is a clear play for the risk-averse institutional crowd, who want staking rewards without the operational headaches. The move also positions Ripple to offer staking-as-a-service to other custodians, turning its infrastructure into a profit center rather than just a cost of doing business.

Strykr Watch

From a technical perspective, the move comes at a critical juncture for both Ethereum and Solana. ETH is consolidating after a bruising selloff, with support at $2,000 and resistance at $2,250 (recent price action, news.bitcoin.com). Solana, meanwhile, is holding near $88, with RSI flashing signs of a potential trend reversal (crypto-economy.com). The launch of MegaETH mainnet and fresh institutional flows into staking protocols could provide the spark for the next leg higher. Watch for a breakout in ETH above $2,250 and SOL above $95 as confirmation that the institutional bid is real.

The risk here is that Ripple’s custody ambitions run into the same regulatory buzzsaw that has plagued its XRP business. The SEC may have lost some steam, but the regulatory overhang is never far away. There’s also the risk that staking yields compress as more institutions pile in, eroding the very value proposition that Ripple is selling. And let’s not forget the ever-present specter of smart contract exploits and validator slashing, no amount of hardware security can protect against protocol risk.

But the opportunity is clear. If Ripple can deliver a seamless, secure, and compliant staking experience for institutions, it will have a first-mover advantage in a market that is only just waking up to the potential of proof-of-stake. The playbook: watch for announcements of major institutional clients onboarding to Ripple Custody, and track inflows to ETH and SOL staking protocols. The real tell will be whether Ripple can turn custody into a recurring revenue machine, rather than just a defensive moat.

Strykr Take

Ripple’s move into institutional ETH and Solana staking is the most interesting thing the company has done in years. This isn’t about XRP, it’s about building the pipes for the next phase of crypto adoption. If they can execute, Ripple will be more than just a payments company, they’ll be the infrastructure layer for institutional DeFi. Ignore the noise, watch the flows, and don’t bet against a company that’s finally thinking bigger than its own token.

Strykr Pulse 72/100. The market is cautiously bullish on institutional staking, and Ripple is well-positioned to capitalize. Threat Level 2/5. Regulatory risk lingers, but the opportunity is too big to ignore.