Forward Industries Strengthens Solana Ecosystem
Forward Industries, a publicly traded company specializing in Solana treasury assets, has officially launched its first institutional-grade validator node on the Solana blockchain. This strategic move marks the company’s commitment to deepening its involvement in the Solana ecosystem.
The validator operates on DoubleZero’s fiber-optic network and uses Firedancer, the independent Solana validator client developed by Jump Crypto, ensuring high-performance and reliability.
“This validator will enhance Solana’s robustness and maintain it as the standard for institutional adoption in DeFi,” said Kyle Samani, Chairman of Forward Industries.
$1.7 Billion in Solana Assets Under Management
Forward Industries currently holds the largest corporate Solana (SOL) portfolio, valued at nearly $1.7 billion. The company’s efforts are supported by crypto heavyweights including Galaxy Digital, Jump Crypto, and Multicoin Capital, signaling strong institutional confidence in its strategy.
By deploying approximately 6.8 million SOL into staking, Forward Industries immediately joined the top ten Solana validators, surpassing long-time players like Staking Facilities and Coinbase, which hold 6.7M and 6.2M SOL respectively.
Top Solana validators by stake volume still include Binance Staking, Helius, Figment, and Jupiter (JUP), each managing over 10 million SOL.
0% Commission to Stakers
A key differentiator of Forward’s validator is its 0% commission rate, meaning all staking rewards flow directly to delegators. By contrast, Binance Staking charges 1%, Figment up to 7%, and Coinbase 8%, reducing net returns for their stakers.
This zero-fee policy may be a growth strategy to attract delegators initially; the company may adjust rates as its stake grows and operational costs increase.
The launch of Forward Industries’ validator represents a significant step toward institutionalizing Solana staking infrastructure, increasing network security, and promoting adoption in DeFi. Analysts view the move as a signal of growing institutional confidence in Solana’s long-term ecosystem.
Forward Industries aims to leverage its substantial SOL holdings to actively participate in network governance and ecosystem development, strengthening Solana’s position as a leading high-performance blockchain for decentralized finance applications.
