Valantis Seizes Liquidity Leverage with stHYPE Acquisition

Valantis, a decentralized exchange (DEX) protocol, has acquired Staked Hype (stHYPE), the second-largest liquid staking token (LST) on Hyperliquid’s HyperEVM blockchain, for an undisclosed sum. The acquisition, which sees Valantis Labs assume full control over stHYPE’s operations, development, and scaling, marks a strategic expansion within the liquid staking segment of the broader DeFi space. With stHYPE currently holding approximately $180 million to $200 million in total value locked (TVL), the move reinforces Valantis’s role in shaping Hyperliquid’s $2.26 billion DeFi TVL ecosystem, where liquid staking constitutes over half of the market [1].

The integration of stHYPE into Valantis follows the platform’s prior launch of LST-specific DEX pools for both stHYPE and Kinetiq’s kHYPE, which collectively have attracted nearly $70 million in TVL and facilitated over $500 million in trading volume. By acquiring the second-largest LST in the Hyperliquid ecosystem, Valantis strengthens its ability to offer deep liquidity for liquid-staked assets while maintaining its position as a major liquidity hub for competing tokens. This vertical integration, as noted by Valantis co-founder and CTO Ed Carvalho, is expected to deepen market efficiency and liquidity depth for LST-based assets [2].

Staked HYPE has faced challenges in recent months, notably losing its position as the largest liquid staking platform on Hyperliquid to Kinetiq’s kHYPE, which now holds about $1.3 billion in TVL. Despite this, Valantis CEO Deven Matthews emphasized that the acquisition is not expected to distort the market. Instead, he argued, the increased competition among LSTs benefits the ecosystem by offering users more options and enhancing innovation through features like emission rewards and fee discounts [3]. Valantis aims to address key pain points for stHYPE by improving liquidity and exploring new yield opportunities for investors, positioning the token for long-term competitiveness.

The timing of the acquisition aligns with Hyperliquid’s rapid growth as one of the most dynamic DeFi projects in the industry. HyperEVM, the chain’s EVM-compatible layer, launched in February and has already attracted nearly 100 active protocols and over $2 billion in TVL. Valantis plans to enhance stHYPE’s integration with its DEX and HyperCore, the perps exchange under Hyperliquid, with the goal of building a broader liquidity network for the ecosystem. These efforts are supported by Valantis’s existing infrastructure and a team that includes notable figures such as Addison Spiegel, founder of Thunderhead (the team behind stHYPE), who has joined Valantis as an advisor [4].

The acquisition also reflects a broader trend in the crypto industry, where larger firms are increasingly acquiring smaller, niche projects to accelerate growth and expand market reach. Valantis, which previously focused on modular DEX development, has shifted toward building end-to-end solutions within the Hyperliquid ecosystem. The firm’s recent expansion into LST-specific trading and its strategic acquisition of stHYPE are seen as key steps in its journey to becoming a central infrastructure provider for liquid staking. With backing from investors including Kraken Ventures, Figment Capital, and Robot Ventures, Valantis is well-positioned to continue its trajectory in a sector that is becoming increasingly competitive and technically sophisticated [5].

Source:

[1] Valantis acquires stHYPE as Hyperliquid liquid staking ... (https://finance.yahoo.com/news/valantis-acquires-sthype-hyperliquid-liquid-140004830.html)

[2] Valantis Acquires stHYPE, Expanding Liquid Staking ... (https://www.coindesk.com/business/2025/08/19/valantis-acquires-sthype-expanding-liquid-staking-reach-on-hyperliquid)

[3] Valantis Acquires Staked Hype to Enhance Liquid ... (https://holder.io/news/valantis-acquires-staked-hype-liquid-staking/)

[4] Valantis acquires Hyperliquid ecological liquid staking ... (https://www.chaincatcher.com/en/article/2198619)

[5] Valantis acquires StakedHYPE, a liquid staking platform on ... (https://www.theblock.co/post/367418/valantis-acquires-stakedhype-a-liquid-staking-platform-on-hyperliquid)