UAE's $300M Bet on Solmate to Establish Solana Validator Infrastructure in Middle East

The rebranding of Brera Holdings PLC to Solmate marks a significant development in the institutional adoption of Solana (SOL), with the company securing $300 million in private investment to establish a digital asset treasury and crypto infrastructure firm. The funding round, led by UAE-based Pulsar Group and supported by Cathie Wood’s ARK Invest, RockawayX, and the Solana Foundation, positions Solmate as a key player in the growing trend of corporate Solana treasury accumulation. The firm plans to hold and stake SOL tokens while developing validator infrastructure in Abu Dhabi, aiming to deliver staking yields to regional investors through high-performance bare metal servers. This move aligns with the UAE’s strategic push to become a global blockchain hub, leveraging favorable regulatory frameworks and digital transformation initiatives.

Solmate’s leadership includes Marco Santori, former Chief Legal Officer at Kraken and a pioneer in digital asset treasuries, who emphasized the company’s focus on building “real crypto infrastructure” in the UAE rather than merely holding tokens. The board features economist Arthur Laffer, RockawayX CEO Viktor Fischer, and two appointees from the Solana Foundation, reflecting a blend of financial expertise and blockchain-native oversight. Santori’s appointment underscores the project’s ambition to differentiate itself from competitors by prioritizing active network participation and yield generation.

The initiative is part of a broader surge in institutional Solana treasury activity. Corporate holdings of SOL now exceed $4 billion, with 16 institutions collectively owning 15.83 million tokens—approximately 2.75% of the circulating supply. Forward Industries leads with 6.8 million SOL, valued at $1.61 billion, while Galaxy Digital’s recent $1.55 billion SOL purchase highlights the network’s growing appeal. Solmate’s dual listing on Nasdaq and a UAE exchange further signals confidence in Solana’s scalability and institutional viability, particularly as the blockchain processes more transactions and generates higher on-chain revenue than its peers.

The UAE’s role in this expansion is pivotal. By deploying Solana validator nodes in Abu Dhabi, Solmate aims to provide regional investors direct access to staking yields, a first in the Middle East. This infrastructure strategy aligns with the UAE’s digital transformation agenda, which includes initiatives like the Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority (VARA) to support blockchain innovation. The involvement of Pulsar Group, a UAE-based blockchain advisory firm, highlights the region’s growing influence in global crypto markets.

Industry forecasts suggest Solana could outpace Bitcoin and Ethereum in the next three years, driven by its high throughput, low costs, and developer activity. Unlike Bitcoin’s store-of-value model, Solana’s native yield-generating capabilities make it an attractive asset for institutional portfolios. Solmate’s approach—combining token accumulation with infrastructure development—positions it to capitalize on this growth while addressing market volatility through long-term strategies.

[1] title1 (https://www.coindesk.com/business/2025/09/18/solmate-joins-solana-treasury-push-with-usd300m-funding-from-uae-investors-ark-invest)

[2] title2 (https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2025/09/18/3152510/0/en/Wall-Street-Finds-Its-Solmate-Brera-Holdings-PLC-NASDAQ-BREA-Announces-Oversubscribed-300-Million-Private-Placement-to-Fund-Establishment-of-Solana-Digital-Asset-Treasury-Backed-by.html)

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